WEL NSW Executive Committee
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Dr Mary O'Sullivan - WEL NSW Convenor Mary has worked in a range of policy advisory and program management roles. She has served as an elected Councillor. Mary joined her first feminist activist group in 1972 in Newcastle NSW. Mary has a long record of activism on behalf of women in the context of trade unions, and in many other political and policy contexts. Her interests range from women in work, through to the role and status of women in Australian politics, culture and society. Mary has worked for WEL on submissions and campaigns to highlight the lack of affordable housing for older women, the issue of elder abuse, and most recently the decriminalisation of abortion in NSW. On behalf of WEL, Mary led the Secretariat and supported Wendy McCarthy as Chair of WEL's Decriminalisation Round Table and then the NSW Pro Choice Alliance. |
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Dr Jane Bullen - WEL NSW Deputy Convenor | Executive Committee Member Jane joined the WEL Executive in 2015, continuing her past work in feminist and other organisations to promote women’s human rights, increase fairness and reduce inequality and disadvantage. Jane’s background includes research, evaluation, policy and program work in academic, government and non-government contexts. She is currently an independent researcher and consultant and has previously worked at the Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW and at RMIT University. Her primary areas of research focus are domestic violence, homelessness and women’s homelessness. Jane is a member of the WEL Women Ageing Well Action Group and WEL Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Action Group. |
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Terrie Roberts - WEL NSW Secretary | Executive Committee Member Terrie has worked in the public sector for her entire career. She taught in high schools and served in a number of administrative positions for the Department of Education and Training before joining the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions as a solicitor. In addition she worked on the legal team for the NSW Electoral Commission prior to her retirement. She has always been committed to feminist causes and welcomes the chance to work on issues important to women. She is committed to assisting and promoting equality and is particularly interested in education and in strengthening women’s representation in all spheres. Terrie has a BA Dip Ed as well as a Masters degree in Educational Administration and a law degree. |
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Margaret Mackie - WEL NSW Treasurer | Executive Committee Member Margaret has extensive experience in financial administration for feminist services and not for profit organisations. She has a long history of involvement in advocacy and campaigning to support services tailored to women’s needs, in particular feminist counselling and reproductive health services. She joined the WEL Executive in 2020. |
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Jozefa Sobski AM - WEL NSW Executive Committee Member Jozefa has been active in feminist, women’s and community organisations for many years. She started her activism in Sydney Women’s Liberation in the 1970’s. She is currently Chair of the Board of Jessie Street National Women’s Library and Vice President of the Haberfield Association. She was Convenor of WEL NSW for three years to 2016 and for a period from 2006-2010. She was Convenor of WEL Australia from 2018-2019. She is a member of the TAFE Community Alliance. She was an inaugural member of the NSW Women in Education group and the Australian Women’s Education Coalition. She is a qualified teacher of English and History and has a Masters in Adult Education. She worked in the Ministry of Education as a policy adviser on sexism and in TAFE in policy administration, as a Principal of a College and Director of South Western Sydney Institute of TAFE. She is a member of the National Foundation of Australian Women, Immigrant Women’s Speakout Association and Emily’s List. |
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Menaka Cooke - WEL NSW Executive Committee Member Menaka is a coach and management consultant in organisation change and people development working with an Aboriginal Land Council and in local government. She is the current President of Women Chiefs of Enterprises (NSW branch) and serves on the board of Economic Security for Women, Zonta East Sydney Club, Older Women’s Network NSW and the Indian Crisis Support Agency. Her book ‘Monsoon Woman – wouldn’t take NO for an answer’ (2019) is a memoir of her life arriving as a single migrant parent in Australia in the early 1970s, then educated and empowered herself (obtaining two Masters degrees in Commerce and Psychotherapy) and reached the C-suite in corporations. Her early experiences in Australia encountering systemic and overt racism and sexism led her to become a passionate feminist, joining the Women’s Electoral Lobby while also engaging with CALD and women’s organisations to advocate for women’s rights and empowerment. She is a strong believer in Intersectional Feminism, coaching Indigenous and NESB women in leadership, reaching out to women of multi-cultural backgrounds to encourage them on their journey. |
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Lorraine Slade - WEL NSW Executive Committee Member Lorraine has been a member of WEL since 1986 and has served on the WEL NSW Executive for a number of years since 2006. She has also volunteered in the WEL office during that time. Lorraine is strongly committed to the WEL vision of a society ‘where women’s participation and their ability to fulfil their potential are unrestricted, acknowledged and respected, and where women and men share equally in society’s responsibilities and rewards. |
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Josefa Green - WEL NSW Executive Committee Member Josefa began as a WEL activist in the 1970’s, involved particularly in equal pay and abortion rights campaigns – issues that still need addressing! She has been on the WEL NSW Executive since 2005. She worked for many years in policy and management areas of the Federal Public Service, including the Special Broadcasting Service, and subsequently as a management consultant working in the areas of planning and organisational change. She has a BA (History Hons), an MBA and a Graduate Diploma in Asian Art. |
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Tabitha Ponnambalam - WEL NSW Executive Committee Member Tabitha Ponnambalam is a Solicitor working mostly in commercial and corporate law. |
WEL Staff |
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| Amanda Keeling |
Membership and Community Engagement |
