Her most recent role involves supporting Royal Commissioner the Hon Julia Gillard in her work on early childhood education and care.

Her previous roles include leading the division in the Department for Education overseeing a range of policies, programs and services for the participation, engagement and learning achievement for all children and young people, in particular those experiencing challenges to their inclusion.

She has also been a Project Director of transitioning Year 7 into High School for South Australia; headed corporate services as Group Executive Director, People and Performance at the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR); led climate and energy policy for DEWNR; and held various roles in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet (SA). She began her career in international and strategic policy in the Department of Defence in Canberra.

She has worked across a number of elements of public sector governance and served on a range of boards including the State Procurement Board and the Kangaroo Island Natural Resources Management Board.

She holds a PhD in Politics and International Relations and an MA in Defence Studies, both from Lancaster University; a Graduate Certificate in Applied Economics from the University of Adelaide; and a Bachelor of Arts from the ANU.

She has three children (Ted 10, Lily 12 and Maxx 16) and a partner, Sam, who works in the wine industry and is an active member of our local community in Uraidla.
Caroline is a co-host of The Westminster Tradition, a top-ranking podcast unpacking lessons for the public service, starting with the Robodebt Royal Commission.

“When I first heard about The Front Project and its mission to improve quality and access in Australia’s early childhood education system, I felt it was the perfect fit for me. I have relished the opportunity to bring my corporate and not-for-profit expertise to the early childhood education sector and am proud to have become a business champion for change in this space.” 

Lisa has a diverse background, with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Tasmania leading to a successful 30-year career in the legal profession. During this time, she specialised in the area of commercial property, and  a Partner at firms Maddocks and Blake Dawson (now Ashurst).

In 2004, Lisa completed the Advanced Management Program at INSEAD (‘the Business School for the World’) in France. In 2006, she undertook the Australian Institute of Company Directors course, before being made a Fellow of the Institute. She is also a member of Chief Executive Women, an organisation comprising women leaders committed to enabling other women leaders.

In 2020, Lisa became a member of the General Division of the Order of Australia for significant service to the community through charitable and cultural organisations.

Wendy held many significant leadership roles including eight years as Deputy Chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ten years as Chancellor of the University of Canberra, and 12 years as Plan Australia’s Chair, with three years as Global Deputy Chair for Plan International. In 2016 she completed eight years as chair of headspace, the National Youth Mental Health Foundation and in 2017 she completed 9 years as Chair of Circus Oz, Australia’s leading circus.

Currently Wendy is Deputy-Chair of Goodstart Early Learning and a non-executive Director of IMF Bentham, the world’s most experienced and successful publicly listed litigation funder. She is a Patron of the Sydney Women’s Fund, Ambassador for 1 Million Women and Advisor to Grace Papers.

She enjoys writing and is the author several books including her memoir Don’t Fence Me In published by Random House in 2000.

“When the opportunity to contribute to the fantastic work of The Front Project came up I thought it was a perfect match. Systems change and the early years are both passions of mine, so I am proud to use my experience to contribute to bringing them together at TFP to help advocate for children and the value of early childhood education.”

Simon is a Senior Adviser to a cabinet minister in the Commonwealth Government, working on reform of skills and training. He was a Deputy Secretary in the Victorian Department of Education and Training for six years (2013-2019) with responsibility variously for policy, strategy, performance, evaluation, planning, and delivery, across all education, training and developmental life stages. He led development of the Victorian early childhood reform plan, Ready for Kinder, Ready for School, Ready for Life, and policy for the introduction of universal three year old kindergarten.

His six years in the education department followed eight years in the Social Policy Branch of the Department of Premier and Cabinet (2005-2013) where he worked on major Victorian and COAG reforms, including National Partnerships for the National Quality System and universal four year old kindergarten. Simon also spent two years at the Australian and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) as its Deputy CEO Thought Leadership.  Simon has also been a Public Policy Fellow in the Chancellery at the University of Melbourne.

Simon commenced his career in higher education advocacy and advisory roles, then expanded to include schools' policy while a shadow ministerial adviser in the Federal Parliament before joining DPC.  He also held the statutory role of Family Violence Reform Implementation Monitor to the Victorian Parliament in 2019.

Simon is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia (Victoria), and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.  He is winner of the 2022 Australian Council for Educational Leadership President’s Award, and a founding member of the ANZSOG Alumni Advisory Council.

Verity is currently Pro Vice-Chancellor (Social Justice & Inclusion) at the University of Technology Sydney. In this role, she is responsible for spearheading the university’s Social Impact Framework, a first of its kind in the Australian university sector.

“When learning about The Front Project for the first time, my background in education placed me in a strong position to support the organisation’s great work. I am very much aligned with The Front Project’s vision of improving education quality and access for all children in their earliest years, and have a particular passion for the potential of early education in helping to address and overcome disadvantage.” 

Between 2011 and 2014, Verity was Chief Executive of the Public Education Foundation, and was responsible for leading the Foundation's transformation from fledgling organisation to major provider of scholarships and support in public education.

Prior to her parliamentary career, Verity worked as a lawyer, and enjoyed a spell as Deputy Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney. She is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Anne is an Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne, Graduate School of Education. She is a Board member of the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO), and the Victorian Children’s Council, and a Trustee of the Creswick Foundation. In 2021 she was appointed to the Australian government Ministerial Preschool Measure Expert Advisory Group. She is a member of the Victorian government Best Start, Best Life task force advisory group established in 2022.

Anne is Co- Director of Research and Practice for the Parkville Institute, which was established to support the implementation of an intensive, high quality early childhood education and care program in three sites and an additional co-designed model with an Aboriginal controlled and led child and family service. The program achieved remarkable learning and development outcomes for young children living with significant social disadvantage and risk factors in the trial phase of the research. Anne’s involvement in this research project has confirmed her belief in the importance of robust evidence to support policy and practice reforms that can improve equity in children’s outcomes and life trajectories.

Most recently, she was Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Policy to the New South Wales Premier and has worked with organisations such as the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia and the NSW Aboriginal Land Council. Arminé’s previous positions within the NSW Government included Head of Social Policy and Premier's Priorities to the Premier, and Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Adviser to the NSW Treasurer.

Arminé is a US Fulbright Scholar and graduated summa cum laude as a Presidential Scholar from Northeastern University in Boston. She also holds a Master of Science in International Development from the London School of Economics as a Luys Scholar, and a Master of Commerce in Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the University of Sydney as a Business Leaders Scholar.

“A former CFO of an ASX listed national childcare operator, I look forward to contributing to the debate of how funding models can elevate the quality of early learning, promote greater access and support the Australian economic to thrive.

I am honored to be able to contribute to The Front Project, an organisation that plays a pivotal role in advocating for system change and equal access to early childhood education and care for disadvantaged families and their children.”

Jenny has extensive board exposure of ASX Listed, multi-nationals and private equity. Over 20 years’ experience across financial services, education, health care and property.

Jenny holds a Masters in Business Administration from UNSW, a Bachelor of Economics from USYD, is a qualified chartered accountant and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

She has worked to help deliver better funding and access to kindergarten education in Victoria, driven by the belief that every child deserves the best start in life. With a particular interest in supporting and valuing the profession, she has negotiated various industrial agreements to improve the pay and conditions of Victorian early childhood teachers and educators.

Martel enjoys looking strategically at issues that impact the sector and how to work with governments, policymakers and stakeholders on outcomes that make children's lives better.

Fiona has previously worked as an organiser, member engagement and researcher at the Health and Community Services Union Victoria (HACSU) - representing workers in the disability and mental health sectors through NDIS rollout, privatisation, and the Royal Commission into Mental Health.She held the role of executive member of HACSU women’s committee and founded a worker-lead climate action network. As a peace and anti-nuclear weapon activist, she has attended nuclear weapon prohibition conferences and spoken at rallies in Australia, Russia, and Japan.

Fiona has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Japanese Language and Anthropology.

Having cut her teeth several years earlier in the complex area of acquired brain injury and working alongside some of the leading Victorian disability advocates, she has ever since been captivated by systems change and its ability to bring about lasting significant impact. Throughout Rachael's career she has been privileged to learn about social change from the people that are leading the way, working with them to ensure an environment and conditions that support them to achieve their objectives. She has had the unique opportunity to work with community leaders in a variety of settings in Australia and overseas, from local grassroots international development and youth services to state and national organisations bridging research, policy and practice initiatives.

She believes that encouraging collective learning, collaboration and leadership is fundamental in enriching existing as well as newfound high-quality ECEC programs, the likes of which are critical in building strong and equitable societies across Australia from the ground up.

Over the course of this year, Kate will be stepping into Rachael’s role whilst she is on parental leave, managing the daily running of The Apiary Fellowship and the Transforming Early Learning Initiative. Following this, she will transition into managing the new Innovation Hub which aims to share existing as well as generate new evidence to galvanise government, business, and sectoral action.

Prior to her current role, Kate worked at i-APS, where she developed her expertise in program management and design, third-party monitoring and evaluation, strategic planning, and partnership building. Her ability to effectively manage diverse teams and foster collaboration among international stakeholders was evident in her work on several large-scale projects with partners such as UNICEF, Syria Relief, and Plan International.

Kate holds an MSc in International Development with Conflict and Humanitarian Action from the University of Bath. Her studies focused on understanding the complex systems that underpin social change and the importance of a holistic approach to international development and humanitarian action.

Her experience of collaborating with people with Parkinson’s and their families to inform and shape the programme to their needs, has led her to develop a keen interest in the power of collaborating with communities to develop better solutions.

As Apiary Coordinator, Sophie will support the effective management of The Apiary, allowing her to combine her passion for collaboration and project delivery to achieve better outcomes for children in Australian.