Our Board

The voice of our members

The PWDA Board oversees the governance of the organisation and sets its strategic direction. Primarily, the Board’s role is to govern the organisation, and speak with and for all people with disability. 

All members of the PWDA Board have lived experience of disability.

Alexandra Bignell

Member elected, November 2024 until November 2026.
Alexandra Bignell is an Autistic woman raising an Autistic son. Navigating the NDIS sparked her passion for advocacy, driving her to champion the rights of people with disability in the workplace and other settings.

Realising the importance of having a voice, Alexandra pursued a Master of Disability Inclusion and became a Disability Inclusion Advisor in local government. Her focus is on addressing the systems and policies that create barriers for people with disability.

She has over 15 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector, working with Boards and Corporate Governance. Currently, she serves as a Board Member and the Governance and Strategy Officer for the Autism Self Advocacy Network Australia and New Zealand.

Alexandra believes people with disability should lead political reform, not be an afterthought. As a Director of the PWDA, she aims to strengthen the organisation’s advocacy and ensure voices of people with disability shape policy.

Director | Priscilla Brice

Member elected, November 2024 until November 2026.
Priscilla Brice is an autistic non-binary person with lived experience of mental health challenges. They are a professional advocate for and with mental health consumers and are passionate about social justice and upholding human rights.

In 2010 they founded All Together Now, a nationally-based non-profit organisation focusing on educating Australians about racism. They were Managing Director of this organisation for 12 years before commencing as CEO of BEING Mental Health Consumers, the peak body in NSW for people with lived/living experience of mental health challenges. They are currently the CEO of the National Mental Health Consumer Alliance, the peak body for mental health consumers and people with psychosocial disability in Australia.

They have been a Board Director for Web Industry Professionals Association (Vice-President), All Together Now, the Mental Health Coordinating Council, and the National Mental Health Consumer Alliance (Chairperson).

Their qualifications include an MBA and GAICD, and they have been awarded several scholarships including a Churchill Fellowship and the Directing Change scholarship from the Australian Network of Disability.

They feel privileged to be a PWDA Board Director and will use this position to improve the lives of people with disability by increasing their human rights through long-term advocacy and systemic change.

Director | Presley Chihuri

Member elected, November 2024 until November 2026.
Presley is an extensively experienced and highly skilled lived experience disability advocate. He is passionate about making a positive difference and supporting other people with disability achieve their dreams and reach their full potential.

Through his experience of living with disability, Presley has gained a unique understanding of the challenges and barriers that people with disability experience. He strives to change the narrative about disability and increase opportunities for people with disability to experience capacity building, especially those from disenfranchised and CALD backgrounds as well as regional and remote areas. 

Presley is the founder of Ability AU, a new leading and innovative NDIS organisation that is dedicated to improving the life of participants and their carers. He is heavily involved in the organisation and brings a valuable perspective that is tailored towards people’s needs and interests. Presley believes that with the right support, everyone can achieve their dreams.

Director | Daniel Flynn

Member elected, November 2024 until November 2026.
Daniel is an incomplete C5/C6 quadriplegic dedicated to disability rights and advocacy. Born with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, he sustained a traumatic cervical spinal cord injury at the age of 18. With over 15 years of systemic advocacy experience, Daniel has championed disability rights and led co-design initiatives for community groups and government departments.

As a qualified facilitator with a background in IT security where he protected critical infrastructure, he brings a strategic approach to advancing disability rights. Daniel has served on ASIC-listed boards, participated in government working groups, and acted as a consumer health representative.

Director |Trinity Ford

Member elected, November 2024 until November 2026.
Trinity is a research and policy consultant and a training lawyer, with six years’ experience in the disability sector. She is a proud neurodivergent trans woman with physical, neurological, psychosocial and sensory disability. Her main disability policy interests are desegregation and rights instruments.

When Trinity worked with offenders with intellectual disability, she watched coercive and abusive systems fail people. Healing was only realistic once they had safe housing, autonomy and good disability supports. These lessons guided her work at the Disability Royal Commission, as a researcher and advocate for staff needing reasonable adjustments.

Director | Peter Freckleton

Member elected, November 2024 until November 2026.
Peter Freckleton has been living with paralysis of both legs since age six and uses a wheelchair.

The hold a range of academic qualifications including an LLB and BA at the University of Melbourne, an MA at Monash University, and a PhD at the University of Paris.

As a member of the Victorian Bar, they have experience in professional advocacy. Their recent case against the Commonwealth, invoking the Disability Convention (CRPD) has been accepted by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

They are proud to be a PWDA Board Director and are passionate about advancing national disability rights and improving the lives of persons with disabilities, both at an immediate practical level and in application of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to assert disability rights

Director | Stuart Mawbey

Board appointment, November 2024 until November 2025.
Stuart wants to achieve better outcomes for people with disability in all facets of life, including but not limited to our built environment, whole of society access and inclusion; particularly in the fields of human rights, disaster planning and response, employment, and quality of life needs.

Stuart also brings skills from the Emergency Service, such as risk management, leadership roles, training and development.

Director | Kevyn Morris

Member elected, November 2023 until November 2025.
Kevyn Morris is committed to advocating for people with disability. As a disabled man facing six chronic and degenerative conditions, Kevyn’s personal journey has fuelled his passion for instigating transformative change in the lives of Indigenous people and influencing governmental, public and organisational attitudes and laws.

Kevyn serves as a representative for people with disability over the age of 65, contributing to the Dementia Australia Advisory, the National Older Persons Reference Group and Arthritis Australia’s Advisory Committee. Kevyn also serves as a Board Member of the Murray Arts Board in the North-East border region of Victoria. Kevyn is also involved with the Reconciliation Action Committee with Dementia Australia, the Older Persons Advocacy Group, Dental Health Victoria and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation’s both at the state and federal levels, as well as committees, focus groups and steering committees with Standards Australia, Services Australia and the NDIA/NDIS.

Director | Eva Sifis

Member elected, November 2023 until November 2025.
Eva Sifis is a professional showing commitment to the disability arts sector, bringing more than three decades of experience to the table. Having faced brain injury in 1999 and late stage lymphoma in 2009, Eva demonstrates resilience and dedication to advocacy for people with disability.

At the forefront of the Acquired Brain Injury community, her influence is strengthened by unique perspectives from wide-ranging experiences. After working, producing and performing in the disability arts sector, Eva’s impact within the advocacy space is steadily growing. Eva launched ‘By Accident’, Australia’s first peer developed and led series of facilitated conversations catering to those with brain injury or experience of trauma and her leadership in this initiative reflects passion for equity and the employment of persons with disabilities.

Eva held key roles with organisations Arts Access Victoria and Voice At The Table and presently consults for Women with Disabilities Victoria and Australian Federation of Disability Organisations. Her role with Give A Care Support services is now developing the foundation. Eva’s roles as a trainer, producer, artist, entrepreneur and advocate showcase her diverse skill set.

Director | Steph Travers

Member elected, November 2024 until November 2026.
Steph Travers is a person born with Spina Bifida and has psychosocial disabilities. They have studied Arts/Law at University of Western Sydney (now WSU) and also studied at the Australian College of Applied Psychology (ACAP).

They currently run their own Independent Disability Advocacy and Consulting service. In 2018 they co-founded and then Chaired Voices for Central Coast Disability, focusing on Grassroots Advocacy activities and Education in the rollout of the NDIS. They were previously Owner and Company Director of their own small business from the age of 21. They are an experienced public speaker and access and inclusion trainer, with in-depth knowledge of systems and policies affecting the disability community.

At 12 yrs old they successfully brought a Disability Discrimination test case in the Federal Magistrates Court for inclusive Education.

They have spent years navigating and advocating in Local, State and Federal Disability systems, from courts to tribunals, to councils and health districts. They have seen first-hand the inequities and inaccessibility of these systems. 

They believe we are currently at a turning point in Australian Disability Rights. They are an advocate for a Disability Rights Act, have a passion for Guardianship Law reform and Domestic Violence Responses for Women with Disability.

They are proud to be a PWDA Director and will continue to advocate for transparent, honest government engagement and co-design with the community to advance the rights of People with Disability.

Advisory groups

Our advisory groups give advice and support to our board of directors and executive staff in many important areas.

Find more information on PWDA’s advisory groups here.

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