Our team

Corene joined the Australian Disability Network  as the Chief Executive Officer in July 2021.

An experienced CEO, Corene is passionate about improving the lives of others and building communities for good. A NFP specialist, with a marketing background, Corene was previously Chief Executive Officer of Special Olympics Australia, part of the world’s largest disability sports organisation.

Her previous role was also in the sports sector as Chief Executive Officer for the NRL’s Men of League Foundation responsible for the welfare of the rugby league community. Corene was the first female of to be appointed.

Prior to that she was the inaugural National Marketing Manager for Legacy Australia, caring for the families of the fallen and ill Defence force Veterans. As a result of Corene’s efforts Legacy underwent major transformation and appointed their first National CEO, after 90 years of volunteer led administration. A great believer in the value of education her professional career included senior appointments at Tribeca (now Kaplan), University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM).

Corene is a South African born Aussie with a solid sporting pedigree and has been a citizen of ours since 1987. Corene is married to Peter, and they enjoy travelling in their motorhome, as well as swimming at her beloved Cronulla beach, playing golf, yoga and cycling in her spare time.

Email: rida.leung@AusDN.org.au (Executive Assistant)
Phone: 02 8270 9219

Rachael joined the Australian Disability Network  as COO in January 2022.

Prior to joining, Rachael had worked in a variety of sectors including mining, telecommunications and service and support industries. Her most recent role was as CFO of Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries and Land Manager where she led a comprehensive overhaul and deployment of all IT platforms.

At Southern Phone Company Ltd, as CFO and Company Secretary, Rachael was involved in the transformation of a company under the disruption of the introduction of the NBN and was a key member of the acquisitions team who acquired and integrated into the business multiple customer bases.

Rachael has held a number of finance and administration roles over her varied career and is known for supporting organisations with governance frameworks, project planning and the integration of customer journey into IT infrastructure. Her system, process and analytical skills ensure that business processes operate efficiently her insights into processes ensure that improvement align to the organisation strategies.

A keen volunteer, Rachael can be seen out in the estuaries teaching children to fish as a Fishcare Volunteer.

Rachael has a Bachelor of Commerce, is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, a member of AHRI and is a Graduate of the AICD.

Email: rachael.kennedy@AusDN.org.au
Phone: 02 8270 9218

Emma joined the team at Australian Disability Network  in 2018 bringing with her 15+ years’ experience working in the community sector in both the disability and crisis services / homelessness fields.

Emma’s career path began at Kew Residential Services and has wound its way through the disability sector to include support work, coordination, leading teams and projects, and case management. Following the completion of a Master of Social Work (MSW), Emma shifted to work in the housing and homelessness sector first at The Salvation Army Crisis Services, then at Sacred Heart Mission’s Homefront (Women’s Crisis Accommodation). This pathway has shown Emma that there can be no real change for the individual without first breaking down the systemic barriers that impact on their situation.

As a woman with disability, Emma is passionate about disability representation and seeing her community thrive. As Head of Consultancy, Emma supports an amazing team whose goal is to build the disability confidence of Australian businesses through key Australian Disability Network programs and services.

A constant student, Emma holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Disability Studies), Master of Arts (Writing and Literature) and a Master of Social Work. She also happens to be a trained yoga and meditation teacher.

Email:  emma.henningsen@AusDN.org.au

Phone: 03 7032 3522

Sharon joined the Australian Disability Network (AusDN) in May 2023 as the Head of Programs.

Previously, she worked at the Australian Institute of Company Directors as Scholarships Partner and at Aurora Education Foundation as their Scholarships Manager.

In her role at Aurora, Sharon worked with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and professionals, coordinating the international study tour, scholarships and programs to support postgraduate academic achievement.

As Head of Programs, Sharon is committed to working collaboratively with her colleagues and stakeholders and is responsible for supporting current programs, developing and growing new initiatives, and ensuring that all programs are executed with excellence.

With her strong background in coordinating programs and working with people from diverse cultural backgrounds, Sharon is excited to work in the disability space, where she can apply her skills to make a positive impact on people’s lives. She believes that people with disabilities deserve the same opportunities as everyone else, and is committed to working with AusDN in creating a society that values and supports inclusion.

As an Indian woman from Fiji, Sharon enjoys the hot sunny beach days and loves cooking for family and friends. Outside of work you can find her checking out local markets, scouring Sydney’s food scene and always on the hunt for great coffee spots. Sharon also loves travelling, has a passion for arts and crafts and enjoys weaving and dabbling in paints. She loves to read and also has some great recommendations on Audible if you’re keen!

Email: sharon.kumar@AusDN.org.au 
Phone: 02 8270 9220 

Katie joined the Australian Disability Network as Head of Marketing & Communications in June 2023.

She is a passionate storyteller with more than 20 years of communications, marketing, and brand experience gathered from the finance, tech, telco, and disability sectors.

Throughout her career, she has focused on opportunities where she can tell stories that effect meaningful change. This is why she is delighted to be part of the  team, an organisation dedicated to building Australia’s capability and confidence to employ people with disability.

Katie previously led brand and communications at Cerebral Palsy Alliance, where she was incredibly proud to launch Cerebral Conversations, a podcast series that tackles some of the biggest disability issues like ableism, accessibility, advocacy, inclusion, innovation, research, and a whole lot more.

When not in the Australian Disability Network (or home) office, Katie can be found breathing new life into old chairs, at music festivals with her husband Greg, reading in the sun, or trying to snuggle her rescue cat Lucky!

Email: katie.wilson@AusDN.org.au

Lara joined the Australian Disability Network Consultancy team in January 2023 as Disability Confident Recruiter Program Lead. She comes with a range of experience in human resources, recruitment in international development volunteering as well as local and international disability employment projects.

With a passion for building inclusive and diverse workforces, Lara has previously supported employers in building disability awareness and confidence in supporting employees in the workplace. Lara has developed guides and resources for organisations to improve inclusive work practices generally and within inclusive recruitment.

Lara has obtained a Bachelor of Management (Human Resources) and postgraduate studies in International and Community Development. One of Lara’s most impactful experiences was contributing to the Disability Empowerment Skills Exchange program, supporting inclusive schools in building transition pathways for young people with disability in Fiji.

Lara studies the Italian language, which connects her to her family heritage, and enjoys the opportunity to practice any chance she gets. A lover of nature and water, Lara spends much of the summer at the beach and adventuring with her family and dog Duke.

Tom joined the Australian Disability Network as the Dignified Access Lead in September 2022.

He has a degree in Social Psychology and is currently studying Disability and Access at Deakin University.

For the last 12 years, Tom’s social inclusion work has exposed him to many community development sectors including, social enterprise, local government, not-for-profit, and disability services.

His approach is lived experience-driven, co-design informed, and capacity centered, taking a 360-degree view by embracing intersectionality.

A career highlight for Tom was pioneering access for all to Australia’s beaches by applying Universal Design principles to Williamstown and Altona beaches in Melbourne.

Tom spent over a decade working at the world’s number one travel guidebook publisher, Lonely Planet, holding executive positions in sales, marketing, and publicity.

Travel runs in his veins, and he loves exploring and celebrating the diversity of South East Asia with his family.

Inspired by the Big Issue Street Soccer program Tom cofounded Social Goal: a social enterprise that uses sport as a platform to promote inclusion. A major outcome to date is kick-starting of Australia’s first-ever Blind Soccer national team the Bilbies.

Tom is so excited to take his grassroots knowledge to a national level and to support members to break down barriers so that every Australian can have their voice heard.

Pauline joined the Australian Disability Network  in Sept 2022 as an Administration Coordinator.

Before joining, Pauline held various administrative roles within the private and public health sectors for ten years.

She has extensive experience in administration, including office management and accounts.

In her free time, Pauline enjoys reading, walking, and volunteering.

Paula has a background in Criminology and Sociology. During her career, she has supported women in custody with rehabilitation and settling back into the community. She is passionate about encouraging change and giving individuals the opportunity to achieve their goals.

Paula was born in Spain and completed her university degree in London. She recently moved to Australia to explore the beautiful beaches. She loves to travel and meet people from different cultures and backgrounds.

Brooke joined Australian Disability Network as Program Coordinator in October 2023.

Brooke is a qualified Social Worker who has always enjoyed being connected to and supporting the community through her wide range of community services and NDIS roles. Prior to he role with us, Brooke was the All – Abilities Project Officer at Banyule City Council and was also the Project Lead of the Inclusion@Sport Project, which involved supporting local clubs on their journey of becoming more inclusive by creating their own all-abilities programs.

Brooke assisted members across the country through preventive health programs at Medibank which was obtained through a placement with the Vision Australia Career Start Graduate Program.

Brooke’s career highlight is being the first graduate to undertake a placement with Medibank as part of the Vision Australia Graduate Program, being nominated as a finalist for the 2023 Disability Sport & Recreation Awards from The Inclusion@Sport Project and for being selected as a finalist for Volunteer of the Year as part of her volunteer work within the sport of Goalball.

Brooke enjoys being active and believes this is a means of social connection. Brooke plays a lot of sport and has played Goalball at a local and state level for 15 years. Brooke enjoys hiking, boxing and can often be found at most Melbourne-based fun runs or local Parkrun. Brooke also enjoys listening to audiobooks and music.

Brooke is passionate about creating systematic change to create a more equitable world for people with a disability.

Sarah joined the Australian Disability Network  in March 2023.

She has worked in the disability and mental health sector for over 8 years, most recently working in partnership with employers and NDIS participants to foster employment relationships.

Sarah has a master’s degree in Disability and Inclusion from Deakin University and a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences (majoring in Health Promotion and Nutrition) and in Arts (majoring in Drama).

Other work includes facilitating drama, dance, and art programs in Australia and Cambodia, working as a Research Assistant, and supporting people with disability to achieve their goals.
Driven by a desire to foster inclusion through employment, Sarah is excited to collaborate with employers to turn aspiration into action – building confidence and capability to create accessible and inclusive workplaces.

Valuing listening, learning, creativity, and honouring lived experience, this quote from an Aboriginal activist group in Queensland in the 1970s grounds much of Sarah’s work “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together”.

On the weekends Sarah enjoys cooking for her family and friends, painting, gardening, and hanging out with her camp dog from Yuendumu, Lottie.

Gillian Gatt joined Australian Disability Network in March 2024.

She comes with a wealth of experience in Human Resources and Talent Acquisition, mainly in the technology and consulting sector.

Outside of work, Gillian loves tennis, playing in brass bands (trombone), traveling and drinking coffee. She also likes watching rugby league and despite living in Queensland now, she is a Blues supporter (she grew up in Sydney and moved to QLD in 2023).

Bianca joined the Australian Disability Network  as Administration Officer in December 2018, then in June 2021 transitioned into the role of Program Coordinator.

Prior to joining, Bianca worked in an office administrative position for more than four years, organising and maintaining day-to-day operations across four separate business divisions.

With qualifications in business and retail, and more than five years’ experience in customer service, Bianca’s strong interpersonal, time management and communication skills have been an asset to the team and network of members.

Bianca is passionate about inclusion and believes everyone is entitled to a fair go.

Rudy joined the Australian Disability Network team in September 2022 As a Program Coordinator. He was promoted to Program Lead in December 2022.

Prior to joining, Rudy had worked in different roles in administration, operations, marketing, and events for QBE and Platypus, developing his teamwork, organisation, and communication skills.

Rudy has a keen interest in sports, music, and writing. He actively participates in Baseball, Football and, Oz tag all year round and has coached a youth football team for 6 years. He is also currently making music in a band with his close friends.

Rudy is passionate about making a difference in the community and further developing his knowledge of disability confidence and accessibility in the workplace.

Emma joined the Australian Disability Network team as a Disability Consultant for the Careers Pathway Pilot in October 2023 and stepped into the Marketing Campaign Manager role in June 2024.

An experienced Not for Profit ‘generalist’, Emma spent over a decade working for grass root’s charity – St Kilda Mums Inc. What began as a simple idea to connect goods no longer wanted with those who need them most galvanised a community of diverse supporters achieving great impact. Motivated by dignity, inclusion and connection Emma was able to grow the program to reach 20,000 children per year in partnership with local councils and social services across Victoria. As a senior operations leader she later turned her focus to running the goods and volunteer programs, building the charity’s first Volunteer Roadmap aligned with national and international volunteer strategies.

Prior to working in the charity sector Emma was a creative arts professional working in dance, theatre and film. She looks forward to applying her strategic, creative and big picture thinking to her.

Outside work you can find her in a yoga studio, crafting and spending time with her family.

Katherine joined Australian Disability Network as a Project Liaison in October 2023.

Katherine is passionate about accessibility. Prior to joining, she Co-Chaired a highly successful Employee Reference Group for accessibility and mentored others in that role. Katherine studied a Bachelor of Business in Management and Employee Relations, and has many years of experience in customer service excellence in the transportation and telecommunications industries.

Katherine was a speaker at the inaugural AND Conference and her topic was ‘Engaging middle management in the Accessibility Journey’. She is also currently an Observer in The Observership Program.

Katherine loves learning, she is currently learning French for the sheer exhilaration of the ‘aha’ moments when a new concept is understood. She is a great ally to have on a trivia table. She loves her family, exploring remote and beautiful places, and music (having 20 years of choral experience and singing in other languages). Katherine loves camping and can often be found setting up tents but has promised not to do so in the office.

Nicholas (Nic) joined the Australian Disability Network team as an Associate Relationship Manager in December 2023.

Nic is a person with low vision who started his career as a graduate in Vision Australia’s Career Start Program. During his internship with Bupa, Nic successfully became a facilitator in Bupa Health Insurance’s Capability Development team which involved training new-starters and later led Bupa’s Access and Inclusion Network for 3 years.

Nic crossed paths with AND on several occasions and quickly added joining the AND team on his professional bucket list. With a passion for making the world a better place by improving everyday lives, Nic believes employment is the key area to make this impact and hopes to enable positive change with his lived experience and new role with ADN.

Nic’s career highlight is leading Bupa’s DEN and the way its small, grass roots movement gained traction at all levels, including executive leadership.

When Nic isn’t our camping, traveling, and seeing the world, you can find him challenging himself to learn new skills or working on DIY projects around the house like tables, pool cue holders, bicycle racks, spice racks. If you meet Nic, be prepared for his famous dad jokes!

Aripita Joined the Australian Disability Network in April 2023.

She has extensive experience working across business partnering and learning consultancy roles in India, Australia, and New Zealand.

Previously, she has worked in employment partnering and training people with intellectual disabilities to work in open part-time employment. She has also provided training to people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds on their employment readiness.

Outside of work, Arpita likes to read biographies, philosophy, and psychology books in her spare time. She is passionate about volunteering to educate those who do not have access to education.

Arpita is a foodie who loves to try new cuisines.

Tia joined the Australian Disability Network in May 2021 as a Program Coordinator. She was promoted to Program Lead in October 2022.

Prior to joining, Tia has worked in different roles in communication, social media management, program management ,and not-for-profit organisations, which allow her to develop excellent teamwork, leadership and organisational skills.

Tia has made her life-long goals to empower individuals, with a desire to work in a challenging environment to inspire empathy and equity. Her previous experience in supporting people with disability has also developed her passion on advocating for diversity, accessibility and inclusion.

Tia is pursuing a postgraduate degree in Communication and specialises in Public Relations and Digital Media.

Rosie joined the Australian Disability Network as a Programs Coordinator in August 2019, and commenced as the Access and Inclusion Index Lead in September 2022.

As a member of the Programs Team, Rosie supported interns and jobseekers with disability in the Stepping Into and PACE Mentoring programs, as well as members, supervisors and mentors to have positive program experiences. She has qualifications in media and communications and extensive customer service, team leadership and administration experience. Prior to joining the Australian Disability Network, Rosie worked as a marketing coordinator, successfully managing and growing multiple FMCG brands.

Rosie’s interpersonal, communications and organisational skills have been developed through her varied professional experiences, and she is delighted to bring these to the Consultancy team.  Rosie is excited to be supporting organisations to use the Access and Inclusion Index to understand, assess, benchmark and improve their disability confidence and drive best practice in accessibility and inclusion for employees and customers with disability.

Email: rosie.lane@AusDN.org.au

Rida joined the Australian Disability Network as Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer in February 2017.

Prior to joining, Rida held various executive assistant positions providing high level and confidential support to senior executives in government, legal, commercial and multinational organisations. Besides providing one-on-one support, she has worked effectively with both internal and external stakeholders to achieve organisational goals and objectives. Rida also possesses extensive experience in office administration and people management.

Rida attained her Bachelor degree (major in administration and management) from the University of New England, Australia.

Email: rida.leung@AusDN.org.au
Phone: 02 8270 9219

Stephanie joined the Australian Disability Network team in March 2015 as Program Coordinator of Stepping Into and PACE Mentoring. Following the rapid growth of both programs, she stepped into the role of Programs Manager in December 2016 to lead the expanding Programs team.

Her passion for supporting employers to provide inclusive candidate and employee experiences led her to join the Member Experience team as a Relationship Manager in 2017. Since then, She has continued to develop strong relationships with AND members and deliver bespoke solutions to support their access and inclusion goals.

She stepped into a new role at AND in 2022 as Member Development Manager, leading the member networking and roundtable events and providing coaching support to the Member Experience Team.

In September 2023, she stepped into the role of acting Head of Member services.

Throughout her career, she has been driven by a strong desire to contribute to positive social change in Australia. Through storytelling, connection, and reflection, Stephanie hopes to see her work advance equal opportunities in social and economic participation for all people – including people with disability.

She has a bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Technology, a Master of Publishing from the University of Sydney, and an Advanced Diploma in Legal Studies from the University of New England.

Mia joined Australian Disability Network as an Associate Relationship Manager in February 2024.

She has  experience supporting organisations to provide more accessible services, collaborating with customers to ensure communications were written in Plain Language and Easy Read, as well as delivering training, facilitating focus groups and managing projects.

The highlight of her career was leading a project which looked at developing several resources to support children with disability participate and engage in safety online.

Outside of work, Mia enjoys hosting dinners at home where she gets to cook and share a meal with family and friends. She also loves traveling and learning about new cultures and traditions.

Ryllonna joined the Australian Disability Network (ADN) team as a Relationship Manager in November 2023.

She comes to with over 15 years experience in Employee Relations and Team Leadership with the Canadian federal government. In her role with the Department of National Defence, she worked with senior leadership, providing education and training on human rights legislation, workplace adjustments and people management. Ryllonna also has experience representing the Department at the mediation table for Canadian Human Rights complaints, finding resolution and ensuring employees’ needs and requirements were respected.

Her passion for education kept her busy as she also spent the last five years teaching part-time in post-secondary education. She worked as a college instructor in a Human Resources post-grad certification program.

Prior to working in the public service, Ryllonna worked in the non-profit sector, specializing in community development, employment services and training and facilitation. With her recent move to Australia, Ryllonna is very excited to use her advisory experience in a way that gets back to her roots in the nonprofit sector. She looks forward to making an impact in the disability space and is thrilled to be a part of the team at AND.

Ryllonna holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Community Development, specializing in communication from the University of Cape Breton, in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, where she grew up. Although Sydney, NSW, is a bigger, warmer city than where she was raised, she always feels at home by the ocean and is excited for all that Australia has to offer.

Catherine joined the Australian Disability Network in June 2023 as the Research Lead.

She has worked in the disability sector for 15 years. Catherine also has extensive experience in learning and development for support workers, specialising in person-centred practice.

At NSW Council for Intellectual Disability, she learned a lot from project workers about producing accessible materials in Easy Read and how to co-design training courses and policies and procedures.

Catherine completed her PhD at the University of Technology Sydney in 2022. Her research foregrounded the “insider perspectives” of people with intellectual disability and support workers. She also has a Master of Education, a post-graduate Diploma of Adult Education, a Bachelor of Arts, and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

Founding a broadcasting project in partnership with people with intellectual disability is a highlight of her career. ‘Making Airwaves’ promoted inclusion and the right to be heard and was a finalist in the NSW Disability Industry Innovation Awards in 2013.

Catherine volunteers at the Sewing Basket, Achieve Australia’s social enterprise that employs people with disability to sort and sell donated fabrics, machines, and other craft materials. This satisfies another of her passions – a sustainable environment – as these crafty goods are saved from landfill.

Outside of work, Catherine is very keen on the theatre, practising yoga, making her own clothes, and being creative. She loves walks with her fluffy rescue cats (yes, really!)

Rachel joined Australian Disability Network  in January 2023, following a career break.

Rachel previously worked at Carers NSW delivering a program that supported employers to develop carer-friendly workplaces and formally recognised those who did. Rachel wanted to continue to work purposefully and to drive equitable inclusion in organisations.

Rachel’s experience also includes working as a Relationship Manager providing career transition and career management services to employers. Working with HR professionals Rachel enjoyed developing and delivering solutions to support employees to exit organisations with dignity and respect.

Nathan (Nate) is responsible for managing Australian Disability Network’s online presence and improving the digital experience of our internal and external stakeholders. He is a seasoned digital marketing and communications professional with extensive experience in the for-profit sector.

Nathan’s connection to disability is personal and stems from his lived experience. He is passionate about improving the disability confidence of businesses in Australia. Through his career, he has seen the positive impact inclusive practices and accessible technologies can have on people with disability and businesses.

Nathan is a foodie and enjoys trying cuisines from different cultures.

Laura has over five years of experience as a Project Coordinator across multiple industries.

Before joining us at the Australian Disability Network, Laura worked on the project management/coordination of the NextSense (previously known as Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children) – Centre of Excellence at Macquarie University Project, through which she gained invaluable insight into accessibility. She also developed a strong passion for disability accessibility and inclusion and this led her decision to join us as a Project Coordinator.

Outside of work, Laura is pursuing her goal to become a professional bodybuilder in the Wellness division under the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation.

She has seen some interesting parts of the world including going to High School in Alaska, working in Spain, and taking spontaneous surf trips to Costa Rica.

Her other hobbies are cooking, baking, exploring nature, and learning about the mind, the body, and the soul including human behavior, psychology, and personality development.

Lydia joined the Australian Disability Network  team as a Disability Consultant in October 2023.

Prior to joining, Lydia worked in a range of areas such as Universities, UK National Health System. Her most recent role was in the corporate world at Stockland working in Commercial Property, Legal, and IT Project Management.

Lydia is passionate about the intersection of technology, innovation and disability particularly universal design and how this provides dignified and equitable experience.

Outside of work, Lydia enjoys listening to an audiobook or podcast while gardening, growing her vegetable, art, and sewing. When there’s a spare weekend, Lydia can be found going out and about in nature with her dog Freddie or trying new restaurants or recipes to cook.

Mirabel joined the Australian Disability Network  in October 2021. She joins with over 10 years’ experience as an HR professional, working in manufacturing and professional services industries across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

Throughout her career she has partnered with stakeholders and developed strong relationships to enable talent and a culture of high performance. She has a focus on continuous improvement and uses analysis and insights to influence change. Mirabel is passionate about equal employment opportunities for all and has volunteered in employment services for refugees, students and those in need.

Mirabel has Bachelors of Business and Arts from University of Auckland, majoring in Management, Employee Relations and History.

She is excited to be a part of the Member Experience Team and to be contributing to the meaningful work of the organisation.

Liisa joined the Australian Disability Network  in January 2023.

She moved to Australia from Sweden in 2015, hence the spelling of her name, which is pronounced the same as Lisa (Lee-sah).

She has qualifications in digital development, cognitive science, and project management. She comes to us with experience in recruitment services and sales in commercial and in the not-for-profit sector.

She’s passionate about inclusion in the community and accessibility for all. She cares about intersectionality and has volunteered for refugee and LGBTQIA+ communities.

You’ll often find her with her dog, Milo, glued to her side. She’s currently learning French and Auslan, is an avid gamer and enjoys spending time outdoors.

Ari joined the Australian Disability Network as a Business Analyst, part-time in Jan 2022, and then becoming permanent in May 2022.

Prior to Joining, Ari has worked as a Senior Project Manager, managing Business and Technical transformation projects, implementation of major products into organisations, as well as business projects.

He has also worked as a Business Analyst and programmer and has a wealth of knowledge in the IT industry, having worked in Insurance, Government, Data Analytics, Financial Companies.

Ari is passionate about all aspects of Information Technology and how it can enable people to perform to the best of their ability.

Email: Ari.Perala@AusDN.org.au

Phone: (02) 8270 9201

Regine joined the Australian Disability Network as the Marketing Coordinator in July 2023. She joins us with experience in the disability sector and digital marketing.

She studied a Bachelor of video game development. She is a gamer who is interested in the potential of video games and the positive impact it can have on society, particularly in bringing people together on interact digitally.

Regine is passionate about social justice and supporting those that are vulnerable. She travelled to the Philippines to help locals rebuild their village after a devastating earthquake. She also went to a disability hospital in Mexico to spend time with patients and people who are homeless. She also taught them English!

Clara Pirani joined the Australian Disability Network in May, 2022.  She is an experienced journalist and editor and most recently worked at The Australian newspaper for 20 years in a variety of roles including Medical Reporter, Health Editor, Business Chief of Staff and Associate Editor.

She is passionate about public health and social equity and is currently studying a Master of Public Health at the University of Technology Sydney.

Email: Clara.Pirani@AusDN.org.au

Phone: 0410 446621

Nerida joined the Australian Disability Network in February 2023 as a Project Manager, working in the Strategic Development team.

Prior to joining, Nerida worked as an Executive Assistant to the Chief Legal and Risk Officer, and the Chairman of the Board, in an ASX Top 50 Listed company where she developed her leadership, project management and change management skills.

Nerida is an Associate member of the Governance Institute of Australia, having completed a Graduate Diploma in Applied Corporate Governance. She has over 20 years’ experience providing high level support in the Legal and Risk space, and has a reputation for completing projects on time, within budget, and with a strong focus on risk mitigation.

Disability inclusion has always been not negotiable to Nerida. Her lived experience, together with a term as lead on an Accessibility Employee Advocacy Group led to her studying Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging at the Academy to Innovate HR. Nerida has also successfully created, launched and embedded a Disability Ally Network.

In her personal time, Nerida enjoys gardening, reading, and karaoke. You can also find her walking her rescue dogs or volunteering at her community baseball club.

Mackenzie Small joined the Australian Disability Network in November 2023. Prior to that, Mackenzie’s career has spanned 10 years across the employment and disability sectors where he has worked in recruitment, disability employment and partnerships. Mackenzie is passionate about diversity and inclusion in all its aspects, particularly where disability intersects with other parts of people’s identities.

Most recently, Mackenzie established the partnerships and engagement function for the Disability Gateway, a Department of Social Services funded information and linkages program for people with disability, their families, friends and carers to help find the support they need in Australia. In that role he managed relationships across government, peak bodies, advocacy organisations and the community services sector. A particular highlight within this role was during the COVID-19 global pandemic where he created a national referral pathway network for people with disability to access vaccines in their own home if they couldn’t access it via their doctor’s office or vaccination sites due to their accessibility requirements.

Outside of work, Mackenzie and his husband enjoy scuba diving, candle making and spending time on their family farms with their two rescue cats, Bella and Nala. A fun fact about Mackenzie is that he can’t recall any useful information for trivia, but he has a talent for recalling quotes from movies and tv shows!

Danielle joined the Australian Disability Network  as a Relationship Manager in October 2022.

Prior to joining, Danielle worked in the Australian Public Service for over 6 years where she developed her skills in leadership, project management and correspondence design.

Danielle has also volunteered in Kenya and Nepal on community-led sustainable development projects, and locally in Brisbane with multiple not-for-profit organisations.

She holds a Bachelor of Social Science (majors in Development, and Social and Public Policy) and a Graduate Certificate in Human Services.

Danielle is passionate about achieving equitable access and genuine inclusion for diverse groups in Australia and overseas. She advocates for a person-centred approach and respect for unique lived experiences.

She looks forward to supporting our members to achieve their access and inclusion goals.

Christopher joined the Australian Disability Network  as Training Lead in September 2022. He comes with seven years of experience in disability sector roles.

A teacher with over 15 years of experience, he worked at the Western Sydney University as their Academic Advisor (Language Enhancement). He has also worked in TAFEs and for two years in Berlin as a corporate trainer.

Passionate about social justice, he’s worked in Sydney’s western suburbs training refugees and migrants. He has also worked as a consultant in CALD communities.

Christopher has a Masters in writing. He is also a Leo who loves cheese.

David joined Australian Disability Network as a Relationship Manager in January 2024.

Before joining the team, David worked at Deakin University in the National Disability Coordination Officer role where he was tasked to work towards removing barriers for students with disability in the Higher Education space and for subsequent employment. David also worked at JobAccess NDRC, the Employer Engagement Service as a Professional Adviser.

David’s career highlight is co-developing Accessible ICT Procurement Guidelines for Higher Education which has been adopted by most universities in Australia.

David loves to travel for food and claims to have a quirky obsession with trying KFC wherever he visits, his favourite so far is Taiwan.

With a sporty youth, David’s first ever cricket match he bowled a hat-trick which earned him a higher batting order which resulted in him being bowled out for a golden duck and putting the opposing bowler on a hat-trick. The ending of the story is rewarded to those who meet David personally!

Emilie joined the Australian Disability Network  as our Content Creator/Designer in November 2022.

Alongside completing her Bachelor of Visual Arts, Digital Media at ANU and a Diploma of Graphic Design at the CATC Design School, Emilie brings over six years of experience in freelance content creation to our team.

Often found sketching away in her notepad, enjoying a good book or taking part in outdoor adventures, Emilie is passionate about contributing her creativity and enthusiasm to positively impact the broader community.

Kylie joined Australian Disability Network  as Accounts Administrator in July 2022.

Before joining, she worked for 15 years in the Marine Construction industry.

During her time as Office Manager for Sub Sea Global, Kylie took on roles in finance, payroll, compliance, WHS and employee training.

Kylie enjoys working in accounts and has a passion for gardening.

Lisa Whinnen joined  Australian Disability Network as a Disability Consultant in July 2024.

She has over 17 years’ experience in the property sector, most recently as Social Sustainability Manager – Partnerships and Engagement at Stockland, where she managed national partnerships and volunteering initiatives with a focus on capability and capacity building for our partners and employees.

She also previously worked at Variety, the Children’s Charity as Inclusive Play Manager.

She has a deep focus and passion for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, where her lived experience and extensive connections in the disability sector give her a holistic, informed and ‘person first’ approach.

In her career, she is proud of leading the creation and implementation of Sensory Maps in over 20 shopping centres in my previous role. An Australian first in the property industry.

Outside of work, she enjoys all things interior design and travelling the world with her family (but her bank account doesn’t!). She also has 3 mischievous rescue cats.

A fun fact about her is that she once climbed Mt Kinabalu in Borneo on a whim, which is 13,000 feet tall and full of rocky terrain. It took her 3 days!

Sarah joined the Australian Disability Network team as a Disability Consultant in October 2023.

Prior to joining, Sarah worked in HR, specialising in Talent Management & Talent Acquisition, mainly in professional & financial services including KPMG, Deloitte, Factiva (Dow Jones), Australian fintechs and HR consulting firms.

Throughout her career, Sarah set up graduate recruitment programs, restructured organisations for success and established new talent acquisition functions from the ground up. Amidst these achievements, Sarah’s highlight has been the friendships built along the way – she is still good friends a former APAC HR Director from a former workplace in the UK from 20 years ago!

Prioritising her wellbeing, Sarah has a routine of going to the gym before work each morning. Sarah is currently taking piano lessons and enjoys good food, wine, getting out in nature or going for a camping trip.

Sarah loves to see the world having worked a ski season in France, months on a kibbutz in Israel, studying for a year in Germany, and even walked across the Inca Trail in Peru and backpacked through India.