On 23 November 2016, members of the Australian Childcare Alliance New South Wales (ACA NSW) have elected Mrs Lyn Connolly as its new President.

Mrs Connolly is a 39-year veteran of the long daycare sector, running 7 childcare centres across metropolitan Sydney. She had previously been ACA NSW’s President, Vice-President and a member of past Executive Committees.

She has also previously held the positions of Secretary and Executive Member of The Australian Federation of Child Care Associations, as well as President, Vice-President and Executive Member of the Australian Confederation of Child Care, Founding Vice President and past Committee Member and Secretary of the Australian Childcare Centres Association, Initiator and Founding Vice-President of the Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA). She was also awarded the Most Outstanding Business Person of the Year 2015 for Holroyd, and the Most Outstanding Business Person of the Year 2013 for Parramatta.

“I can’t wait to start working with the incoming ACA NSW Executive Committee, staff, our stakeholders, governments, politicians and government agencies to fix the problems faced by owners of private long daycare centres. And when we get those right, we can get it right for the children,” said Mrs Connolly.

Outgoing ACA NSW President, Nesha Oneil Hutchinson said, “it has been an absolute privilege serving our sector. I am proud that ACA NSW has become a key media ‘go to’ organisation, was part of the Cultural Connections Indigenous Forum at Macquarie University, and helped facilitate the Universal Access Funding, NSW planning reform, and refining the Assessment & Rating process in NSW. I am also proud of our efforts in helping governments stop funding rorts, and collaborated with the BOSTES/Teacher Accreditation Authority Working Party.”

Also elected to the 2017 Executive Committee are Elizabeth Russo (Vice-President), Karthika Viknarasah (Treasurer), Eleni Wilson (Secretary), Lienna Mandic, Phillip Malek, Donus Demir, Nicole Upfold, Adrian Pattra, Rebecca Moran and Merran Toth.