Members of the State Emergency Management Committee

Independent member

In 2023 Ms Cole assumed the role of the SEMC Chair after serving as Deputy Chair and Chair of the Recovery and Community Engagement Subcommittee from October 2020.

Ms Cole was previously the Mayor of the City of Vincent and has 10 years of experience in local government. As Mayor of a dynamic inner-city council, she was an advocate for reform in the way that local government serves and engages with community, and innovative in responding to issues.

Ms Cole is a member of the Keystart Homeloans Board and was previously the Metropolitan Local Government representative on the Western Australian Planning Commission. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and is completing a Master of Urban and Regional Planning.

With a strong public sector background, Ms Cole has worked across diverse state government portfolios, as both a board member and public servant.  This has provided her with experience in effective governance, strategic planning, navigating complex legislative and policy frameworks and a commitment to consultative and accountable decision-making.

Independent member

Executive Officer

Ms Pexton has 20 years’ experience in the emergency management sector at national, state and local levels. She was appointed Deputy Commissioner of Strategy and Emergency Management for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) in May 2022.

Deputy Commissioner Pexton was appointed as the State Recovery Controller for Severe Tropical Cyclone Seroja by the Premier in April 2021, a position she held until June 2023. As State Recovery Controller, she provided leadership to a whole of government recovery operation.  Previously holding the position of Director Risk, Capability and Analysis at DFES, Deputy Commissioner Pexton also held the position of Deputy Chair of the State Emergency Management Committee for a period of time.

She commenced her career in emergency management at the Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) working with communities, emergency service volunteers and staff, alongside local governments to build resilience and understanding of the impacts of natural hazards in the community.

Ms Pexton rejoined the SEMC in February 2024.

Member

Dr Robertson is the Assistant Director General and Chief Health Officer within the Public and Aboriginal Health Division in the WA Department of Health (WA Health). 

With specialist qualifications in public health medicine and medical administration, he served with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) from 1984 until 2003, including completing 3 tours to Iraq as a Biological Weapons Chief Inspector with the United Nations Special Commission in 1996 and 1997. He remains in the RAN's Active Reserve. He was promoted to Commodore and took up the role of Director General Navy Health Reserves from July 2015 to 2019.

In October 2003, Dr Robertson took up the position of the Director, Disaster Preparedness and Management in WA Health. He led the Australian Medical Relief team into the Maldives post tsunami in 2004, and managed WA Health’s response to the 2005 Bali Bombing. 

He also led the WA Health team into Indonesia after the Yogyakarta earthquakes in 2006, worked as the Radiation Health Adviser to the Australian Embassy after the Fukushima nuclear incident in 2011, and conducted the AUSMAT needs assessment in Nepal after the Nepal earthquake in 2015. 

Since 2008, as Director, Disaster Management and Deputy Chief Health Officer, he has coordinated the WA Health disaster and public health responses to the Ashmore Reef incident, the H1N1 2009 pandemic, the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) meeting, the 2014 Ebola preparations, and acted as the Chief Information Officer and the Chief Medical Officer. He has been undertaking the current role since June 2018. 

Dr Roberston joined the SEMC in August 2009.

Member

Mr Blanch joined the Western Australia Police Force (WA Police) in June 2018 as Assistant Commissioner, State Intelligence and Command.  

In March 2019 he was appointed Deputy Commissioner and was appointed as the 29th Police Commissioner in 2022 (effective 15 July 2022). 

As Deputy Commissioner, he was responsible for frontline policing, State Crime and State Intelligence. Prior to commencing with WA Police, Mr Blanch worked for Victorian Police, the Australian Crime Commission and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. 

He has a wealth of national and international experience dealing with serious organised crime.

Mr Blanch has been a member of the SEMC since July 2022.

Member

Mr Klemm has more than 27 years of experience in fire and emergency services, having served 3 years with the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service before joining the WA Fire Brigades Board in 1993.

Originally posted to Perth Fire Station, he served at various metropolitan fire stations. This was followed by time in Country Operations in the Goldfields Midlands, based in Northam, which gave him the opportunity to gain considerable experience in regional firefighting operations, as well as the chance to work closely with volunteers.

Mr Klemm also spent time at the then Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) Training Centre, before being promoted to Assistant Commissioner in 2012.

Over the past 6 years he has successfully delivered and implemented high-level strategic reforms, including delivering key aspects of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) response to the Report of the Perth Hills Bushfire. This facilitated significant changes across DFES and the EM sector in WA.

Mr Klemm has also been responsible for significant structural and cultural reform in the training and professional development of DFES personnel and volunteers, including management of the WA Fire and Emergency Services Academy, and the introduction of the Professional Pathways competency-based framework. 

He has been involved in strategic operations at state and incident controller level during emergencies such as the Waroona, O'Sullivan and Toodyay bushfires and Tropical Cyclone Olwyn.

Mr Klemm is a member of national committees concerned with emergency management in Australia. He holds a Graduate Certificate in Management from the Australian Institute of Management. He was appointed as Commissioner of DFES in August 2017.

He has been a member of the SEMC since October 2017. 

Member

Ms Roper is the Director General of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC). 

As the head of DPC, she is responsible for leading the public sector in providing whole-of-government advice and support to the Premier and Cabinet in their service of the WA community.

She has held various leadership positions in both state and federal governments, with experience spanning over a 21-year period in areas including national security, intelligence and reform. 

Prior to this role, Ms Roper was the Deputy Director General of Inter-Governmental Relations and COVID-19 at DPC, responsible for leading engagement with the Australian and other state and territory governments, and supporting WA’s COVID-19 pandemic response. 

She has also held the Deputy Director General, Policy and Reform position, overseeing Aboriginal, social, economic and environment policy, as well as the public sector reform program. 

Ms Roper joined the SEMC in March 2020.

Ms Roper holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from Murdoch University, majoring in Psychology.

Independent member

Ms Waylen is the CEO at Diversity South, a Not-for-Profit disability service organisation located in Mandurah. Diversity South provides supports and services to people with disability including those with high and complex needs in the Peel and surrounding regions.

She has a deep commitment to the community of WA and throughout her career, has supported vulnerable people and community-based organisations providing essential supports and services to those in need. 

From 2014 to 2021, Ms Waylen was the State Manager for National Disability Services (NDS) in WA. NDS is Australia’s peak body for non-government disability service organisations, and in WA, also provides access and inclusion services including the ACROD Parking Program, Companion Card and support for Changing Places.

She began her career as a social trainer working with people with disability with high and complex support needs and has worked for more than 30 years in senior executive leadership roles with both the state government and community services sector. This encompasses disability services, child protection, family support, homelessness, domestic violence, community services and health.  

Ms Waylen is a fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia WA, and in 2021, was awarded WA Leader of the Year Working in the Not-for-Profit Sector. 

She is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds qualifications in training and development as well as social impact, being part of the inaugural postgraduate intake at The University of WA’s Centre for Social Impact.

Ms Waylen is a board member of Catholic Homes Incorporated, Shelter WA, and a member of the WA Supporting Communities Forum and other state government committees. 

Ms Waylen joined the SEMC in April 2022.

Member

Mr Rowe is the Director General of the Department of Communities. He was previously Director General of the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation in WA, which was established on 1 July 2017. Mr Rowe moved into the role following 3 years as the Director General of the former Department of Water.

Having worked in a variety of leadership, policy, advisory and delivery roles since 1993, he is an experienced member of the Western Australian Government’s senior executive service. His experience spans natural resources management portfolios including agriculture, environment and water.

He has also worked with the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and other portfolio areas including Aboriginal affairs and public sector management. 

Mr Rowe studied environmental science and holds postgraduate qualifications in social research and program evaluation and public sector management. 

He is currently the President of the Institute of Public Administration Australia (WA) and a board member of Leadership WA.

Mr Rowe has been a member of the SEMC since August 2019.

Member

Mr Sloan is the Chief Executive Officer at the Western Australian Local Government Association. 
He has experience at executive level in state government including roles across regional and metropolitan WA. During this time, he has managed complex policy agendas at both state and local government level.  

Most recently, Mr Sloan was the Executive Director, Planning and Service Delivery at the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries. 

He has wide-ranging board experience and is currently a Director on the board of the Local Government Insurance Scheme and Nature Play WA, having previously served as Deputy Chair on the Western Australian Local Government Grants Commission and the board of the Western Australian Institute of Sport.

Mr Sloan has been a member of the SEMC since August 2019. 

Member

Mr Smith commenced as Director General of the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) in July 2023, after serving from 2014 as CEO for Australia’s offshore energy regulator, with a focus on offshore safety, structural integrity and environmental management.

His appointment to DBCA sees him return to the WA Public Service where Stuart had previously served as Director General for the Department of Fisheries from 2008, and Deputy Director General for the Department of Industry and Resources from 2003.

Mr Smith holds qualifications in economics to post graduate level from the University of Western Australia and the Australian National University. He is a Churchill fellow in the field of regulation for offshore renewables and serves on multiple Boards.

Mr Smith joined the SEMC in July 2023.