20 Queensland Nursing Executives to Know in 2026.
Last updated: August 2026.
Queensland's hospitals and health services cover tropical, regional, rural and remote communities, so nursing leadership looks different from one part of the state to another. The executives below work across workforce, clinical quality, service design, digital care, rural access and patient experience.
Why this list matters.
Nursing executives shape the conditions in which nurses and midwives can deliver safe, thoughtful care. Their work is often less visible than the clinical moment itself, but it affects staffing, education, access, technology, governance and the experience of patients and families.
The people below work across Queensland health services, from large regional systems to rural facilities and specialist programmes. Their roles show how nursing leadership connects workforce, clinical care, service design, digital health and access.
The list.
1. Rachael Andrew.
Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery.
Rachael Andrew is Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery at Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service. The official source describes this as a role across nursing and midwifery services in Far North Queensland. Read the official source.
The distinctive part of Rachael Andrew's profile is the mix of responsibility and context: she has overseen large scale service delivery and hospital commissioning across metropolitan, regional and rural environments. That makes this a useful profile for anyone trying to understand how nursing leadership connects clinical practice with the wider health system.
2. Judy Morton.
Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery.
Judy Morton is Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery at Townsville Hospital and Health Service. The official source describes this as a role across nursing and midwifery services in North Queensland. Read the official source.
The distinctive part of Judy Morton's profile is the mix of responsibility and context: she has led projects focused on equitable health services and building a contemporary North Queensland workforce. That makes this a useful profile for anyone trying to understand how nursing leadership connects clinical practice with the wider health system.
3. James William Jenkins.
Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery.
James William Jenkins is Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery at Mackay Hospital and Health Service. The official source describes this as a role across nursing and midwifery services in Central Queensland. Read the official source.
The distinctive part of James William Jenkins's profile is the mix of responsibility and context: he helped set up an innovative community nursing service at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital before moving to Australia in 2017. That makes this a useful profile for anyone trying to understand how nursing leadership connects clinical practice with the wider health system.
4. Keppel Schafer.
Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery, interim.
Keppel Schafer is Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery, interim at Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service. The official source describes this as a role across nursing and midwifery services in Central Queensland. Read the official source.
The distinctive part of Keppel Schafer's profile is the mix of responsibility and context: his background spans rural and remote Queensland and the Northern Territory, with a strong interest in leadership development and team training. That makes this a useful profile for anyone trying to understand how nursing leadership connects clinical practice with the wider health system.
5. Cameron Duffy.
Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery Services.
Cameron Duffy is Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery Services at Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service. The official source describes this as a role across nursing and midwifery services in Wide Bay Queensland. Read the official source.
The distinctive part of Cameron Duffy's profile is the mix of responsibility and context: he is an Associate Adjunct Professor with James Cook University and holds a Master's degree in Dementia. That makes this a useful profile for anyone trying to understand how nursing leadership connects clinical practice with the wider health system.
6. Alison Broadbent.
Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery Services.
Alison Broadbent is Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery Services at Darling Downs Health. The official source describes this as a role across nursing and midwifery services in Darling Downs Queensland. Read the official source.
The distinctive part of Alison Broadbent's profile is the mix of responsibility and context: she places patients, families and communities in the design of care and focuses on sustainable, safe healthcare organisations. That makes this a useful profile for anyone trying to understand how nursing leadership connects clinical practice with the wider health system.
7. Lisa Newport.
Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery.
Lisa Newport is Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery at Sunshine Coast Health. The official source describes this as a role across nursing and midwifery services in Sunshine Coast Queensland. Read the official source.
The distinctive part of Lisa Newport's profile is the mix of responsibility and context: her stated focus includes evidence based practice, training and development for the next generation of nurses and midwives. That makes this a useful profile for anyone trying to understand how nursing leadership connects clinical practice with the wider health system.
8. Karyn Ehren.
Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery.
Karyn Ehren is Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery at West Moreton Health. The official source describes this as a role across nursing and midwifery services in West Moreton Queensland. Read the official source.
The distinctive part of Karyn Ehren's profile is the mix of responsibility and context: her clinical background is in paediatric intensive care, and she holds an MBA focused on leadership and health service management. That makes this a useful profile for anyone trying to understand how nursing leadership connects clinical practice with the wider health system.
9. Matthew Lunn.
Executive Director, Nursing Midwifery and Patient Experience.
Matthew Lunn is Executive Director, Nursing Midwifery and Patient Experience at Gold Coast Health. The official source describes this as a role across nursing and midwifery services in Gold Coast Queensland. Read the official source.
The distinctive part of Matthew Lunn's profile is the mix of responsibility and context: his executive experience spans emergency services, adults, paediatrics and maternity services across acute and community settings. That makes this a useful profile for anyone trying to understand how nursing leadership connects clinical practice with the wider health system.
10. Chris Small.
Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery Services.
Chris Small is Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery Services at South West Hospital and Health Service. The official source describes this as a role across nursing and midwifery services in South West Queensland. Read the official source.
The distinctive part of Chris Small's profile is the mix of responsibility and context: he also holds the Chief Operating Officer function for South West HHS facilities and has a long rural and remote nursing background. That makes this a useful profile for anyone trying to understand how nursing leadership connects clinical practice with the wider health system.
11. Troy Lane.
Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery Services.
Troy Lane is Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery Services at Central West Hospital and Health Service. The official source describes this as a role across nursing and midwifery services in Central West Queensland. Read the official source.
The distinctive part of Troy Lane's profile is the mix of responsibility and context: his leadership record includes an Executive COVID lead role and the Cyclone Yasi National Emergency Medal. That makes this a useful profile for anyone trying to understand how nursing leadership connects clinical practice with the wider health system.
12. Karen Slater.
Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery.
Karen Slater is Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery at North West Hospital and Health Service. The official source describes this as a role across nursing and midwifery services in North West Queensland. Read the official source.
The distinctive part of Karen Slater's profile is the mix of responsibility and context: she holds a PhD, has published on nursing absenteeism and infection prevention topics, and is an adjunct Associate Professor with Griffith University. That makes this a useful profile for anyone trying to understand how nursing leadership connects clinical practice with the wider health system.
13. Jacob Walsh.
Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery Services.
Jacob Walsh is Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery Services at Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service. The official source describes this as a role across nursing and midwifery services in Torres Strait and Cape York Queensland. Read the official source.
The distinctive part of Jacob Walsh's profile is the mix of responsibility and context: he previously acted in the executive nursing role and is completing a Master's in Business Administration in Health Management. That makes this a useful profile for anyone trying to understand how nursing leadership connects clinical practice with the wider health system.
14. Paula Ryan.
Nursing and Midwifery Director, Women and Children.
Paula Ryan is Nursing and Midwifery Director, Women and Children at North West Hospital and Health Service. The official source describes this as a role across nursing and midwifery services in North West Queensland. Read the official source.
The distinctive part of Paula Ryan's profile is the mix of responsibility and context: her work covers maternal and child health, service design, culturally safe care and equitable access. That makes this a useful profile for anyone trying to understand how nursing leadership connects clinical practice with the wider health system.
15. Katrina Ford.
Health Service Director of Nursing, Charters Towers.
Katrina Ford is Health Service Director of Nursing, Charters Towers at Townsville Hospital and Health Service. The official source describes this as a role across nursing and midwifery services in North Queensland. Read the official source.
The distinctive part of Katrina Ford's profile is the mix of responsibility and context: she is connected with the local delivery of a new CT scanner intended to bring more diagnostic care closer to home. That makes this a useful profile for anyone trying to understand how nursing leadership connects clinical practice with the wider health system.
16. Lorraine Munn.
Nursing Director Clinical Services Planning.
Lorraine Munn is Nursing Director Clinical Services Planning at Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service. The official source describes this as a role across nursing and midwifery services in Wide Bay Queensland. Read the official source.
The distinctive part of Lorraine Munn's profile is the mix of responsibility and context: her work is connected with planning the new Bundaberg Hospital and the clinical services it will support. That makes this a useful profile for anyone trying to understand how nursing leadership connects clinical practice with the wider health system.
17. Susanne Bardon.
Director of Nursing, Longreach Hospital.
Susanne Bardon is Director of Nursing, Longreach Hospital at Central West Hospital and Health Service. The official source describes this as a role across nursing and midwifery services in Central West Queensland. Read the official source.
The distinctive part of Susanne Bardon's profile is the mix of responsibility and context: she is connected with a tele-chemotherapy model using high definition cameras and remote specialist support. That makes this a useful profile for anyone trying to understand how nursing leadership connects clinical practice with the wider health system.
18. Seana Clarke.
Nursing Director Digital Health Solution.
Seana Clarke is Nursing Director Digital Health Solution at Mackay Hospital and Health Service. The official source describes this as a role across nursing and midwifery services in Central Queensland. Read the official source.
The distinctive part of Seana Clarke's profile is the mix of responsibility and context: her work is connected with Mackay HHS becoming a fully digital service using a hub and spoke medical records model. That makes this a useful profile for anyone trying to understand how nursing leadership connects clinical practice with the wider health system.
19. Mary Leech.
Director of Nursing, Hospital in the Home.
Mary Leech is Director of Nursing in Townsville Hospital and Health Service's Hospital in the Home programme. The official source identifies her in connection with the service's current work. Read the official source.
The distinctive part of Mary Leech's profile is the mix of responsibility and context: her work is connected with a Hospital in the Home programme that supports suitable patients to receive care at home. That makes this a useful profile for anyone trying to understand how nursing leadership connects clinical practice with the wider health system.
20. Catherine King.
Nursing Director.
Catherine King is Nursing Director at Gold Coast Health. The official source describes this as a role across nursing and midwifery services in Gold Coast Queensland. Read the official source.
The distinctive part of Catherine King's profile is the mix of responsibility and context: she is connected with the purpose designed H2 East ward for older adults at Robina Hospital. That makes this a useful profile for anyone trying to understand how nursing leadership connects clinical practice with the wider health system.
What the group has in common.
Across the list, the work keeps returning to a few practical questions. How do you build a workforce that can serve a changing community? How do you keep care safe while redesigning services? How do you make rural, remote and regional access part of the operating model rather than an afterthought?
The strongest profiles connect professional leadership with a specific service challenge. That might be a digital rollout, a new hospital, a nurse led service, a remote health model, a workforce program or a better experience for patients and families.
How to use this list.
Use the names as a map for further reading. Start with the official source, check the role again before contacting anyone and pay attention to the service issue attached to each profile. The useful question is not simply who holds a title. It is what kind of system change that person is trying to make possible.
Frequently asked questions.
Are these people ranked.
No. The order is editorial and is not a ranking of performance, influence or quality.
Does every person lead a whole hospital and health service.
No. The list includes health service executives and selected nursing or service directors who lead an important part of a Queensland health system.
Is this a complete list of Queensland nursing executives.
No. Roles change, public pages are updated at different times and this package deliberately protects the evidence standard. The companion draft includes more names for future checking, but it does not give them biography claims.
Conclusion.
Queensland's nursing leadership landscape is broad, practical and closely tied to place. These leaders show how professional nursing direction can connect workforce, clinical quality, technology, access and patient experience across very different communities.
Related reading.
For a broader regional comparison, see 46 Key Nursing Leaders in Australia and New Zealand.
A practical next step.
If your organisation is working through trust, clarity or leadership strain, write to jonno@consultclarity.org with a short note about the situation. I will reply in writing with a practical next step.
I help leaders build organisations people would move cities to work at. Practical rather than motivational: something they can use on Monday morning, not a feeling that fades by Friday.