Peter Barnett
Chairman - Mana Whakahaere
Originally from Dunedin, Peter has also lived in Christchurch, Timaru and for over 25 years in London before coming to Wellington in 2005. Peter brings to the Board Chair role extensive and wide-ranging experience of management, policy development, advisory and consultancy, as well as governance and voluntary roles, in industry, business, education, social care and health sectors in England and New Zealand.
He has worked in both Government and community organisations, and his particular interests are integrated care planning and provision across mental health and addiction, social inclusion, workforce development, peer support and consumer leadership.
Peter has considerable business (including corporate directorships) and Not-for-Profit management experience, including financial management and reporting, and has been an active member of Finance & Audit Committees of several organisations (including Seed / Vitae).
Peter has been a Vitae Board member since 2011 when Seed and Workplace Support North Island merged as Vitae, and had been a Seed Board member for two years before that.
He has held Chair/Deputy Chair roles in NGOs and sector bodies in England and New Zealand, served on Wellington Cathedral Vestry and Finance Committee, and is currently Chair of Kites Trust in Wellington.
Glenda Schnell
Chief Executive – Tumuaki
MHSc, PGDipHSc-Youth Health, PGCertHSc-Child & Adolescent Mental Health, B.OccTh
Glenda was born in Durban, South Africa, and migrated to New Zealand in 2001. Now naturalised, she lives in Auckland with her husband and 2 children.
Glenda has a strong background in the Mental Health and Wellbeing Sector and has organisational, strategic and clinical management experience. Previously roles include Executive Director - Lifeline Aotearoa, Regional Manager - Ultimate Group, General Manager - Youthline, Programme Manager Mental Health Planning & Funding – Counties Manukau DHB. She has held senior occupational therapy leadership and practitioner positions in Auckland and in her native South Africa.
Her qualifications include Bachelor of Occupational Therapy, Master of Health Sciences as well as Post Grad diplomas in Youth Mental Health and Child and Adolescent Health. She has had articles published, and has extensive experience of facilitating training and presenting at international conferences
Glenda is an experienced trainer and facilitator.
Frances Robinson
Corporate Services Manager - Pou Rātonga Rangatōpu
Bachelor of Commerce & Administration
Frances has recently joined the Vitae team. She is an experienced Corporate Services Manager, with substantial financial management experience. She brings strengths in, strategic leadership, finance and business systems which will support Vitae’s services delivery and future growth.
Frances has held management roles in several not-for-profit organisations and her personal values align strongly with those of Vitae. Frances is a Wellingtonian and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Victoria University of Wellington.
Kitty Marshall
Clinical Manager – Pou Ratonga Hinengaro a Motu
NZ Dip OT, TDip COT, M Couns, GDID
Kitty has worked in a range of mental health, tertiary education, and social service settings as a clinician, manager, professional lead, educator and facilitator, and supervisor. Before joining the Vitae team in 2020 she was the learning and development manager for MHAIDS, the Wellington region 3DHB mental health, addictions and intellectual disability service.
Kitty has extensive experience as a critical incident debriefer, and disaster response psychosocial coordinator. She originally hails from Palmerston North, but has lived for 30+ years in the home where her heart is – Wellington.
Ruth Pink
Early Response Manager - Pou Whakahaere Tuatahi
BA (Hons), Bachelor of Applied Counselling
Ruth joined the Vitae Team in 2021. She is an experienced manager and health and safety practitioner with a specialty in psychological wellbeing and the management of psychosocial risk in the workplace. She comes to Vitae from WorkSafe New Zealand and has previously worked as the Supportive Care Manager for the Cancer Society Wellington. Ruth brings knowledge and skills in the areas of peer support programmes, providing support in critical incidents and working with first responders in Fire and Emergency and the New Zealand Defence Force. Ruth has a Bachelor of Applied Counselling and has worked as a drug and alcohol counsellor for Care NZ as well as an onsite wellness consultant / counsellor for Wellington Free Ambulance.
Kathy Green
Manager On-site Services - Pou Rātonga a Motu
NZCT, B.SocSc, Dip.DR
Prior to managing the On-site team for Vitae, Kathy worked for 10 years in on-site support with some of the Waikato region’s largest businesses. She is responsible for the quality and professional development of the On-site team in New Zealand.
Previously Kathy worked in the education sector and has tertiary qualifications in industrial relations and human resource management.
Debbie Trask
People and Culture Manager - Kaiārahi Whanake Tāngata
CFHRINZ – Chartered fellow of HRINZ
Debbie is an experienced Senior Consultant in designing, marketing and delivering Human Resource solutions to both private and public sector organisations. Debbie manages her own consultancy and provides expert and cost effective innovation solutions to HR issues.
Previously holding the position of Human Resources Manager in a large multi-national corporate, Debbie has over twenty years’ experience as a Human Resources Consultant, specialising in the areas of Industrial Relations, Performance Management, Management Development, Conflict Resolution and Resource Development
Debbie has achieved professional membership accreditation with the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand, is accredited in Situational Leadership and Targeted Selection Interviewing and is a qualified administrator for Hogan Psychometric Assessments and Myers Briggs (MBTI). Debbie is also a qualified LEADR Mediator and has completed her CIMA trauma training (Crisis Intervention and Management Australasia) and level 2 CIMs training (Co-ordinated Incident Management Systems).
Stacey Agnew
Customer Partnerships Manager - Kaiwhakahaere Whakahoatanga
B.Ed, Dip.T
Stacey joined the Vitae team in 2023. Before joining us, she was contracting for the Wellbeing Team at Auckland Council. There she delivered peer support, training development and delivery, facilitation, coaching and strategic planning. Prior to that, Stacey was the Wellbeing Experience Manager at Skills Consulting Group, partnering with large customers to support the achievement of their Wellbeing goals. She has also spent 4 years as the Practice Manager at Instep, with responsibility for the end-to-end EAP service delivery. The start of Stacey's career was in the education sector where she worked in New Zealand and overseas.
Maddy Young
National Wellbeing and Education Manager - Kaiwhakahaere Kaupapa Ora a Motu
Bachelor of Science in Marketing (Hons)
Maddy joined the Vitae team in July 2023 as the Wellbeing and Education Manager. She completed University in the U.S on a tennis and academic scholarship. With a passion for wellbeing and mental health, Maddy has case management, operations and relationship management experience in the Wellbeing sector.
With a strong understanding of New Zealand organisations, her strength lies in her ability to connect with people and build trusted relationships.