Jodie joined Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon South West as CEO in November 2023.

Jodie is a people focussed leader and brings diverse experience including executive leadership roles in education, 3 years as a Board member for the Queensland Tertiary Access Centre, and more recently, leading operational and cultural change in aged care. 

Jodie’s workplace superpowers include compliance and governance, driving strategic goals and fostering a positive culture; we spend so much time at work that we should enjoy being there!

When Jodie isn’t supporting the WHWBSW team and Board, you will find her pottering in the veggie garden, walking her beloved dogs or out and about enjoying nature.

Jodie – “It’s a privilege to work with women; for women. I’m excited to contribute to positive action that strives to improve the lives of those living in our communities”.

Julie is a creative and curious professional with decades of experience dedicated to implementing human rights-based programs and services. Her expertise spans gender equality, disability rights, refugee advocacy, cross-cultural competency, community development, and international development. She has worked across the NGO sector and government, both in Australia and internationally.

Beyond her professional endeavours, Julie has a deep passion for sailing—a pursuit that allows her to connect with nature while championing women’s participation in the sport. As part of an incredible team, she navigates the challenges of the open water with precision and resilience. Like the wind guiding her sails, her superpower lies in her ability to steer complex challenges toward meaningful solutions, empowering communities and individuals to find their own strength. Sailing also serves as a reminder of humanity’s deep connection to the environment and the urgent need to combat climate change.

At WHWBSW, Julie is proud to be part of a team committed to improving the lives of women, gender-diverse individuals, and the broader Barwon South West community. Through advocacy and collaboration, she helps drive initiatives that promote gender equality and create lasting social impact.

Julie- “Real change happens when we come together, support each other, and keep striving for a fairer, more equal world.”

Jacinta joined Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon South West in 2022 as our Regional Partnerships Coordinator.

Jacinta comes from a background in Health Promotion, with over 8 years experience working across the South West in healthy eating, mental health and physical activity.

Jacinta’s workplace superpowers lie in building effective relationships with partners, making sure everyone has enough caffeine to get them through their day and never missing an opportunity for a chat.

When Jacinta isn’t at work, you will find her wrangling her two young children, sipping coffee (or wine) with friends, or re-organising her house.

Jacinta - "I’m passionate about approaching partnership development in an authentic way and am excited about all the work that we can do in collaboration."

Bec joined Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon Southwest at the end of 2021, as our Regional Support Officer. Bec brings with her an eclectic mix of experience in Education, hospitality, and event management.  Bec’s workplace superpowers are keeping our house in order, supporting the team to achieve greatness and occasional (reluctant) tech guru.

When Bec isn’t at work, you will find her wrangling 2 small children, making her way to the beach at any glimpse of sunshine or cooking up a feast to share with friends and family.

Bec- “ I am passionate about creating change that enables women to return to the workforce after having children, in a capacity that fits for them.”

Hannah joined Women’s Health and Wellbeing in 2022 as a Regional Facilitator.

Hannah has a background in Public Health and Health Promotion, with over 4 years’ experience in the primary prevention space.

Hannah’s workplace superpowers are working with partners across our region to collaborate on positive change and work toward prevention violence against women.

Hannah is located in Geelong and when not at work, you can find her spending time with family and friends and walking her dog along the coastal beaches of the Bellarine Peninsula.

Hannah- “I am passionate and committed to improving gender equity and striving toward a region free of violence against women”

Lovish is dedicated to challenging and dismantling systems of oppression and power rooted in colonialism, racism, and patriarchy. Through their work, they strive to center lived experience of disenfranchised communities and advocate for social justice, and promote intersectional feminism. Lovish believes in the power of collective action and solidarity in creating a more equitable and inclusive world for all.

Lovish comes from a background in legal studies, sustainable community development and public policy. They bring experience working with forcibly displaced communities and grassroot organisations.

Lovish is located in Naarm and when not at work, you will find her spending time with family and friends, reading, or trying out new recipes.  

Caitlyn joined WHWBSW in October 2024. Caitlyn brings experience from working at fellow regional Women’s Health service; Womens Health Goulburn North East where she worked with local government, sporting clubs and workplaces to promote gender equality. As well as experience nationally at Our Watch, working on the National Media Engagement project, and in the Higher Education sector supporting Universities and TAFE’s to embed the prevention of violence against women into teaching, and promote gender equality in organisational and campus culture. Most recently, Caitlyn has worked in the health sector, at South West Healthcare addressing chronic disease and food insecurity across the south west.

Passionate about social justice and lifelong learning, Caitlyn brings an equity lens to all her work and believes we are all forever students. Caitlyn believes in the power of conversation, and takes great joy from connecting with others to create a more inclusive and equitable community.

When not at work, you’ll find Caitlyn taking advantage of the beautiful beaches and bush walking trails across the south west, or curled up with a good book.

Alice joined Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon Southwest at the beginning of 2024 as a Health Promotion Officer. This role builds on her experience working with ethnic Burmese and Indian communities to support the primary prevention of family violence, along with supporting sexual assault organisations across the state to imbed changes from the royal commission into family violence.

Alice is passionate about promoting the health and wellbeing of women and children, and engendering sustainable, positive change. Most recently she has worked for a specialist family violence service, actively supporting women and children to increase their safety from men who choose to use violence.  Over the last 20 years, Alice has worked in a range of community service organisations, including supporting those experiencing chronic mental health issues to supporting the education of refugees.

When Alice isn’t at work you will find her spending time with her two young children, sharing an adventure with friends, or renovating her home and expanding her garden.

Alice (she/her) has been doing community work for over a decade, across the fields of youth mental health, first nations justice and gendered violence prevention. Her work is informed by feminism and social justice principles, and she brings care and authenticity to her practice.

Alice joined Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon South West in October 2024. She draws on her experience working in a range of violence prevention and mental health intervention projects, including at Safe and Equal, The Sexual Assault & Family Violence Centre and NPY Women’s Council. Alice has a background in program management, partnerships, workforce development and legal advocacy – having done this work in Queensland, Northern Territory and Victoria.

Alice lives in the beautiful Barwon region and loves to surf, cook, read and potter in the garden.

Lisa (she/her) is a values-driven professional with qualifications in Health Sciences and a diverse background spanning health promotion, not-for-profit, organisational development, and local government, among many others. Lisa is committed to creating environments and opportunities where people feel safe, supported, and empowered to reach their potential.

Lisa’s work is guided by a strong belief in social justice and an understanding of how intersectionality influences opportunity and wellbeing. Lisa is particularly passionate about advancing gender equity within workplaces as well as ensuring voices from diverse communities are heard and actioned. Lisa combines strategic thinking with a compassionate approach, ensuring that systems and culture change are both evidence-based and people-centred.

An introvert until you get her talking, Lisa finds joy in spending time with her family, keeping active, pottery, and seeking out the perfect pizza.

Grace recently joined our team in the role of Health Promotions Officer after leaving a busy and exciting career in the Arts, most recently in book publishing. Originally from Melbourne, Grace moved to Warrnambool with her partner and two exuberant young sons a few years ago. Since then she has made it her mission to swim as often as the chilly Southern Ocean will allow.

A strong belief in social justice and feminism, and a curiosity for new perspectives and ideas underpin Grace’s approach to work. Grace loves travel, live performance, reading, endless games of chasey with her kids, and particularly well put together cheese platters.

Leanne joined Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon South West at the beginning of 2023.

Leanne brings to the organisation a wealth of experience in client and stakeholder engagement predominately in the finance sector and more recently in project coordination and medical education in the health sector.

Leanne’s workplace super powers lie in bringing people together as a team, meeting tight deadlines and simplifying processes for ease of understanding and use.

Leanne “I am passionate about the safe access, provision and availability of education and health services to all women in our region. I am excited at the opportunity to further my knowledge in health promotion that leads to positive change”.

Angela has recently joined Womens Health and Wellbeing Barwon South West as an Administration Support Officer.

Angela has a background of finance and Administration with over thirty years experience in the Finance, Health and Disability sectors.

Angela is located in Warrnambool and loves walking her dog, gardening and the odd round of golf (aka spoiling a good walk).

Angela - I feel very fortunate to live and work in a beautiful coast area of Australia and I am looking forward doing some great collaborative work with some wonderful women.

Kathy joined Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon South West in May 2023 as our Project Worker - Resource Development. Her role involves developing training packages and other resources to build our region’s capacity to advance gender equity.

Kathy previously worked as a Naturopath, then had a career break to raise three fabulous children. She recently attained a Master of Public Health, specialising in Health Program Design and Evaluation. Her workplace superpowers include simplifying complexity and identifying useful, tailored solutions.

Kathy – “I am dedicated to improving gender equality in the Southwest. For me, this means using an intersectoral approach to enhance the lives of all women alongside promoting healthy masculinities. Each one of us needs to make a change to promote wellbeing of women in our community.”