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Meet Our Team
Meet Our Team
“Our mission is to support all Victorians to live a fulfilling life.
The secret to our success is all about working with the right people”
Our Management Team
Avi Leelah
Founder & Director
Avi is the founder and Director of VPS. With a background in Psychology, Philosophy, Maths (and Astrophysics!) Avi continues to lead the team with 15 years backing in the industry.
With a strong intrigue by the human psyche and its motivation, Avi is passionate to make his mark on the world and leave it in a better place to which he found it. Avi created VPS in 2016 and has continued to guide best practice and continuous improvement strategy.
Fun fact: Avi is fluent in French and a huge Led Zeppelin enthusiast!
Ledion Mecollari
Chief Executive Officer
Ledion is our CEO. He has more than 18 years experience in leading teams across Education, Consultancy and business management.
Ledion is passionate about Education and believes that anyone can achieve their goals if they are supported enough.
He holds a MBA, a Master in Finance and a Master in Professional Accounting.
Fun fact: Ledion is fluent in Italian and loves soccer (crazy supporter of Inter Milan).
Katrina Mintoff
Business Manager
Katrina is our Business Manager. Over the last 12 years, she has worked in a range of specialist medical, general practice and allied health management and administration roles.
Katrina is client focused and always strives to create an effective and efficient working environment.
Fun fact: Katrina is a citizen of Malta! She LOVES everything about the island and the people… but most importantly LOVES the food!
Cristina Pinzone
Clinical Operations Manager
Cristina is our Clinical Operations Manager and in-house Behaviour Support Practitioner. She has worked in the field of Behaviour Support for over 6 years and is passionate about improving quality of life through a person-centred approach, giving individuals a voice in their own supports that break the mold of traditional therapy.
Cristina has completed a Master’s Degree in Education, with a specialisation in Behaviour Analysis, and is also a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA).
Cristina has also completed specialist training in sexualised behaviours of concern and is proudly one of only two behavioural sexologists in Australia!
Fun Fact: Cristina LOVES chilli oil and will add some form of chilli to every meal!
Lindsay Hume
Disability Operations Manager
Lindsay is our Disability Operations Manager. Lindsay has a background in Social Work and has worked in Disability and Community Care for 15 years.
Lindsay is originally from Scotland and moved to Melbourne 11 years ago, where she has worked for both state and local Government and not-for-profit organisations.
Lindsay has experience working with people with a disability in the Justice system, as well as supporting participants in the community with NDIS funding and other forms of Government funding. Lindsay is passionate about leading teams who have a positive culture, work to organisational values, and work collaboratively to achieve positive outcomes for the people we support.
Fun Fact: Lindsay has 2 dogs (Bruce and Hamish), and 5 cats!
Raik Kuenstler
Disability Operations Manager
Raik is our Disability Operations Manager. With nearly two decades of experience in mental health, disability, and community services, Raik is passionate about creating inclusive and respectful environments where community engagement and self-determination are prioritised.
Raik's career has been marked by extensive work in the Pilbara region, where he served as a Youth Wellbeing Worker under the headspace outreach program. This role involved providing early intervention, clinical, and community responses to young people, their families, and community services across various remote locations
This hands-on experience has given Raik a deep understanding of the unique challenges and needs of these areas and the people within them.
Raik is committed to fostering a positive and supportive work environment at Victoria People Solutions which extends from the staff to the participants and external stakeholders.
Fun Fact: Raik is an avid gamer and Sci-Fi/Fantasy reader.
Nikki Jansson
Disability Operations Manager
Nikki Jansson brings a dynamic blend of expertise and passion to her role as Disability Manager. With formal qualifications in Business Management and Accounting, she has cultivated a diverse career spanning finance, business process outsourcing, allied health, and the disability sector.
Nikki’s extensive experience in the Disability and Early Intervention sector includes overseeing client onboarding, coordinating clinical service delivery, and nurturing positive, collaborative relationships with clients and their families. She is deeply committed to empowering both clients and staff, consistently driving outcomes that support goal attainment, strengthen family engagement, and foster a workplace culture of personal and professional growth.
Fun Fact: Nikki has lived in five different countries! She even learned Swedish to keep up with her bilingual household, which includes her Swedish husband and their two children.
Kerry
Quality and Service Assurance Manager
Kerry is our Quality and Service Assurance Manager and began working at VPS as a support worker. Her background is in education with Bachelor of Education (Hons) and a Master of Education (Hon). As
a dedicated long term educator, Kerry has worked in the primary, tertiary, and Tafe sectors, with a passion for community engagement, and lifelong learning.
Making a difference in the lives of our participants is a key value that is a focus of Kerry’s daily activities.
Fun Fact: Kerry has a deaf cat named Zenda and a rabbit named Bruce. She loves to travel around South East Asia especially if she can ride a motor bike.
Laura Smith
Administration Team Leader
Laura is our Administration Assistant. She brings experience from the hospitality, retail, education and medical administration fields. Laura brings a personal and client-focused approach to all interactions and is always striving to improve customer experiences.
Fun fact: Laura has a passion for music, and has learnt to play 5 different instruments. She loves a good jam in the car on the way to work.
Shem
Information Technology Officer
Shem is our Information Technology Officer managing VPS' IT needs. He has been in the industry for over 6 years and specializes in support and management of Microsoft 365 environments.
Shem is passionate about fixing issues and providing help when needed. He has experience with both customer and technical support experience which provided him a good understanding on how to manage administration of users in an organization.
Fun fact: Shem loves to go to the gym and play computer/mobile games.
Dianne Redondo
Administration Assistant
Dianne is our Administration Assistant. She is a registered Psychometrician and a member of the Psychological Association of the Philippines (PAP). She spent the early years of her career working in various areas of HR, such as employee relations, training, recruitment, and selection. During the pandemic, she secured a position as an Executive Admin Assistant in the healthcare industry and discovered a strong passion for the purpose of the job. Currently, she has been working as an Administration Assistant for healthcare staffing companies and NDIS registered providers for the past four years.
Fun fact: Dianne has five dogs and four cats. She also loves teaching children every weekend at church! She sings, plays, and teaches them stories from the Bible.
Our Clinicians
Tom Cui
Senior Occupational Therapist
Tom is a Senior Occupational Therapist. Tom has completed a master’s degree in occupational therapy, and he has been working in the field of occupational therapy for 8 years.
Tom likes to think of occupational therapists as puzzle solvers, because they assist clients in solving how to complete tasks that they may or may not have been able to do in the past.
Fun Fact: Tom is a metalhead. He likes a number of bands from the 80s. Tom is good at producing noise at home with his Gibson guitar.
Sam Chik
Occupational Therapist
Sam is a passionate and dedicated new graduate Occupational Therapist with hands-on placement experience supporting individuals with Multiple Sclerosis and working within the NDIS sector. With a strong commitment to empowering others and enhancing quality of life, Sam brings a compassionate and hardworking approach to every client interaction.
Fun fact: Outside of work, Sam enjoys exploring new places and staying active—especially through basketball and swimming!
Gabriel Sanchez
Occupational Therapist
Gabriel is one of our occupational therapists. With an extensive experience as an occupational therapist, including several years in a clinic-based setting supporting children with disabilities, and more recently working in the community with individuals across all stages of life, he brings a well-rounded and person-centred approach to therapy. He believes that building strong, trusting relationships with participants is essential to understanding their personal needs, goals, and everyday lives.
Fun fact: Gabriel loves to learn new things and has recently picked up photography as a hobby.
Tiffany Iurato
Provisional Psychologist
Tiffany is a registered Provisional Psychologist and Behaviour Support Practitioner with a Master’s degree in Professional Psychology. With three years of experience in the behavioural field, she has experience working with a variety of psychological presentations and takes a neuro-affirming approach.
Tiffany’s approach is client-centred, ensuring that the unique needs, goals, and perspectives of each client guide the therapeutic process. She collaborates closely with families and care teams to create supportive environments that promote growth, independence, and emotional well-being.
Fun fact: Tiffany loves to run and has a dog who hates running.
Emily Blackburn-Kendrick
Speech Pathologist
Emily is a Speech Pathologist and has worked in the field of speech pathology for over 3 years. Emily has a passion for creating individualized support plans to help people engage in their community and form meaningful connections. She has a special interest in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), which involves finding the best communication system that meets a person’s needs and circumstances.
Fun Fact: She is training her cat to talk using a “one button, one message” communication system! Her cat has learnt to ask to go outside, to play, and for cuddles!
Mariana Silvestre
Allied Health Assistant
Mariana is our amazing Allied Health Assistant and a key part of our team. She’s currently in her third year of studying Occupational Therapy and has been working as an allied health assistant and support worker for a while. With her mix of hands-on experience and fresh insights from her studies, Mariana brings a client-focused approach to everything she does, always looking for creative ways to tackle tough challenges.
Fun fact: when she’s not working, Mariana is busy as a dog walker! She loves spending time with animals and can walk up to 10 dogs at once—talk about multitasking!