Woolgoolga local Terese Hooper has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Life Ed NSW, becoming the first leader in the organisation’s 45 year history to be based outside metropolitan Sydney.
Life Ed, the state’s largest independent provider of preventive health education for children, reaches more than 260,000 students each year with programs on drug and alcohol education, nutrition, cybersafety and consent, including around 1,800 children across the Coffs Harbour LGA.
Now calling the North Coast home, Ms Hooper says leading a statewide organisation from a regional community is both symbolic and practical.
“I just feel so incredibly fortunate to be able to lead this statewide organisation from one of our regional communities,” she said.
“For the best part of 45 years we’ve been a very Sydney based organisation. So, I’m the first CEO to ever have been given the role who lives outside of metro.”
She believes that regional base gives her a clearer understanding of the communities Life Ed serves across metropolitan, regional and remote NSW .
“Most of our team live regionally or remotely, and they work in the communities and service all of those communities,” she said.
For North Coast schools, that connection is more than symbolic. Life Ed works in 250 schools and learning centres across the region, delivering programs through its mobile learning centres and pop up classrooms. Across the entire North Coast – from the Mid North Coast to the Northern Rivers – Life Ed reaches 18,500 children and young people each year.
Ms Hooper said children in regional areas often have fewer support services available than their metropolitan counterparts.
“Metro kids are spoiled for choice, whereas there’s very few providers that service all of the regional schools,” she said.
“It’s not just about supporting the kids. It’s really about telling those communities that you matter and that we value you.”
A qualified teacher who began her journey with Life Ed nearly a decade ago as a Healthy Harold educator, Ms Hooper says the organisation’s work is about more than prevention.
“Like many young people, my early world was shaped by instability and complexity. What changed my life was access to knowledge, trusted adults, and the belief that my future could be bigger than my circumstances,” she says.
“Life Ed creates those moments – where children feel safe to ask questions, learn how their body works, manage pressure, and build confidence, agency, and hope.”
“We’re here to walk alongside children as they grow. By scaffolding learning year-on-year, we help them move from curiosity, to understanding, to confidence, and ultimately to choice,” she adds.
“As CEO, my commitment is ensuring every child has the knowledge and support to pursue a healthy future full of possibility,” she said.
For the North Coast, her appointment is also a reminder that leadership does not have to come from the city.
“You shouldn’t have to feel like you don’t have those opportunities because you live in a region,” she said.
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