Our Team
Kirsty Albion
Chief Executive Officer
At the helm of Australian Progress since the pandemic began, Kirsty has led her team to train thousands of social changemakers, convene hundreds of nonprofits and deliver groundbreaking collaborations. Previously, Kirsty served for five years as National Director of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, running high-impact campaigns to protect the reef, grow renewable energy and keep fossil fuels in the ground. She grew the organisation three-fold to the largest team focused on climate campaigning in the country. Kirsty has trained more than 10,000 young people in campaigning, communication, organising, and supported the growth of the Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network. Kirsty is the recipient of numerous awards including Young Tasmanian of the Year 2010 and the Prime Minister’s Young Environmentalist of the Year.
Elise Dalley
Chief Strategy Officer
Elise brings 14+ years experience leading strategic communications and advocacy capacity building to her role as Acting Co-Executive Director at Australian Progress. In her substantive role as Impact Director, Elise oversees the strategy and impact of our cross-sector work, including persuasive messaging, collaborative initiatives to strengthen democracy, Progress Labs, and the Economic Media Centre. Prior to joining Australian Progress, Elise worked in electoral politics in Australia and Scotland, and as a journalist for Sydney Morning Herald, CHOICE and The Jakarta Post. Elise holds a Bachelor of Law and Journalism from the University of Technology Sydney.
Amelia Telford
Chief Partnerships and First Nations Justice Officer
Amelia (Millie) Telford is a Bundjalung and South Sea Islander woman. As First Nations Justice Director at Australian Progress, her role aims to build capacity of First Nations-led movements and advocacy across the country. Prior to joining Australian Progress, Millie co-founded and led Seed, Australia’s first Indigenous Youth Climate Network. Since Seed’s launch in 2014, the organisation expanded rapidly, becoming a national grassroots network of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people to protect country, culture and communities from the causes and impacts of climate change.
LIZ SUTHERLAND
Chief Operating Officer
Liz leads all aspects of Australian Progress’ finances, people and culture, policies, processes, and logistics to facilitate the achievement of our high impact work. They have experience across a range of not for profit sectors including HIV, Aboriginal health, and domestic violence focusing on organisational development, management, policy, and advocacy. They hold a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) through Curtin University and are completing their Masters of Arts (Writing) through the University of New England.
Anita Tang
Organising Director
Anita Tang is passionate about building people power to secure public policies that benefit the community. During her career, she’s explored many ways to make a difference – through direct service, policy development, consumer protection bodies, and Parliamentary Committees, and non-government policy advocacy. During her 12 years at Cancer Council NSW, she led the development of the grassroots advocacy approach that led to significant campaign wins on smoke-free legislation, cost of chemotherapy, access to treatment, and policies to protect people from known cancer risks. Currently, Anita is focused on increasing the impact of the advocacy work of NGOs by helping them unlock the potential of their grassroots supporters.
ALEX KELLY
Economic Media Centre and Communications Director
Alex joins Australian Progress to lead the Economic Media Centre. Alex has a background in strategic communications, political organising, speculative futures and documentary filmmaking with expertise in impact producing. Alex was impact producer on The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone, In My Blood it Runs and Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein’s This Changes Everything. Alex is on the board of Original Power and is a founding member of impact film company, the Unquiet Collective.
Phong Trinh
Training and Digital Manager
Phong leads, connects and builds the Australian Progress community and drives engagement across our events, trainings and programs. Through a decade in organising and campaigning, Phong has worked across numerous organisations including leading roles at Oaktree, Road to Refuge, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and UN Youth. He specialises in digital communications, strategy development and visual design. He currently sits on the board of the Commons Library.
Jess Herne
Strategic Projects and Operations Manager
Jess leads Australian Progress' major events and conferences, messaging roll-out, and other capacity building initiatives, alongside managing our internal operations. Jess was previously National President of UN Youth Australia, leading the organisation in its delivery of educational programs for thousands of young Australians. Jess also has a background in theatre and live production, primarily working with young people in high school and university.
ERICA RANSLEY
Community Manager
Erica brings her passion for social justice and systems change to her role as the Community Manager. She has previously worked on divestment campaigns to shift money out of the fossil fuel industry, has coordinated and supported the growth of climate justice organising in Victorian schools, and supported young organisers through numerous campaigns, conferences, and training. Most recently, Erica has been studying Social Work and Human Services.
NICK CASSELLA
Strategic Communications Manager
Nick is a political communications professional who has worked for progressive campaigns and organisations in the US and Australia. Nick is in charge of formulating a new strategy for Australian Progress' external communications while also managing the development of the Economic Media Centre's Spokesperson Network. Nick specialises in digital campaigning and holds an International Relations degree from the University of St Andrews, Scotland.
JEDDA COSTA
Senior First Nations Media Advisor
Jedda Costa is a Wemba Wemba, Yorta Yorta and Mutti Mutti woman from Narrm. She has previously worked as a cross-platform journalist, specialising in Indigenous affairs and reporting on regional communities. Jedda joins as our new Senior First Nations Media Advisor, leading the development of our First Nations Spokespersons Network at the Economic Media Centre.
JINGHUA QIAN
Senior Media Advisor
Jinghua (ey/eir/em) has two decades experience in media, arts, and activism. As head of news at Sixth Tone in Shanghai, Jinghua shaped the publication’s influential coverage of contemporary China, in particular its reporting on trans and feminist movements. Since returning to Australia, Jinghua has written for The Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald, Overland, Meanjin, and ABC TV's China Tonight. Jinghua is passionate about foregrounding decolonial and anti-border perspectives in economic discourse and class analysis.
KATE CLUGSTON
Partnerships Manager
Kate works across the full spectrum of partnerships at Australian Progress; collaborating with philanthropists, trusts and foundations, event sponsors, changemakers, and sector allies. A bit of a career chameleon, Kate brings transdisciplinary thinking and diverse expertise from the arts, activism, social enterprise and the non-profit sector. Her creative and intrapreneurial approach supported the impact growth of social enterprise fashion label, The Social Outfit. Kate also founded a yoga studio focused on women’s wellbeing and has worked as a fundraising coach and trainer for social entrepreneurs through her work at StartSomeGood. She is currently studying a Masters of Creative Intelligence and Strategic Innovation at the University of Technology Sydney.
Our Board
CATERINA GIORGI (CHAIR)
CEO, Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education
Caterina is a not-for-profit leader with more than 15 years experience working for purpose-driven organisations. She is the CEO of the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE), a Founding Member of Women in Public Health and Founder of For Purpose. She is an ambassador for National Organisation for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (NOFASD) and has served on the boards of YMCA Canberra and Fair Agenda. She holds an honours degree in public health, was a finalist in the 2015 ACT Young Woman of the Year Awards, and is a fellow of the Centre for Australian Progress and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
ANDREW HUDSON
CEO, Centre for Policy Development
Andrew is a dynamic leader in the international human rights movement with 25 years of experience in advocacy, campaigns and senior leadership, working with NGOs, the UN, the private sector and government. Previously, Andrew was the CEO of Crisis Action in New York, and was a lawyer in Australia representing disadvantaged clients and refugees and spearheading major law reform projects. He has also worked with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Ecuador and the UN Regional Commission in Thailand. He was Australia's first Youth Representative to the UN.
RACHEL BALL
CEO, Reichstein Foundation
Rachel is a not-for-profit leader and human rights advocate with twenty years’ experience working in Australia and overseas to progress social and environmental justice. She’s the CEO of the Reichstein Foundation and has previously held senior leadership roles at the Human Rights Law Centre, Oxfam Australia and the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria. Rachel has expertise working with diverse stakeholders to design and deliver strategies that challenge unfair distributions of wealth and power, including through rights-based advocacy and campaigns, strategic litigation, political engagement and corporate accountability.
MELISSA DONNELLY
National Secretary, Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU)
Melissa is National Secretary of the CPSU, representing employees in the Australian Public Service (APS) and Commonwealth employment, ACT Public Sector (ACTPS), Northern Territory Public Service (NTPS), telecommunications, broadcasting and aviation. Previously, Melissa held various roles in the CPSU, including leading members in Services Australia, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and a range of federal government agencies. Melissa has also led the union’s national Political, Industrial, Research and Legal team, through major industrial bargaining campaigns and litigation. Melissa holds Bachelor of Social and Law degrees. Melissa is also a director of the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation.
SACHIE SENEVIRATNE
Head of Grants Management, Oxfam Australia
Sachie is currently the Head of Grants Management for Oxfam Australia. Sachie is also the elected Staff Participant to Oxfam Australia's Board of Directors. Sachie has 15 years contract management and operational experience across the international development sector. She has also worked as the Senior Grants Officer at The Asia Foundation. Additionally, she holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) and Bachelor of Arts (Political Science and Developmental Studies) from the Australian National University.
WIL STRACKE
Assistant Secretary, Victorian Trades Hall Council
Wil is the Assistant Secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council, the peak body for unions in Victoria, and a long-term campaigner for women’s and queer rights. She was previously an Associate Solicitor at Slater & Gordon before commencing as an organiser with the Australian Services Union where she worked with members on workplace and industry wide industrial campaigns. She was the Lead Organiser in Victoria for the ASU national ‘Equal Pay’ campaign that achieved wage justice for underpaid, predominantly women workers in the community services sector. In 2017, Wil coordinated the Victorian field campaign for the ‘Yes’ campaign for marriage equality. Wil’s work was acknowledged with the 2018 John Cummins Award for Victorian Unionist of the Year and the Jennie George Award in 2024 for outstanding contribution by a woman to the Australian union movement.