Our Board of Directors
Central Tablelands and Blue Mountains Community Legal Centre (CTBMCLC) is an independent, not-for-profit community legal centre and an Incorporated Association managed by a voluntary Board of Directors from our local community. The Board meets regularly to make governance decisions about strategic planning and management of the Centre. If you are interested in becoming a member of the board, please contact us and ask to speak to the CEO.
Dr Emma Colvin - Chair
Dr Emma Colvin is an Associate Professor in Law and Criminology at Charles Sturt University’s Bathurst campus. Her areas of expertise include young people and the criminal justice system and court processes – specifically focusing on bail. Her research aims to improve access to justice for marginalised communities and seek more just outcomes.
She has previously been Chair of the Bathurst Regional Community Safety Committee and served on the University’s Academic Senate and Indigenous Board of Studies. She is passionate about justice in the regions and creating safer communities. As such Emma’s values align strongly with the Central Tablelands and Blue Mountains Community Legal Centres goals. She is privileged to be a part of the story of the Centre in her role on the Board and is driven to see the Centre succeed in its mission.
Kymberley Allen, Deputy Chair
Bio coming soon.
Melinda Watson, Treasurer
Melinda Watson is the Chief Financial Officer of Australian Mentoring Services, a disability support organisation committed to delivering tailored care that supports each client’s unique journey. She leads the organisation’s financial strategy, governance, and compliance, playing a key role in driving sustainable growth and organisational performance.
Melinda brings more than 25 years’ experience across the for-purpose and commercial sectors. Her previous roles include senior finance and operational leadership positions with Arts Law Centre of Australia, Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council, and Lifestart Disability Services, where she supported organisations dedicated to social justice, community wellbeing and disability services.
She has also served as a Board Director and Treasurer of Community Legal Centres NSW. Melinda holds qualifications in Accounting and Human Resources and is passionate about social justice, which led her to work in the for-purpose sector, including supporting an Aboriginal community organisation committed to improving outcomes for Aboriginal people, who remain among the most marginalised in Australia.
Outside of work, Melinda enjoys spending time with her family, playing pinball, and unwinding with the occasional classic movie.
Elisabeth (Liz) Mulder
Liz Mulder is a psychologist with more than 30 years’ experience working to address violence against women and their children across government and non‑government sectors. She brings a strong commitment to trauma‑informed, ethical and accountable service delivery, underpinned by senior leadership experience and a focus on quality, sustainability and impact. As a Director, Liz is driven by a deep belief in access to justice as a cornerstone of a fair society. She is committed to ensuring community legal services remain accessible, responsive and grounded in dignity, respect and equity, and to strengthening the Centre’s role as a trusted advocate for individuals and communities experiencing disadvantage.
Adjunct Professor Eileen Pittaway, AM, MBA, Phd
Eileen is honoured to serve on the Board and to support the Centre's vital work because the strong commitment to social justice, human rights and community involvement closely aligns with her longstanding values and professional practice.
From 1999 to 2013, Adjunct Professor Pittaway was Director of the Centre for Refugee Research at the University of New South Wales. Her work focused primarily on the prevention of, and response to, rape and gender‑based violence experienced by refugee women. Following her retirement as Director in 2013, she continued her association with the Centre as an Adjunct Professor in a research capacity.
Throughout her career, she has conducted research, delivered training to refugees and UN and NGO staff in refugee camps and urban settings, provided technical advice, and evaluated humanitarian and development projects across 18 countries. From 1991 to 2024, she held accreditation with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and served as an academic consultant to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Adjunct Professor Pittaway has received numerous honours in recognition of her contribution to human rights and refugee education, including the Human Rights Medal from the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission (2001) and the NSW Premier’s Award for Services to Refugee Education (2005) on the centenary of International Women’s Day ( 2011), she was named as one of 100 women who have shaped Australia. In 2012 Eileen was made a Member of the Order of Australia.
Dr Linda Bartolomei, BA, BSW, Grad Dip, MSW, PhD
Linda joined the Board of the CTBMCLC because its trauma‑informed, values‑driven approach aligns closely with the principles that have guided her work for many years, particularly her commitment to inclusion, human rights, and gender justice. As a social work academic, her research, teaching, and advocacy focus on gender‑based violence, social justice, community development, and participatory research. Over the past 25 years, she has partnered with communities, civil society organisations, governments, and UN agencies, working with displaced communities in more than 15 countries. Much of this work has involved participatory action research with refugee women and men and community‑led organisations.
Prior to this, she spent five years leading a community development project with public housing tenants in inner Sydney. These experiences have strengthened her skills in community‑engaged practice and deepened her understanding of the intersecting disadvantages faced by displaced and disadvantaged communities - expertise that directly supports the Centre’s work. She also brings significant experience in securing and managing large, multi‑year, multi‑country research grants, which underpins her contribution to the Board and her ongoing commitment to supporting the CTBMCLC’s mission.
Our Staff
Chief Executive Officer - Arlia Fleming, LLB (Hons), BLJS, GDLP
Arlia has worked in the community legal sector for more than two decades, primarily working alongside people who have experienced sexual, domestic and family violence. Her career spans generalist community legal centres, Women’s Legal Services and Family Violence Prevention Legal Services, where she has consistently advocated for safety, dignity and justice for victim‑survivors.
As CEO, Arlia is proud to lead the Central Tablelands and Blue Mountains Community Legal Centre. She is deeply committed to the Centre’s role as a trusted, place‑based service that stands with communities experiencing disadvantage, challenges systemic injustice, and ensures access to justice is not determined by income, geography or circumstance.
Arlia recently undertook a Law and Justice Foundation Fellowship exploring the use of language in the documentation of victim‑survivor experiences of domestic and family violence in legal proceedings. This work reflects her broader commitment to trauma‑informed practice, ethical advocacy and legal systems that must genuinely hear and respect the voices of those they are meant to protect.
LEGAL TEAM
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Acting Principal Solicitor - Renee Lees
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Solicitors: Justine Wu, Kathy Keat, Nick Meumann, Tessa Sparks, Sarah Sands
BLUE MOUNTAINS TENANTS ADVICE AND ADVOCACY SERVICE (BMTAAS) TEAM
- Tenant Advocate - Saffron Harris, Beau Cummins
OPERATIONS & ADMINISTRATION
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Operations Manager - Halin Nieuwenhuyse
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Administration & Volunteer Coordinators - Amelia Purcell, Skye Flemming, and Leilani White
