This background, coupled with her Project Management training and expertise makes her a perfect fit for her role at the Front Project, where she is focused on connecting the early childhood sector with university settings and experiences. She work collaboratively with course providers, students, mentors and employers to make sure that the student study experience is as engaging, practical and successful as possible.
Before joining the Front Project, Sally spent 10 years in the tertiary sector, leading academic teams, sitting on Academic Board, developing study pathways and working with industry to increase the quality of university and TAFE experiences for all students. Sally was the first Head of Department for the Applied Degree programs at Federation University and then established the Commercial Training and Assessment Service at the College of Business, Victoria University. She was previously an English Literature and Psychology secondary school teacher, having taught in schools in Metropolitan and regional Australia and overseas. Sally's passion for educational psychology has led her to her BA in Psychology and Literature, Bachelor of Teaching and a Master of Teaching in Educational Psychology at Deakin University.

Chris has been driving change in the social economy for over 20 years and believes in the power of working across traditional sector boundaries to nurture ideas and practices to transform how we think and work. His projects have created new thinking in areas such as social enterprise, social housing, homelessness, and health equity, and he places great importance on listening to the voices of practitioners and stakeholders to support the growth of a vibrant, innovative, and successful early years sector to benefit all children. 

She gained extensive experience in Sales for SAAS, extending to CRM management and Project Coordination. Holly moved to a focus on streamlining business Operations and managing company processes in the SAAS and Tech Industries. 

More recently, Holly has moved into the HR-Operations space, with a passion for P&C. She will take on the role of managing day to day Operations for the Front Project and onboarding its people. 

Holly is thrilled to play a part in systemic change for children and educators in ECEC. She hopes to see equal opportunities for all parents and carers returning to the workforce and increase support for First Nations people and their children.

During this time she has contributed to multiple national guidelines for children and young people and led Victoria’s project to develop anti-stigma language guidelines about alcohol and other drugs. She has led and contributed to local, national and international programs of work and has received several Australian and international awards for her work. She has authored more than 80 scientific publications and multiple reports for various audiences. Her programs have resulted in improvements of up to 30 per cent in desired outcomes.  

Trina is passionate about making a difference to children’s lives to ensure that all children have the best start to life possible. 

Trina has a Bachelor of Social Science, a Bachelor of Arts (1^st Class Honours), and a PhD in Behavioural Epidemiology (recognised as being in the top five per cent of theses in the field internationally). 

Elise holds a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Sociology and Australian Indigenous Studies and is nearing completion of a Graduate Certificate of Project Management.

Prior to working at The Front Project, Elise worked in the Victorian public service, including over six years as an Electorate Officer within the Parliament of Victoria and more recently as a Policy and Project Officer and Acting Senior Policy and Project Officer in the Department of Education and Training. She has extensive experience in policy and legislative research and analysis, advocacy and strategy, stakeholder and project management. Elise thrives working in collaborative and connected teams and looks forward to furthering the positive impact and systems change approach at The Front Project.

Mel attained a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) and embarked on her first role as an Early Childhood teacher on the floor in a long day care centre working with toddlers. This experience ignited her purpose to ensure that the first 5 years of every child’s life allows for them to be set up for success and reach their full potential.
 
Formerly the General manager for Playgroup NSW, Mel led the organisation through a complete transformation of their early childhood strategy and vision for young children, their families and communities. Her vision continues to ensure that children’s voices are heard, listened to and actively engaged in the ongoing evolution of decisions affecting them. Mel is a collaborative leader, committed to creating a positive culture of innovation, developing inclusive and respectful partnerships and has a strong sense of purpose to influence sustainable change.
 
Mel believes that the early learning system must remain relevant and responsive to complex policies and systems and continue the ever evolving cycle of shifting the views and thinking of all stakeholders to elicit real change and continue to innovate and strengthen our practices.

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.

Before joining the Front Project, Jane worked as a digital consultant helping organisations in the government, media, and entertainment industries to keep up with the pace of change by monitoring online community sentiment and using these insights to provide strategic advice to support business objectives including new content curation and creation, product development, communications positioning, identifying operational improvements and market opportunities.

Jane sees systems change in early years education as a way of investing in an equitable, just, prosperous Australian society where everyone can reach their full potential.

With over 10 years’ experience working in youth mental health services and holding qualifications in commerce and social work, Catherine is passionate about developing programs that support early childhood educators develop their skills in supporting vulnerable children.

Catherine has extensive experience managing mental health IPS programs, including managing IPS teams in Headspace’s youth early psychosis service and youth justice, and has completed IPS supervisor and fidelity reviewer training with the IPS Employment Centre in the US. Catherine was also a key contributor on Orygen’s YOTES research trial, a digital platform for young people with mental ill-health to access online career support.

Previously the Front Projects Communications and Advocacy Coordinator, Charli brings a background in communications, policy and project management from her previous role as an Electorate Officer for the Prime Minister of Australia. She also has experience with fundraising and philanthropy via the IMB Cook Community Classic and has held a variety of volunteer roles within the not-for-profit sector, including for Amnesty International, the UN Association of NSW and WiAD.

With a degree in International Studies, Charli understands just how important early education is in setting up children for a prosperous future in an increasingly global environment. She is committed to using her own education to fight for equal opportunities for all and strives to create powerful social impact for those in need.

With over seven years’ experience across various industries in the private sector, Ashlea is passionate about increasing awareness and participation in the Front Project’s work, with a particular focus on the Upskill Program and Online Community.

Ashlea holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Media Communications and a Post Graduate Certificate in Public Relations and is excited about working with organisations that make sustainable, systemic changes to society. Ashlea’s role at the Front Project allows her to combine her passion for communication marketing with the opportunity to influence long-term policy and social change for children and educators in Australia. 

Raj has over 5 years of experience in digital communications, content creation, and social media management in a wide number of industries. Raj recently completed his Masters in Communications and Media studies from Monash University as well.

Raj has a deep passion for the education industry and is keen on making a change at the grassroots level by ensuring that children across Australia have access to the best early education.

With a Bachelor of Communications, Brontë has helped small start-ups and large organisations develop and communicate their vision through strategic planning, community engagement, project coordination, policy development and digital media production. Brontë recently joined us from a not-for-profit organisation where she delivered systems to support and embed inclusive practice across programs and services to improve outcomes for our most vulnerable members of society.

She believes that identifying, understanding, and breaking down barriers to participation and belonging is integral to ensuring that all students can access educational content and participate fully in their learning.