Leadership Team
Emily Caska, Chief Executive Officer
With over 20 years of executive experience across the disability, child protection, and aged care sectors in Australia and abroad, Emily is poised to lead Playgroup NSW into its next chapter of growth and transformation.
Having served in a variety of high impact roles, including CEO of Down Syndrome NSW, Founder of the Down Syndrome Institute, Policy Director at National Disability Services, and Deputy CEO of the Australian Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong, Emily’s background reflects strategic acumen, deep sector expertise and a passion for supporting inclusive, person centred approaches. Emily also holds significant advisory positions, including Co-Chair of the NSW Child and Family Supports Alliance.
Emily’s journey is rooted in her values and brings a deeply grounded approach to leadership focused on inclusion and genuine community connection. Underpinning Emily’s passion is her lived experience as sibling to her sister Lucy, who has severe intellectual disability, as well as her own playgroup engagement with her son Otis.
Across the breadth of community, first nations, intergenerational, disability and regional and remote offerings at Playgroup NSW, Emily’s vision is to foster connection, inclusion, and play based learning as essential foundations to improve child outcomes, enhance peer to peer and community networks, and increase parenting capacity.
Kellie Murray, Executive Lead, First Nations
Kellie Murray is a Wiradjuri woman from Wagga Wagga and a mother to three boys. She has been in Wagga since she was born, and loves working in the community. Kellie has always been in Aboriginal community services and education roles and it is a great passion of hers. At Playgroup NSW we run Aboriginal Supported Playgroups in the Wagga community. We provide not only early education but a full holistic approach to social and emotional wellbeing for our families. We work with a range of services who come out to our playgroups and provide not only outreach services but build connections with our families. We also work with our local schools to provide support and connections for our families with children who are getting ready to transition into kindergarten.
Jennifer Kemp, Executive Lead, Impact
Jenny has extensive experience spanning disability and child and family services, where she has worked in senior roles over the past three decades. Jenny has always been an advocate for children, specifically those with a disability, evidenced in her 21 year tenure with Lifestart, an organisation focused on inclusion for children and young people living with disability.
With valued experience across many of our portfolios and programs and with experience in evaluation and learning frameworks and social impact measurement, Jenny brings a wealth of knowledge to the team. Jenny's experience aligns well with our strategic priority to ensure every child and family has a place in their community to connect, learn and belong.
Elisabeth West, Executive Lead, Finance, Data, & Risk
Elisabeth is a skilled finance professional and a qualified CPA with extensive experience across the non-profit sector and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). With a strong foundation in financial management and strategic planning, she has consistently applied her expertise to drive sustainability, improve operational efficiency, and support long-term organisational goals.
Her career spans a range of roles where she has overseen complex budgeting processes, ensured compliance with regulatory standards, and implemented systems that strengthen financial governance. Elisabeth’s ability to align financial strategy with organisational mission has made her a trusted advisor and effective leader in both commercial and purpose-driven environments.
Elisabeth’s experience and commitment to social impact align closely with our strategic priority to ensure every child and family has a place in their community to connect, learn and belong.
Kate Hanley, Executive Lead, Services
Kate brings over 20 years of experience in the disability and community sector, with a strong focus on delivering inclusive services that reflect and respond to the needs of diverse communities. Her work spans both governments and non-government settings, where she has led initiative that promote access, equity, and meaningful participation for all.
Kate is passionate about building inclusive systems that empower individuals and families, and her experience informs her thoughtful, community-centred approach. She is committed to driving positive change and supporting services that ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
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Playgroup NSW leads play-based programs and services for NSW families with children birth to school age, offering development, shared experiences, and family support, that results in active citizens and inclusive communities.
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Supported By
Playgroup NSW acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respect to them and their cultures; to elders both past and present, and the children of today who will become the elders of tomorrow.