Meet our first CEO Mary Sayers

We’re pleased to share that Mary Sayers will join the National Disability Research Partnership as our first CEO.

Mary brings a wealth of experience in policy, research, advocacy and service delivery across the public and community sectors. Mary previously led Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA), was the Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the Victorian Council of Social Services (VCOSS) and Associate Director at the Centre for Community Child Health at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. Mary has personal and family experience of disability. She is passionate about ensuring people with lived experience are co-designing services and involved in creating the evidence-base that informs Australian disability policy and practice.

Mary is excited to start on 1 July and says “I am honoured to lead an organisation that will ensure people with disability are co-designing research and have real decision-making power. The NDRP will strengthen disability research capacity, and develop innovative and accessible approaches to ensure disability knowledge and evidence are used widely by policy makers, organisations, and the community.”