Anne Cross is the founding director of the Community Resource Unit and the recently retired CEO of Uniting Care Queensland, one of the largest service providers of disability and aged care in Queensland. Her career coincided with various developments that have come to define our understanding of professional services and their place in people's lives. Throughout all this change, Anne has made a point of listening to and learning from the people she has worked with. Anne's story is an example of how skilled and committed professionals can partner with people with disability and their families to create change.