ACT Council of Social Service Inc.

Justice | Equity | Social Inclusion | Reconciliation

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Staff

The ACTCOSS team is keen to meet you. Check out our profiles below and contact us if you'd like to chat about our areas of work.

Management Team

CEO:
Dr Emma Campbell

Dr Emma Campbell.Dr Emma Campbell joined ACTCOSS as Chief Executive Officer in January 2020.

Dr Campbell is a former CEO of the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA), Australia’s peak representative body advocating on behalf of Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. 

Dr Campbell brings with her a dynamic and diverse work portfolio and a wealth of experience ranging across academia, the community sector, international crisis responses, business and government sectors.

She has a strong commitment to social justice and the community sector.

[email protected]
02 6202 7200
Contact about:
ACTCOSS priorities and strategic direction; public statements and commentary; membership; sponsor relationships and collaboration

Policy Manager:
Craig Wallace

Craig joined ACTCOSS in 2015 as the Housing Campaign Manager and became Advocacy Manager in October 2016. Craig has led work on a joint campaign with ACT Shelter to put housing and homelessness issues at the centre of the ACT election.

With a background in the Australian Public Service including in housing policy, leading a community housing association and as the President of a national peak disability rights body, Craig is passionate about social justice, human rights and the importance of affordable and accessible housing for all Canberrans.

[email protected]
02 6202 7208
Contact about:
Campaigns; advocacy; housing; transport; infrastructure; planning

Operations Manager:
Carmen Byrne

Carmen joined ACTCOSS in July 2020 as the Operations Manager (maternity leave placement).

Carmen is an experienced business leader, spending most of her career in the health care manufacturing sector. Her corporate career spans a diverse range of roles from clinical research, quality management, sales, marketing, general management, industry association board member and an international assignment. Carmen is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and has completed a Bachelor of Applied Science, Masters of Business Administration and Post Graduate Certificate in Health Policy.

More recently, Carmen has embarked on a career and tree change, moving from Sydney to the Canberra region and dividing her time between work with ACTCOSS and leadership-related coaching and facilitation work.

[email protected]
02 6202 7234
Contact about:
Administration; finance; governance

Policy & Development Team

Senior Policy Officer (Research and Data):
Geoff Buchanan

Geoff joined ACTCOSS in 2015 as a Policy and Research Officer, became the Policy Analyst and Research Manager in October 2016, then on to Senior Policy Officer (Research and Data) in 2018. This position was initially created to support sector engagement in the development of an industry plan for the community services sector in the ACT. His responsibilities are sector policy and homelessness. 

Geoff has over a decade of policy research experience, having worked at the Australian National University and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies before joining ACTCOSS. He has a multidisciplinary social science background with a focus on social policy and economics and has completed a Master of Geographical Science at the ANU. He has a longstanding research interest in the relationships between the community, government and market sectors.

[email protected]
02 6202 7222
Contact about:
Community sector policy; homelessness

Policy Officer:
Eliza Moloney

Eliza joined ACTCOSS in January 2017 as a Policy Officer within the policy team. She is working on homelessness, justice, education, young people, out of home care, and issues affecting women and girls.

Eliza has a research background, particularly on issues related to gender, women’s rights, and human rights. She has an Honours degree in International Relations, and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations. She previously worked in Thailand at the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, and the Karen Human Rights Group.

[email protected]
02 6202 7227
Contact about:
Homelessness; justice; education; young people; out of home care; issues affecting women and girls

Capability Officer:
Ryan Joseph

Ryan joined ACTCOSS in May 2017 as Capability Officer. Ryan undertakes a range of work to ensure that ACTCOSS training, forums, and peer networks are facilitated smoothly and remain relevant,while working to identify emerging capability and community sector development needs for the ACT.  

Before joining ACTCOSS, Ryan was a Research Assistant at the School of Regulation and Global Governance at the Australian National University (ANU), prior to which he worked in the social enterprise tech start-up space and as an Ambulance Medic in Singapore. Ryan has a Master of International Relations (Advanced) from the ANU and a Bachelor of Social Science from the Singapore Management University.  

[email protected]
02 6202 7230
Contact about:
Learning and development; peer networks; tailored support; tools and resource needs.

CASP Development Officer:
Bianca Williams

Coming soon!

[email protected]
02 6202 7234
Contact about:
CASP

Gulanga Program Team

Gulanga Program Officer:
Julie Butler

Julie joined ACTCOSS in 2007 as a part-time Sector Development Officer in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program, now known as the Gulanga Program. Julie contributes to program activities such as cultural awareness training, the development of resources, various work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and community, and with agencies and their staff in the ACT community sector.

Julie's family are from North Queensland (Bandjin) and North Western Queensland (Kalkadoon). She has worked in various government and non-government agencies in areas such as education, youth, domestic violence, housing, health and aged care.

[email protected]
02 6202 7262
Contact about:
Gulanga Program

Gulanga Program Officer:
Kim Peters

Kim joined the Gulanga team in 2018 as a Gulanga Program Officer. Kim works three days a week and focuses on building cultural awareness and competence in services funded through the Community Services Directorate's Child, Youth and Family Services Program (CYFSP).

Kim is a proud Wiradjuri woman from Wellington, NSW. Kim and her family have lived in Canberra for the past 18 years where she began working with Lowana Youth Services. Kim has also worked at the Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre. Kim shares with us the knowledge and experience she acquired from working in the community youth sector and she has extensive networks within the local community.

[email protected]
02 6202 7202
Contact about:
Gulanga Program; cultural awareness for CYFSP funded organisations; ACT Nannies Group

Organisational Services Team

Administrative Support Officer:
Ada Fitzgerald-Cherry

Ada joined ACTCOSS in 2020 as the Administration Support Officer. She provides officewide operational support, assists in the planning and delivery of major ACTCOSS events, and is the first point of contact for membership, accounts and general inquiries.

Before joining ACTCOSS, Ada worked in high-end hospitality management and event logistics. She is pleased to bring her attention to detail and passion for service to the community sector.  

[email protected]
02 6202 7200
Contact about:
Admin, membership admin, general inquiries

Information and Events Support Officer:
Holly Zhang

Holly joined the ACTCOSS team in 2018 as the Information and Events Support Officer. She collates the Weekly Community Sector eNotices, manages events planning and administration, and provides information support to the staff team.

Holly has been studying moral philosophy at the Australian National University, and previously advocated for women-identifying and women-aligned undergraduate students at the ANU Student’s Association as head of the ANU Women’s Department in 2017.

[email protected]
02 6202 7277
Contact about:
Weekly eNotices; events; communications; social media

Publications & ICT Officer:
Suzanne Richardson

Suzanne joined ACTCOSS in 2008 as the Communications and Membership Officer, and in 2019 became the Publications and ICT Officer. Suzanne is the first point for office ICT support and manages the website. She collates the quarterly journal, and performs desktop publishing and graphic design for our publications and communications. Suzanne also assists in developing ICT policies, procedures and strategies. She also acts as ACTCOSS' Privacy Officer.

With a Bachelor degree in graphic design and new media, and a certificate II in IT, Suzanne enjoys using her skills to assist organisations who support our community's most vulnerable, and to advocate for positive social change.

[email protected]
02 6202 7235
Contact about:
Communications; website; publications; ICT