OUR PEOPLE

The TASC Team is led by a dedicated Board of Directors and a Chief Executive Officer with a long-standing history of serving the Queensland community.  Since TASC was established in 1982, we have aimed to recruit people who understand the needs of our clients and communities in rural and regional Queensland.  Our team of skilled and committed lawyers, social workers, advocates and the people “behind the scenes” – taking calls, booking appointments – are all here because they want to help. 

Frances Klaassen OAM joined TASC National as CEO in February 2020, bringing a reputation as a creative, collaborative trailblazer in the South West Queensland community sector.

For the last 25 years, Frances has been at the forefront of establishing new services in the region to support families, children and young people in vulnerable circumstances, and members of multicultural communities.

As the Regional Director for long-standing regional provider Mercy Community, Frances implemented a range of innovative services across Toowoomba, Warwick and the Southern Downs.  These included: the nationally award-winning Cultural Diversity Hub, incorporating the Community Action for a Multicultural Society Program, and the region’s multi-award winning Settlement Grants program; the Women’s Wellness Centre in Toowoomba; and the Indigenous Foster Care program, which was later transitioned to Goolburri.

Other career highlights include introducing partnerships with organisations like Playgroup Australia and Lifeline Darling Downs to fill gaps in early intervention programs in the region.

Frances’ passion is for bringing people together to achieve outcomes that benefit the South West Queensland region.  As the champion of groups like the Local Level Alliance and Refugee and Migrant Settlements Services Interagency, she has driven successful collaborations to support the region’s diverse communities.

Frances began her career as a social worker in child protection, and has operated her own hospitality, training consultancy and mediation businesses.  She is accredited as a mediator with the Attorney-General’s Department.  Her combination of commercial acumen and emotional intelligence position her to lead TASC within an ever-changing community sector.

In 2015, Frances’ achievements as a not-for-profit leader were recognised when she was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for service to children and families through social welfare organisations.

Manager, Corporate Services

What I do at TASC

As Manager of Corporate Services my role includes managing the corporate services team that provides accounting/bookkeeping and payroll services to TASC.

I am also responsible for budgets and forecasts, internal and external financial reporting, corporate governance and IT management.

What I did before coming to TASC

Over the past 30 years I have built up a broad range of experience in the areas of bookkeeping, payroll, financial management and governance, HR, project management, office and specialist practice management, events coordination, IT solutions and software training.  

Previous workplaces include Queensland Health (13 years), private legal and specialty firms and large corporations. I was a member of the Army Reserves for 4 ½ years and am currently a volunteer with the Pyjama Foundation.  Moving to the not-for-profit sector to work with TASC has allowed me to work towards a goal I am passionate about – improving the welfare and health of people within the community.