Meet the Faces Behind Beacon Foundation • Our People

The Board

Rosemary Conn

Chair

Rosemary is an experienced CEO and Board Director, having worked extensively in both the not-for-profit and management consulting sectors. As the inaugural CEO of Schools Plus, she built a team to raise over $60 million in eight years to impact disadvantaged children’s lives. She has a passion for social justice and has worked with NFPs, corporations, and the community through roles at the Beacon Foundation, Good2Give Australia and Deloitte. Rosemary is delighted to be part of the Beacon Foundation community again as a Director. Rosemary’s achievements include being recognised in the Australian Financial Review’s ‘100 Women of Influence’ and The CEO Magazine’s 2022 Not for Profit Leaders of the Year.

Scott Harris

CEO and Director

CEO Beacon Foundation

Scott has been a Director since January 2008 and has held the position of Chief Executive with Beacon since 1999. Prior to joining Beacon, Scott had a successful career in sales and management in Tasmania and Victoria. Scott holds strong relationships in the corporate, for purpose and government sectors across Australia. He has a track record of creating practical and real-world collaborations that create measurable impact. Scott's work has been acknowledged nationally with scholarships to study at Harvard and the Macquarie Group's David Clarke Fellowship to study education systems in Europe. Scott is passionate about lifting the aspiration and motivation of our young people to ensure they can make informed decisions to transition from school into further education or a meaningful career. Outside of Beacon, Scott is a Board Member of the Tasmanian Jack Jumpers and Chair of SHE Gynaecological Cancer Group.

Carissa Buckland

Director

Carissa Buckland joined the Board in September 2025. Carissa is the Director of Corporate Affairs & Marketing for Nutrien Ag Solutions, the Australian arm of a global agribusiness working with farmers across the supply chain in more than 14 countries. She has built her career over two decades at the crossroads of government, industry and community, navigating complex public and private sector policy landscapes. Carissa spent nearly ten years in Ministerial offices in State and Federal Governments, including time as Chief of Staff to the WA Minister for Agriculture and as Adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Minister for Community Services. She has experience across a range of sectors having led External Affairs, Communications, Government Engagement and Community Investment in Australia for global mining and agricultural companies including Rio Tinto, South 32, Bayer and Monsanto. Born and raised in central west New South Wales, Carissa attended Condobolin High School (a former Beacon school) and received a BA Communications (Print Journalism) from Charles Sturt University, Bathurst.

Hon Adrian Piccoli

Director

The Hon Adrian Piccoli is the former NSW Minister for Education and former Director of UNSW’s Gonski Institute for Education. He is a highly regarded policy reform advocate particularly in relation to addressing inequality in Australian education as well as improving access for students to high-quality education wherever they may live or go to school.

In 2017 he was made a Fellow of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders.

Adrian currently leads the education and government practice at Korn Ferry Australia.

Adrian has written two books, '12 Ways Your Child Can Get the Best Out of School' and 'Power Politics and the Playground: Perspectives on Power and Authority in Education'.

Carl Harris

Director

Managing Partner – Deloitte Tasmania

Carl has been a Director and Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee since July 2021. Carl is a partner at global professional services firm Deloitte. He has over 30 years of experience in internal and external audits and has been a partner at Deloitte for over 15 years. Carl is a registered company auditor and chartered accountant. Carl was the Deloitte Tasmania Managing Partner from 2013 to 2021 before stepping down from the role to enable him to focus on other areas – including pursuing a passion of his, which is assisting, in any way he can, in enhancing education outcomes in Tasmania. Carl has a strong history with Beacon, working with them since his return to Tasmania in 2012 as a speaker and mentor.

Johnny Timbs

Director

Strategy & Growth Consultant

Johnny builds things that make work — and life — run smoother. Over the past 20 years, he has launched startups, scaled marketplaces, advised corporates, and helped brilliant teams get unstuck. From McDelivery to EdTripper, his focus has always been the same: turning messy problems into systems that grow. He has worked across tech, education, logistics, and retail — leading with curiosity, building trust fast, and getting things done without the drama. He is driven by momentum, clear thinking, and helping good ideas find their way into the world.

Executive

Scott Harris

Director and Chief Executive Officer

Scott has been a Director since January 2008 and has held the position of Chief Executive with Beacon since 1999. Prior to joining Beacon, Scott had a successful career in sales and management in Tasmania and Victoria. In July 2007, Scott was awarded a scholarship for excellence in social venture, leadership and management to attend Harvard Business School. Outside of Beacon, Scott is a Board Member of the Tasmanian Jack Jumpers and Chair of SHE Gynaecological Cancer Group.

Brent Walker

Chief Financial Officer

Brent Walker is Chief Financial Officer at Beacon Foundation, leading the organisation’s financial strategy, governance and sustainability as Beacon expands its national impact for young people.

Ruth McArdle

Chief Operating Officer

Ruth joined Beacon in November 2022 and is the Chief Operating Officer. Ruth has extensive experience across a breadth of organisations and functions. After starting her career as a teacher Ruth has held various roles across state and federal government and has a genuine passion for mentoring and developing staff and making a positive difference in the lives of young people. Most recently Ruth worked at Anglicare as General Manager, Disability Services to ensure the delivery of high-quality client care, ongoing service growth and continuous business improvement.

Nick Humphreys

Chief Strategy Officer

Nick Humphreys is the Chief Strategy Officer at Beacon Foundation, where he leads the organisation’s long-term strategic planning and innovation agenda. With a background in program design, social impact, and people-centred leadership, Nick brings more than 15 years of experience in the social sector—including roles in employment services, youth mental health, homelessness, and domestic and family violence prevention. A passionate advocate for reducing social disadvantage, Nick takes a human-centred approach to project leadership. He blends deep empathy with analytical problem-solving to create meaningful and lasting change for communities.

Bill Lawson

Past Chairman and Beacon Founder

Beacon Foundation was established from this need to find and examine the causes of youth unemployment and ways of cutting it off upstream.

In 1995 Beacon’s first school program, named ‘No Dole’ was conducted at Brooks High School in Launceston, Tasmania and achieved remarkable results. Real progress was immediately made to significantly lower levels of welfare dependency.

For over 27 years, under Bill’s guidance, Beacon continued to maintain a strong track record of success and in 2000 the Beacon model was rolled out nationally. Developing and trialling new approaches, Beacon continues to position itself as a respected and trusted not-for-profit by raising awareness and providing support to young people to help them successfully transition from education to meaningful employment.

Bill Lawson

Past Chairman and Beacon Founder

In 1988, frustrated with the Government’s inability to address generational welfare dependence, Bill Lawson AM realised that if he wanted to change employment outcomes for young people, he needed to challenge the policy makers to stop focussing on consequences and consider addressing causes. Beacon Foundation was established from this need to find and examine the causes of youth unemployment and ways of cutting it off upstream. In 1995 Beacon’s first school program, named ‘No Dole’ was conducted at Brooks High School in Launceston, Tasmania and achieved remarkable results. Real progress was immediately made to significantly lower levels of welfare dependency. For over 27 years, under Bill’s guidance, Beacon continued to maintain a strong track record of success and in 2000 the Beacon model was rolled out nationally. Developing and trialling new approaches, Beacon continues to position itself as a respected and trusted not-for-profit by raising awareness and providing support to young people to help them successfully transition from education to meaningful employment.

Patron's Message

Since it was established in Tasmania in 1988, the Beacon Foundation has taken a proactive, preventative approach to addressing the problem of youth unemployment and the challenges that stem from it.

The Foundation is committed to supporting young people to successfully transition to further education or meaningful employment through a range of innovative programs. Today, it reaches more than 7,000 young people in more than 100 schools around Australia each year.

As Patron, I am proud to support the Foundation’s important work as it strives to build a world where all young people are empowered to find their place. Socio-economic background or geography should not determine education or career opportunities, and I commend the Beacon Foundation on its dedicated efforts to support and inspire young Australians.

Her Excellency the Honourable Caroline Wells
Governor of Tasmania