COACH would love the opportunity to share our vision with your church or organisation.
Our speakers are experienced COACH practitioners and skilled presenters with a passion to see communities and individuals in tough places flourish. A COACH presentation can be tailored to suit your specific environment, delivered in person or online.
Speaker Profiles
Sam Hearn
Interim Director (National Training & Technical Manager)
Sam is back on board at COACH after taking a sabbatical year to be the Mayor of the Mornington Peninsula Shire, and recently finished five years serving as National Director of SURRENDER Australia – an organisation that creates partnerships and hosts events across Australia to engage Christians in local and global mission and justice activity. Prior to this he served for four years as a Mission and Ministry Coordinator with New Peninsula Baptist Church. He has also worked as a lecturer and consultant around organisational vision and strategy development
He is one of the leaders of Jigsaw, a missional community shaped church that is based in his neighbourhood of Tanti Park. He is also the Chair of Tanti Park Social Enterprises, an organisation he co-founded to operate the HomeGround café and provide vocational training and placemaking alongside disadvantaged youth. He holds a Bachelor of Psychology, a Master of Arts in Leadership, and is a graduate of the Arrow Leadership Program.
Mark Matthews
Empowered Faith Communities National Manager & Indigenous COACH Lead
Mark has worked in the social welfare sector of Melbourne for 30 years. He holds Diplomas in Social Science and Business and is trained in providing professional supervision and counselling.
Mark’s work has involved providing direct casework to clients, leading teams of Social Work and Health professionals in service provision, and being instrumental in designing, developing and managing major crisis accommodation centres and housing programs across Melbourne. Since 2007, Mark has been responsible for the ongoing development of the COACH Community Mentoring program. Mark currently leads a community church in Rosebud (Victoria) that is offered to people who don’t feel they could easily fit within a mainstream church.
Rev Alex Ho
National Training Manager – Chinese COACH
Alex has been a Chinese Pastor at Crossway since April 2008. Alex is passionate about investing in missional leaders to facilitate discipleship and mission. He is an authentic leader who practices what he preaches. Alex was previously a drug rehabilitation social worker (1998-2003). Recently, Alex joined the COACH team to strengthen the mentoring program serving new immigrants and vulnerable people.
Alex has a Social Work degree as well as a Masters of Divinity. He is married to Mary Choi and they have one lovely daughter.
Charmaine Vis
National Training & Technical Manager
Charmaine joined the COACH Network as the COACH Manager for Greater Dandenong and the City of Casey, which included working with The Salvation Army Dandenong on Project Hope. Charmaine recently finished serving as an Associate Pastor at Berwick Church of Christ.
Before starting at COACH Charmaine was on staff at Berwick Church of Christ as the Associate Pastor, during those 19 years at the church she served in numerous positions including part of the Executive Team, Community Outreach Pastor, Connect Ministries Pastors and she was the COACH Community Coordinator for two years.
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Rev Toby Baxter – COACH Director & Co-Founder
Toby established his first mentoring programme in 1998 and has specialised in developing mentoring programs for vulnerable groups since then. He has trained over 900 mentors and coaches in the UK and Australia, co-founding COACH and a similar program in the UK.
Toby has over twenty-five years’ experience in community ministry and social work, with a focus on the juvenile justice and drug and alcohol sectors. He has management experience with the Department of Human Services and Southern Health’s Alcohol and Drug Services. He is a qualified and registered Social Worker in Australia and has completed a Masters of Practical Theology at ACOM / Sydney College of Divinity. Toby enjoys going on wild adventures with his family and running marathons.
Mark Matthews – Empowered Faith Communities National Manager & Indigenous COACH Lead
Mark has worked in the social welfare sector of Melbourne for 30 years. He holds Diplomas in Social Science and Business and is trained in providing professional supervision and counselling.
Mark’s work has involved providing direct casework to clients, leading teams of Social Work and Health professionals in service provision, and being instrumental in designing, developing and managing major crisis accommodation centres and housing programs across Melbourne. Since 2007, Mark has been responsible for the ongoing development of the COACH Community Mentoring program. Mark currently leads a community church in Rosebud (Victoria) that is offered to people who don’t feel they could easily fit within a mainstream church.
Sam Hearn – National Training & Technical Manager
Sam is back on board at COACH after taking a sabbatical last year to be the Mayor of the Mornington Peninsula Shire, and recently finished five years serving as National Director of SURRENDER Australia – an organisation that creates partnerships and hosts events across Australia to engage Christians in local and global mission and justice activity. Prior to this he served for four years as a Mission and Ministry Coordinator with New Peninsula Baptist Church. He has also worked as a lecturer and consultant around organisational vision and strategy development.
He is one of the leaders of Jigsaw, a missional community shaped church that is based in his neighbourhood of Tanti Park. He is also the Chair of Tanti Park Social Enterprises, an organisation he co-founded to operate the HomeGround café and provide vocational training and placemaking alongside disadvantaged youth. He holds a Bachelor of Psychology, a Master of Arts in Leadership, and is a graduate of the Arrow Leadership Program.
Rev Alex Ho – National Training Manager Chinese COACH
Alex has been a Chinese Pastor at Crossway since April 2008. Alex is passionate about investing in missional leaders to facilitate discipleship and mission. He is an authentic leader who practices what he preaches. Alex was previously a drug rehabilitation social worker (1998-2003). Recently, Alex joined the COACH team to strengthen the mentoring program serving new immigrants and vulnerable people.
Alex has a Social Work degree as well as a Masters of Divinity and studying for a Doctor of Ministry.
He is married to Mary Choi and they have one lovely daughter.