Pictured above - our small but enthusiastic team of five staff. Left to right, Anna Kenna, Jacqui Eyley, Sasmita Kumar, Lisa Theron and Jess Sims.

'He tangata, he tangata, he tangata!' 

What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people!

Yes for Success is its people.  However you engage with us, we're here for you and because of you.

We have a volunteer board, a small team of part-time staff, and many volunteers who deliver our programmes, manage our clothing donations and run our 'dressed' boutiques. We'd like to introduce you to a few of our key team members.

Our Staff

Jacqui Eyley - Executive Manager.  

Jacqui has a history of running not-for-profit organisations. She is passionate about creating positive change in communities and is constantly inspired by the volunteers she works with. She works closely with the Board on strategic direction and is responsible for all aspects of the charity's operations.

Lisa Theron - Programmes Manager

Lisa brings a rich background in community development and non-profit work, paired with a strong foundation in fashion design and fine arts. Her passion lies in empowering individuals and enhancing community well-being. Lisa's unique blend of creative and social expertise allows her to create impactful programs that foster growth and support. With her diverse skills, she is dedicated to making a meaningful difference in the lives of those she serves.

Jess Sims - Hutt Hub Coordinator

Jess has a background in retail management and recruitment for people with disabilities. Jess chose to work at YFS to support and give back to the community. Building a stronger community and networks is something she is very passionate about. 

Sasmita Kumar - Wellington Hub Coordinator

Sasmita has a background in social work, HR management, and project management. She has worked for 8 year's in retail, public health and public service organisations in New Zealand. She is super-organised, self-motivated, and result-oriented team player.

Anna Kenna - Fundraising & Grants Officer 

Anna is a journalist and published author. After a long career in radio and television, Anna now works as a freelance writer and children's author.  Her award-winning series of novels for teens , the Viola Vincent Reporting series,  features a tenacious young reporter who is driven to expose scandals and scams and get herself into a fair bit of trouble along the way. Anna is a mum and step mum to five grown children and has five grandchildren. She is married to John and lives in Kāpiti. She is a keen runner, tramper and dog enthusiast.

Our Board

Jane Fanselow-Price - Acting Chair

As a Life Member and former President, Jane brings a wealth of knowledge to the organisation. She is currently an Advisor to the Regional Commissioner at MSD. Jane has over 30 years' experience as a recruiter, career coach and facilitator and has considerable board experience. She is passionate about the success of DFS/YFS and would like to see our services more widely used for the huge benefit of job seekers across the region.

Michele Thomas 

Michele has been working in health for nearly 30 years, starting out as a Registered Nurse, and then moving to leadership and management for the past 18 years. She is passionate about supporting healthy communities that thrive. During her time as a health leader, Michele has managed both public and private enterprises including General Practice, Hospice, Chronic Pain, and Ophthalmology and worked as a board member for Kaupapa Māori mental health organisation.  

Denise MacKay 

Denise Mackay works in the public sector. Denise has specialist skills in executive leadership, people and change management, strategic communications and PR, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement.  A Chartered member of the Institute of Directors, Denise is also on the board of the Public Relations Institute of NZ. Denise is passionate about the mahi Yes for Success does to help people feel both empowered and able to create the change they want.

Merissa Parkinson - Treasurer

Merissa's mission is to build services and technology that benefits diverse communities and contributes towards a more equitable and inclusive society. She is currently the Head of Product at Thankyou Payroll and has previous wide consultancy experiences, including in PwC and EY. She is passionate about empowering others to become their best selves and this is why she loves the work of Yes for Success and wants to be involved in driving change.

Sonya Mason - Vice Chair

Sonya Mason is the HR Manager at the Tertiary Education Commission who joined the Board in 2021.  Sonya has a wide range of generalist HR skills having worked both in the health and education sector in HR for a number of years. As a previous Social Worker and Team Leader in Mental Health, Sonya is passionate about people being able to make change and feel empowered.

Leonie Dobbs - Founder

Leonie has extensive experience building and managing professional business relationships with Local Government, Government agencies, tourism, telecommunications, retail and not-for-profit sectors.  As the organisation's founder she also has extensive experience in strategic direction, business development, operational management, fundraising and reporting.

Yi Nicholl

Yi  manages the Commercial & Finance legal team at the Treasury.  Previous to that she lived in the UK, working in commercial law for a large global marketing and advertising group.  She is proud to support an organisation that helps to grow people's confidence to succeed in work.  

Rebecca Burton

Rebecca Burton has a range of marketing, communications and design experience in the health and education sectors. Prior to joining the Board, Rebecca volunteered design services for Dress for Success Wellington during our launch of Yes for Success. Through past experiences she has been involved in starting up free community courses for adults and children and saw the clear benefits and enjoyment these offered, inspiring her to support similar initiatives through involvement with Dress for Success Wellington.

Rebbecca Page

Rebbecca has over 15 years contribution in enabling organisations to become increasingly sustainable for environmental, social and financial resilience. With a diverse background, she now finds herself immersed in the dynamic world of sports as the Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at NZ Rugby.