Ms McCourt has more than 30 years experience in health with a background as an occupational therapist specialising in hand therapy.

She worked at both the Bacchus Marsh Hospital and the Preston and Northcote Community Hospital in her early career and commenced at the Alfred Hospital in 1997 on the Plastic Surgery and Burns Units at the where she worked for a number of years caring for clients with significant injuries.

She left the Alfred in 1994 to expand her skills further at a specialist hand therapy clinic in California, where she also developed her skills in leadership and management.

Ms McCourt returned to Australia five years later to marry Navarre farmer Richard Kelleher.

She has worked at Stawell Regional Health since 2001 as the manager of the Allied Health Team.

Ms McCourt has overseen the development of services during that time, from a small team of five staff to over twenty clinicians in the Primary Care Team. The most recent project she managed is the development of the new Rehabilitation and Oncology Centre.

Ms McCourt has highly developed strategic skills, has a sound understanding of the organisation and the health industry.