BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Clare (she/her) is a woman with multiple disabilities, including Autism. She works as a passionate advocate for the inclusion of people with a disability in all areas of the community. Clare is also the Co-Chair of the Oversight Council for the Australian Federal Government’s first National Autism Strategy, and a member of the National Disability Insurance Agency Independent Advisory Council’s Equity and Inclusion Reference Group. She is also the Deputy Chair for the WA Ministerial Advisory Council on Disability. 

Clare serves on multiple boards and steering committees focused on improving outcomes for people with disability, and is a passionate human rights campaigner both in Australia and internationally. 

Lorna has been a leading social work academic for two decades, specialising in teaching professional ethics and in research related to disability policy. She has been a disability advocate since the late 1980s, when she was a founding staff member at Queensland Advocacy. Since completing her PhD in disability theory and spirituality in 2005, Lorna has contributed as a peer-recognised leader in state and national policy advice including as Chair South Australian Ministerial Advisory Council, Deputy Chair National People with Disability and Carers Council. She contributed to the development and evaluation of the trial of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and more recently as the Senior Research Advisor at the Disability Royal Commission where she also authored a socio-cultural history of disability in Australia. During 2025, she has been appointed to The Independent Advisory Council of the NDIS and the Australian Research Advisory Committee. Lorna is an experienced director of for-purpose organisations and in 2024 gained certification in Governance for Social Impact from the Social Impact Centre.

Keran is a social worker who has worked as a leader in the fields of health and disability over many years. As both a practitioner and a person with a disability she has been involved in advising government on policy reform representing issues related to community health, women’s health, violence prevention and the rights of people with disabilities. Keran has served on a number of boards related to housing and disability and as Chair of the Victorian Disability Advisory Council and Co-Chair of the Australian Disability and Carers Advisory Council. 

Anne is Chair of Disability and Health at the University of Melbourne. Anne is a public health researcher who researches the social determinants of health inequalities. She has a specific interest in the social determinants of health and wellbeing of people with disabilities. Anne’s lived experience of disability informs her research.

Chloe (she/they) is a passionate inclusion advocate and PhD student based in Boorloo (Perth). Chloe's research explores the portrayal of queer and disabled stories in children's animated television, emphasising the importance of diverse representation in media. She also works in the not-for-profit sector and academia. In 2022, Chloe was recognised in the Out for Australia 30 Under 30 Awards, which honors young queer individuals who have demonstrated success in their careers and made tangible contributions to the LGBTQIA+ community.

Jackie is Professor of Bioethics and Director of the Disability Innovation Institute at the University of New South Wales. Originally a molecular biologist, she spent many years at the University of Basel, Switzerland and at Newcastle University, UK before she moved to Sydney in 2019. Her work in bioethics focuses on the implications of biomedical and life science developments for people with disability. Jackie has been Deaf since childhood, is married to a musician, and has been active in disability rights for over 30 years.

Emily is an occupational therapist with a research background in disability-inclusive policy, accessibility, and assistive technology. She has worked as a clinician, manager, and academic in Australia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and as a Fulbright Scholar in the USA. Emily is an active volunteer in professional and community groups.

Louise is the Acting Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Louise leads the Deputy CEO Group and provides broad oversight of the Community Services Group, Data Governance & Integration Group, Population Health Group and the First Nations Health & Welfare Group. The Group also oversees the production of the Institute’s Flagship reports, Australia’s Health and Australia’s Welfare.

Louise has extensive experience across several federal and state organisations including the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the NSW Ministry of Health. She has a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours, a Masters of Statistics and Masters of Global Health/ Infectious Diseases.

Luke (he/him) has extensive senior leadership experience across government and is currently a Group Manager at the Australian Government Department of Social Services. He has lead responsibility for implementation of Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-31; the National Autism Strategy; and establishment of additional community-based foundational disability supports across Australia. He also leads coordination of Australian Government responses to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of people with disability and is the government co-chair of the National Disability Data Asset Council.

He was awarded a Public Service Medal in 2025 for outstanding public service through advocacy to disability reform.