PWDA Board Directors Election 2024

Voting for the 2024 PWDA Board Directors Election opens on Monday 23 September

This is your chance to choose the people who will lead PWDA for the next two years.

The PWDA Board represents both the organisation and our members. Your vote is important in selecting the right people for the job, so make your voice heard.

Who is running the election?

PWDA has chosen GoVote, an independent Australian voting company to manage the election process. Freyja Tasci is the Returning Officer, this is the person who is managing the voting process at GoVote.

When does voting open and close?

• Voting opens: Monday 23 September 2024 01:00pm AEST
• Voting closes: Friday 11 October 2024 05:00pm AEDT

How you can vote

All current PWDA Members with voting rights can vote in the 2024 PWDA Board Directors Election.

You can vote online, by phone or by post while voting is open. Only votes successfully lodged during the voting period will be counted.

• Online: If you are registered to vote online you will have received an email from GoVote on Thursday 19 September with a link to the online voting platform. GoVote will send another email on Monday 23 September when voting opens.
• Postal: If you are registered to vote by post you will receive ballot papers in the mail.
• Phone: To vote by telephone you can call the Returning Officer on 1800 919 553. You can call during Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm.

You can only vote once, and all votes are anonymous.

For more information, see our Constitution as a PDF or Word Doc.

Who can you vote for?

There are 25 candidates running for 7 positions on the PWDA Board.

Below is the list of candidates for the PWDA Board Directors in 2024. The list is in alphabetical order (surname).  Please take a moment to read their candidate statements to help you decide who to vote for.

Questions or assistance

• Voting Support: If you need help with voting, you can call the Returning Officer, Freyja Tasci, by calling the ballot support line 1800 919 553 or email support@govote.com.au.
• PWDA: If you have any questions about your PWDA membership, you can contact us by email at pwd@pwd.org.au or call 1800 422 015 to speak with someone.

2024 Board Directors Election Candidate Statement and Photo 

Ghyas Alam

As an experienced professional with a strong commitment to advocating for people with disabilities, I am eager to serve as a Director on the Board of PWDA. My extensive background in leadership roles within both corporate and non-profit sectors has equipped me with the skills needed to set strategic goals, govern effectively, and ensure fiscal responsibility. I am particularly passionate about ensuring that the strategic direction of PWDA aligns with the diverse needs of our members and that we continue to be a strong, unified voice advocating for disability rights across Australia. If elected, I will strive to enhance our advocacy efforts, strengthen our financial oversight, and foster a culture of inclusivity and transparency within the organisation.

Donna Allan

People with an Acquired Brain Injury experience presumption and assumption as our disabilities are invisible. Young people with ABI are especially affected by exclusion from work opportunities as this disproportionally affects their ability to participate in life and save for retirement.

Those living in rural and regional communities are further disadvantaged.

Should I be successful in gaining a PWDA Board position, one of my goals would be to fearlessly promote the need for legislation to strengthen human rights, particularly in aspects affecting those with disability in Australia.

Alexandra Bignell

As an Autistic woman raising an Autistic son, difficulties navigating the NDIS ignited my passion for advocacy, leading me to champion the rights of people with disability in a range of settings including the community, workplaces, healthcare, and volunteering. I’m pursuing a Master of Disability Inclusion and work as a Disability Inclusion Advisor within local government, focusing on addressing systemic and policy barriers.

With over 15 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector, I have worked extensively in corporate governance and currently serve as a Board Member and Governance and Strategy Officer for the Autism Self Advocacy Network Australia and New Zealand (ASAN AUNZ). I believe people with disability should lead political reform, not be an afterthought. As a Director of PWDA, I aim to strengthen our advocacy efforts and ensure our voices continue to shape policy, particularly within the current context of political reform.

Kevin Boyce

As a person with an acquired disability, I believe I still have the ability to measure good outcomes for the interests of my peers with a disability in their daily inclusion in their daily lives.

I am a member of several Hospital Board developing their disability access action plans and inclusion policies and have been advising the Department of Human Services Victoria on the development and delivery of service standards for service organizations that work in the NFP areas service delivery and also the paid services that provide one to one personal help with client’s daily life and their NDIS goals delivery process  Members I listen and do not assume, and I always look for a consensus in governance protocol with measurable outcomes. The role of the board is to make sure the executive team deliver the goals of the organisations members.

Priscilla Brice

My name is Priscilla Brice, I am an autistic non-binary person with lived experience of mental health challenges. I am passionate about human rights and social justice. I am currently the CEO of BEING Mental Health Consumers, the peak body in NSW for people with lived/living experience of mental health challenges.

Previously I was the CEO of All Together Now, a national anti-racism organisation. I have sat on four boards, including as Chairperson of the National Mental Health Consumer Alliance. My qualifications include a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD), and I have been awarded several scholarships including a Churchill Fellowship and the Directing Change scholarship from the Australian Disability Network. I’d like to join PWDA’s board to help influence systemic change and therefore improve the lives of those of us with a disability.

Genevieve Brookman

Gen knows the challenges facing the disability community from lived experience, parent, carer, and advocate viewpoints. She is an LGBTIQA+ Autistic with ADHD and manages chronic disease while parenting multiple Neurodivergent young people and adults with co-occurring disabilities.

Gen is an unwavering advocate for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. She campaigns for supported decision-making, building accessibility into our communities, self-determination, dignity of risk and authentic co-design. She listens to people with disability and strives to bring all perspectives forward, believing that strong representation embraces diversity and includes everyone. Gen has actively supported families living with disabilities for over 20 years, served as Treasurer and Secretary on two boards representing PWD, and as a member of the Australian Autism Alliance. She currently works on the National Roadmap to Improve the Health and Mental Health of Autistic People while moonlighting in consultation on disability policy.

Presley Chihuri

I am interested in returning as a Director of PWDA as I would like to continue the amazing work that previous boards and our members have fought for and achieved over the years.

I would like to pass the torch to future boards as well and ensure that our members’ voice and the voice of people with Disabilities is heard and will continue to be in years and years to come.

I would like to ensure that PWDA continues to be sustainable and continues to secure funding from a wide range of stakeholders. I would like to also set up so that PWDA becomes more self sustainable and start to generate income through the organization and not just external funding. I would like to undertake more work to see PWDA achieve more peak-body status such as the one it recently received as peak LGBTQIA+ body

Daniel Flynn

My name is Daniel Flynn, an incomplete C5/C6 quadriplegic dedicated to disability rights and advocacy. Born with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, I sustained a traumatic cervical spinal cord injury at the age of 18. With over 15 years of systemic advocacy experience, I have 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 I protected critical infrastructure, I bring a strategic approach to advancing disability rights. I’ve served on ASIC-listed boards, participated in government working groups, and acted as a consumer health representative.
As one of Queensland’s first adult NDIS participants, I’ve witnessed the NDIA’s evolution and remain committed to safeguarding our rights during this period of significant reform. If elected to the PWDA Board, I will work tirelessly to secure equal rights, responsibilities, and opportunities for all Australians with disability.

Trinity Ford

I am a proud autistic trans woman, policy consultant and training lawyer, with six years’ experience in the disability sector. I have a multi-system neuroimmune disease, psychosocial disability and Tourette’s Syndrome. In July was asked to become a temporary PWDA Director and am gratefully running to retain this seat.
When I worked with offenders with intellectual disability, I watched coercive and abusive systems fail people. Disability supports and autonomy helped them heal. This spurred my research at the Disability Royal Commission, and as an advocate for staff needing reasonable adjustments. I now privately volunteer my legal skills to help people through NDIS appeals. I will help PWDA in seeing the DRC’s transformative recommendations implemented, managing the fallout of the NDIS reforms, and desegregating our society. I want to continue elevating intersectional expertise to the Board by steering our Strategic Advisory Group, which I have served on since 2022.

Peter Freckleton

Since the age of 6 I have been living with paralysis of both legs. I use a wheelchair.
My academic qualifications include 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, I have experience in professional advocacy. My recent case against the Commonwealth, invoking the Disability Convention (CRPD) has been accepted by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The possibility of being a member of the PWDA board interests me greatly, because I believe that PWDA is doing crucial work in advancing national disability rights, and that I could make a useful contribution to that work. I would like to help further improvements in the lives of persons with disabilities, both at an immediate practical level and in application of the CRPD to assert disability rights.

Emily Hutchinson

I have multiple physical, psychosocial and cognitive disabilities, including vision impairment and mobility impairment. I have an innate sense of justice and my skills as a communications officer enable me to speak when those whose voices are diminished are silenced, not for them.

I am a highly passionate and skilled communicator and never get tired of working for something I believe in. My work ethic and commitment to ensuring people living with disabilities are heard is my daily drive. I work with and for international students, the LGBTQI plus student community and have an abiding respect for diverse cultures.

Bob Johnson

I only “discovered” I was disabled in my mid 50’s – until then I’d only ever been weird, “special”, unusual, confronting and a whole bundle of other everyday terms – all with implied undertones and discriminations.
These days I live in a world trying to deal with a mix of impairments stemming from psychosocial disabilities, Autism, ADHD, aging cognitive and physical decline, vision impairment and whatever.
Following my Autism diagnosis I immersed myself in a process to learn all I could, quickly discovering that the real insights come from peers not professionals. As part of my own journey of self discovery, I established Autistic peer support groups both IRL and cyber, spoke in conferences, argued with professionals; then withdrew to just focus on living.

Declan Lee

My name is Declan Lee I’m 30 years old I have a degree in criminology and I’m currently studying Juris doctor at UNSW and have a lived experience of disability, namely cerebral palsy and hearing impairment. I have a wealth of knowledge in both government and non-government sectors organisations in the disability sector.
I have worked for various organisations including the National Disability Insurance Agency. The Ageing Disability Commission of New South Wales the Public interest advocacy centre and investigate New South Wales working in both disability and non-disability roles. I am also a disability advocate representing young people with Cerebral Palsy through Cerebral Palsy Alliance’s Advocacy arm CPActive where I represent people with Cerebral Palsy in federal and state politics.

Diana Lee

As a dedicated member of PWDA and a person with a disability, I am committed to strengthening the link between our members and the organization, ensuring your voices guide our work. If elected as a director, I will focus on fostering open communication and engagement with members, making sure your concerns and ideas are central to our decisions. I will work closely with the CEO, developing a clear job description that aligns with our strategic goals and ensure strong, responsive leadership. Additionally, I will take an active role in reviewing the audited annual financial report, ensuring it presents a true and fair view in compliance with Australian Accounting Standards and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. My goal is to uphold transparency, accountability, and effective governance, driving PWDA toward a future where our community’s needs are met, and our voices are amplified. I ask for your support in this election.

Li-Min Lee

With over a decade of experience in policy development, research, and community services in Australia, I am enthusiastic about joining the PWDA Board. As a queer migrant living with disabilities, I offer a unique perspective shaped by both my lived experience and my work with organisations focused on LGBTIQA+ and culturally diverse communities. I am acutely aware of the intersectional challenges faced by migrants with disabilities, including stigma and barriers to accessing support. I am committed to advancing health equity and social justice by raising awareness and amplifying the voices of people with disabilities, particularly migrants, through strategic leadership. My priority is to enhance advocacy efforts by ensuring that the voices of people with disabilities are heard in policy discussions and collaborating with stakeholders to influence supportive legislation. I aim to eliminate barriers to seeking help and drive meaningful policy changes for people living with disabilities.

Stuart Mawbey

I am interested in the position of being a director of PWDA because I want 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.
I have experience as a previous successful board member and executive of PWDA but I also bring skills from the Emergency Service, such as risk management, leadership roles, training and development. I also have other skills and experience from diverse sources, such as farming (while disabled), as well as information technology and administration. I also have direct experience of being excluded because of disability.
I want to make a difference to the lives of disabled people and conduct the governance of PWDA through the board in an ethical and competent manner.

Paul Mulligan

As a person with psychosocial disabilities, an a NDIS participant, Justice of the Peace, and company director, I can offer a diverse and valuable perspective to the PWDA Board. My journey, which began with a life-altering workplace assault in 2007, has led me through significant challenges, including overcoming alcoholism and major mental health struggles. Now 15 years sober, with the support of my assistance animal, Hugo, I am dedicated to advocating for those who cannot speak for themselves. I am a proud member of the SGLBTQI+ community. I have held numerous senior positions and actively fought for disability rights through mediation at NSW Disability Discrimination and Australian Human Rights Commissions. My goal is to push for stronger policies, fairness for the disability community, and enhanced protections against discrimination. I am deeply committed to driving positive change and ensuring the voices of the disabled community are heard and respected.

Sundara Rengasamy

I have good knowledge and understanding of work, health and safety procedures and hygiene policies.
Excellent attention to detail and process driven from prior cleaning roles.
Familiar working with diverse people from varied cultural and ethnic backgrounds, the elderly and those living with disabilities. Exceptional professional presentation with a positive and friendly demeanour.

Marcella Roybal

PWDA’s mission to advance the rights of people with disabilities deeply resonates with me. My board experience, combined with an MBA and personal experience navigating the challenges of disability, means the onus is on us to advocate for thoughtful, actionable accessibility solutions. I aim to contribute towards providing people with disabilities the tools and opportunities they need to thrive, in full alignment with PWDA’s values of inclusion and equity.
Through my board roles, I’ve seen firsthand how vital it is to ensure that systems and environments are designed to be inclusive from the ground up. Ensuring accessibility isn’t just a goal—it’s an ongoing responsibility. I am committed to making sure that voices from the disabled community are heard and that their needs are embedded in every decision made. By working together, I believe we can create meaningful, sustainable change for the betterment of all involved.

Jacob Rynne

How we respond to the unique and varied challenges faced by all members of our community and country are a direct reflection of the values they promote and pursue.
In Australia this is best represented by the values of the fair go and mateship, but we have too often not lived up to the promises inherent in those values when it comes to our treatment of people with disability.
To me advocating for people with a disability should be as simple treating them as the family members, colleagues, neighbours, and mates they are by giving control over their own lives and a helping hand when needed. As such, advocating on behalf of someone can be great – but better yet is empowering people, and those that love them, to advocate on their own terms and with their own voices. After that is the often forgotten but most important part, actually listening to what they say, and responding with action orientated empathy.

Jarrod Sandell-Hay

I have been a disability activist for the last 15 years and I have good communication skills and experience, I have worked in middle and higher management and I take my cues from the grassroots disability community.

I hope to join the board and lead from the back, creating space for members to share their views and concerns as we enter a period of meaningful change.

Karen Smith

I have had MS for about 20 years which has made me mindful of the various stages/states of disability having gone through using a walking stick eventually to the power wheelchair I now use. This experience has made me acutely aware of many of the challenges faced by those with disabilities. This has, in turn, made me committed to improving the experiences of people with disabilities by promoting inclusion, removing barriers to participation and through advocacy and education, enabling them to live their lives in the way they want to.
I hold a Bachelor of Science (Hons), Master of Science, Master of Commerce, Master of Tax and am a CPA.
My business experience of over 10 years included time with a big four accounting firm and employment in large companies going on to 16 years as a policy advocate for Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

Stephanie Travers

My name is Steph and I was born with Spina Bifida and also have a Psychosocial Disability. I studied Arts/Law at University of Western Sydney and studied at the Australian College of Applied Psychology (ACAP).I currently run my own Independent Disability Advocacy and Consulting service, Co-founded/Chaired Voices for Central Coast Disability in my own community and was previously Owner/Company Director of my own Business from age 21. I have spent years navigating and advocating among Australian Disability systems. I started young, at 12 yrs old being a Disability Discrimination test case in the Federal Magistrates Court. I’ve seen first-hand the inequities and inaccessibility of these systems. I am an advocate for a Disability Rights Act, have a passion for Guardianship Law reform and Domestic Violence Responses for Women with a Disability after my own lived experiences. I am an experienced public speaker, inclusion trainer and advocate, with in-depth knowledge of legislation. I am a passionate, determined and resilient person, and I cannot wait to engage and serve in the interest of PWDA members and all Australians living with a Disability.

Bailey Wemyss

With a strong foundation in advocacy, strategic planning, and leadership, I am deeply committed to advancing the rights of students with disability in particular, and my initiatives at UniSC have led to disability-friendly facilities and ensuring accessible learning materials. I have also founded and led the Disability Inclusion Student Group at UniSC and the Students with Disability Leadership Collective nationally, empowering students with disabilities. My disability and intersectional advocacy has been instrumental in driving positive change. My academic background in social work and human rights, recognised by awards like the Vice-Chancellor and President Diversity and Inclusion Award, fuels my passion for community development. I am eager to bring my expertise to the PWDA board to continue driving positive change and ensure our community’s voices are represented and respected.

Jamie Whitworth

My Name is Jamie and I’m 31 years old, I am someone who has lived with a disability from Birth, I have a strong passion for advocating for change for those of us who live with a disability.

I have previously held a job title as Ambassador for people living with a disability.

For more information, including a director position description, visit PWDA Elections and AGM.