Our People

Meet our people leading and coordinating the MacKillop Seasons suite of programs and services.

Professor Anne Graham AO

Professor Anne Graham AO

Professor of Childhood Studies and Founding Director of the Centre for Children and Young People Southern Cross University

A researcher with a background in education, sociology and social policy, Anne is the author of the MacKillop Seasons programs. Anne’s research, which emphasises the critical importance of hearing children’s views, has been recognised by numerous awards, including an Officer of the Order of Australia (2018).  While Anne has published extensively in scholarly journals and books, she also ensures her research culminates in ‘plain English’ research summaries, websites, ‘good practice’ guidelines, webinars, professional learning workshops, and education programs, to help ensure the research is accessible and relevant to those who can best use it. Anne continues to support the Seasons for Growth programs by training and supporting trainers and Companions, ensuring all program adaptations are evidence-based and supporting evaluations.      

Kerry O’Sullivan

Kerry O’Sullivan

Director, Clinical Services

A member of the MacKillop Family Services Executive team, Kerry O’Sullivan leads and overseas the therapeutic interventions which strengthen the provision of services to children, young people, foster carers and families across MacKillop Family Services. Kerry’s team also run reflective practice, training and consultation to support the work that carers and practitioners undertake with children, young people and their families. Kerry has over 20 years’ experience as both a social worker and family therapist, and has worked in the trauma field for most of her career. In her role, Kerry oversees and supports the delivery of the MacKillop Seasons suite of programs.  

Esmai Manahan

Esmai Manahan

Director, Aboriginal Service Development

Esmai is a proud Yorta Yorta woman, raised in a politically active family that is passionate about making positive change for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Esmai is trauma and family therapy trained, and is responsible for the oversight of cultural safety, self-determination and reconciliation across MacKillop Family Services, including advocating for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people, and families.

Eliza Munro

Eliza Munro

MacKillop Seasons Cultural Specialist

Eliza is a proud mother of five and a spiritual woman from the Gamilaroi Nation.  Eliza has a background in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and well-being, with experience in both government and community run organisations.

Fiona McCallum

Fiona McCallum

General Manager MacKillop Seasons

Fiona has held leadership positions in human resource management, health and education in corporate and not-for-profit organisations.  Fiona holds formal qualifications in nursing and management and is committed to exploring opportunities to share knowledge and information to support the health and wellbeing of children, young people and adults to live life to their fullest potential.  

Louise Hall

Louise Hall

National and International Partnerships Lead

Louise’s passion for the value of group work led her to her current role. With a social work and early years background, Louise has worked across statutory and not for profit services with a focus on family support and wellbeing. At work, Louise enjoys building relationships with stakeholders and widening the reach of community support; and at home, she enjoys the changes and joy that comes with parenting teenagers. 

Godelieve Hofman-Verkuyl

Godelieve Hofman-Verkuyl

Disaster Recovery Lead

Godelieve has over 20 years’ experience in the areas of family, child and youth support. Leading the MacKillop Seasons’ Disaster projects, Godelieve works closely with a team of Community Resilience Officers in NSW and Victoria to support impacted communities in the process of recovery, by identifying needs, skills, strategies and attitudes which assist in building resilience and preparedness.  

Mandy Cox

Mandy Cox

Partnerships and Program Coordinator

Mandy has worked as a bereavement and grief and loss counsellor since 2006 in many settings across Australia.  Mandy’s role has a particular focus on Seasons for Healing, our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander small group program and includes building connections with Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities and organisations, facilitating the training of Companions, providing follow up support to Companions and assisting to build and support the Aboriginal and Torres Strait training team.  

Melinda Phillips

Melinda Phillips

Program Development & Evaluation Lead

Melinda is a teacher and psychologist (organisational psychology registrar) who is passionate about supporting individuals, schools and organisations with experiences of change and loss to move toward wellbeing. Melinda has taught K-12, worked as a school counsellor, and in consulting/teaching educator roles with headspace Schools, the Association of Independent Schools NSW, and Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese.  

Keeva Mostyn

Keeva Mostyn

Seasons for Life Lead

With a background in Creative Arts and Social Work, Keeva has worked across health and community settings before focusing solely on the education sector in 2010. Keeva’s passion for working with children, young people, and the adults that support them has seen her work with primary and secondary schools across all sectors from both an individual and systems level.  

Renae Pettit

Renae Pettit

Seasons for Life Coordinator, NSW & ACT

Renae is an experienced secondary school educator and consultant and has worked in school communities in rural and regional NSW. Renae is a strong advocate for supporting youth mental health and wellbeing, particularly young people living in rural and remote locations.  

Hannah Richards

Hannah Richards

Seasons for Life Coordinator, QLD

Hannah is a social worker and mother. Her career has been focussed on working with vulnerable children, youth, and families, particularly within the statutory system. Hannah supports the Seasons for Life initiative in Queensland, working with schools to implement evidence-based loss and grief education following a suicide or other loss event.  

Klara Jaeger

Klara Jaeger

Seasons for Life Coordinator, WA & NT

Klara has extensive experience working within school communities and enjoys collaborating with teachers and parents to support the emotional wellbeing of children and adolescents. As a school counsellor, she has developed and implemented targeted staff professional learning and psychoeducation programs, with special interest in early intervention, transition planning, and parenting skills.  

Heidi Yelland

Heidi Yelland

Seasons for Life Coordinator, SA

Heidi brings knowledge and experience gained from her education background spanning many years teaching and leading in country schools in South Australia. She has supported school communities in WA and SA with whole school wellbeing planning, responding to and preparing for natural disasters and other significant loss events. Heidi is passionate about serving South Australian schools and connecting them to evidence based information and programs to support the mental health and wellbeing of the whole school community.  

Hannah Jamieson

Hannah Jamieson

Seasons for Life Coordinator VIC & TAS

Hannah is an experienced Secondary School teacher and leader, having worked as a Year Level Leader and Head of Middle School. Hannah has also worked in mental health, including supporting schools that have been impacted by a death by suicide or other critical incidents, and assisting schools to engage with whole of community wellbeing initiatives. 

Sandra Proudlock

Sandra Proudlock

Seasons for Life Project Officer

  Originally from an education background, Sandra has worked extensively in project coordination, reporting and governance within the corporate, university and government sectors.    

Wendy Ronalds

Wendy Ronalds

Community Resilience Officer, East Gippsland

Wendy’s career has seen her be a teacher, a chaplain and a trained Seasons Companion to many children and young people over the years. She walks alongside them in their journey of grief and loss. Wendy feels blessed to be supporting the beautiful community of East Gippsland with MacKillop Seasons programs.  

Christine Martin

Christine Martin

Community Resilience Officer, Northern NSW

Christine’s natural ability to connect with children and adults led her to her counsellor career. She has a long history of working in primary schools as a Pastoral Care Worker, where facilitating Seasons programs became her passion. Her enthusiasm for that honouring of holding space as a companion, allowing participants to be vulnerable, witnessed and heard is passed on in her trainings and in her community support work.

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Fiona McCallum

Fiona McCallum

General Manager

MacKillop Seasons

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