Our People
With, by and for lived and living experience
Leadership Team: 100% Lived Experience
Lived Experience Australia's board, staff and state liaisons all have lived experience of mental health challenges as consumers, carers, or both. This authentic lived experience expertise informs our advocacy work with government, research partnerships with universities, and capacity building across Australia's mental health sector. Our team brings diverse professional backgrounds in mental health policy, research, clinical practice, peer work, and advocacy to strengthen the voices of private mental health consumers and carers nationwide.
Meet our Team
Patron
Professor Allan Fels AO (he/him)
Founder and Patron
Janne McMahon, OAM (she/her)
Chair & non-Executive Director
Paul Milne (he/him)
Krysti-Lee Patterson (she/her)
Lorraine Powell (she/her)
Zsofi de Haan (she/her)
Sarah Sutton (she/her)
Louise Boucher (she/her)
Board Non-Executive Directors
Deputy Chair & non-Executive Director
Position currently vacant
Executive Director
Professor Sharon Lawn (she/her)
Staff/Contractors
Christine Kaine (she/her)
Operations Manager
Heather Smith (she/her)
Marketing and Communications Officer
B-J Dee-Price (she/her)
Project Coordinator
Chrissy Quinn
Administration Officer
Heather Nowak (she/her)
Facilitator
Lorna Downes (she/her)
Facilitator
Australian State and Territory Representation
Janne McMahon (she/her)
South Australia
Lorraine Powell (she/her)
Western Australia
(currently vacant)
Victoria
John Milham (he/him)
New South Wales
Aislin Gleeson (she/her)
Tasmania
How to Get Involved
All experiences are valuable and welcomed at Lived Experience Australia.
For more information on ways that you can participate with LEA please go to our 'How to get involved' page for a full explanation.
Why we show Pronouns
For a cisgender person (a person whose gender is in alignment with the sex they were assigned at birth) there is little to no risk in sharing pronouns. It's easy and costs nothing.
For a person who is transgender or nonbinary, sharing pronouns can be a bit riskier. If someone is transitioning at work and only a few people know about it, sharing pronouns may out them before they’re ready. For a nonbinary person, sharing they/them pronouns often only sparks a lengthier conversation rather than simply inform people.
That’s why it's great for cisgender people to lead the change by sharing pronouns. It normalizes the process, has little risk, and actually makes for a safer environment for everyone.
So, however you identify, be proud of your pronouns and encourage others to as well!
It helps more people than you think.
Adapted from:
Why I put my pronouns on my email signature and why you should too. because we couldn't explain it any better than that.