We share a vision for a better world where people have the opportunity to achieve their goals free of discrimination and social inequality, where complex social problems are addressed, communities are diverse and thriving, and where organisations across sectors work together to grow positive social impact.
Flinders University is the Centre for Social Impact (CSI)'s fourth university partner, joining UNSW, The University of Western Australia and Swinburne University of Technology in its national network.
Established in 2008, CSI is a national education and research collaboration which catalyses positive social change through transformational research and education that is rigorous and purpose-driven, and by working with people, communities and organisations across Australia to grow their capabilities.
The CSI Flinders team.
Centre for Social Impact - Advisory Council
Mr Ben Smith
Advisory Council Chair
Head, Impact Investing, Paul Ramsay Foundation
Ben is the CSI Flinders Impact Investor in Residence. He is Head of Impact Investing at Australia’s largest philanthropic foundation, the Paul Ramsay Foundation. Alongside his role at PRF, Ben is the inaugural Chair of the Foundations Group for Impact Investing and is Vice Chair of the UK’s NatWest Social and Community Capital.
Ben has over a decade of experience in impact investing and social enterprise. Starting his career in the private sector (management and strategy consultancy) and before joining the Foundation, Ben established UnLtd’s – the UK’s largest early-stage social enterprise supporter – social impact investment department and first funds. Most recently, Ben was Head of Social and Impact Investment at Esmée Fairbairn Foundation – the UK’s largest impact investing foundation. Other notable activities in the space include co-Chairing the UK’s Social Impact Investors Group and lecturing on Social Finance at Cranfield University and University of Westminster.
Jacinta McKenzie
Managing Director, Healthy Dreaming
Jacinta 20 years’ significant experience working across many communities; primarily in the Aboriginal Health Sector and Department for Child Protection; she determined and aspires flexible approaches having worked across the metropolitan Adelaide region, rural, regional SA & remote areas APY. She has influenced change in many forms from service delivery perspectives which is challenging but rewarding. Jacinta strives in navigating systems to enhance culturally safe and practical solutions for quality health care for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people and communities and will endeavour to explore new ways of working that are innovative, strength based and solution focused, aligning the cultural frameworks and principles for better future.
Ms Nancy Penna
Executive General Manager, Community Services, Anglicare SA
Nancy Penna has strategic and operational oversight of Anglicare SA’s community services portfolio, which includes over 285 staff and 100 services across out-of-home care, homelessness, community development and emergency relief. With more than 30 years’ experience in South Australian community services, Nancy has a unique understanding of the political and social landscape and the issues and opportunities facing South Australia. She has held executive roles in government within child protection and disability, with her executive experience underpinned by her earlier career as a social worker in child protection and youth justice.
Nancy is a director on the Board of the South Australian Council of Social Services (SACOSS), Chair of the Child and Family Focus South Australia (CAFFSA) Board and was recently on the Housing Security for Older Women Taskforce with report to government recently submitted.
Dr Harry Randhawa
MB BS LLB/LP
Chief Executive Officer, Uniting Country SA
Dr Harry Randhawa is passionate about developing thriving regional communities through the delivery of exceptional services that meet local needs and delivered within the framework that respects cultures and relationships. Harry grew up in Adelaide and started his career as a medical practitioner after completing his studies at Flinders University. Harry worked as a GP in rural NSW in the 90’s which is where he developed a passion for leadership in regional communities. Harry then completed a Laws degree at Flinders University in 2003. Harry has since worked in a number of executive management roles throughout Australia delivering services to vulnerable and disadvantaged clients. Harry recognises the importance of providing integrated, quality social and education services to the development of strong inclusive and diverse communities.
Richard Laidlaw
Executive Manager, People, Brand & Assurance, Uniting Communities
Richard brings a depth of leadership experience to Uniting Communities, gained through a varied career with national and international exposure across various professional settings. Originally trained as a teacher, Richard has worked in senior roles covering the implementation of school-based vocational education, accounting and legal services, property, retail, and financial services.
Prior to joining Uniting Communities, Richard was the Global Head of Human Resources for an international software company.
Richard is a Churchill Fellow, holds a Doctorate in Education, and is also Fellow of the Australian Human Resources Institute
Dr Lyndsey McKee
Acting Chief Executive Officer
CSI National
Lyndsey, Acting CEO at the Centre for Social Impact, is a passionate advocate for social change. With 20+ years of experience in social purpose in Ireland and Australia, including a PhD in Corporate Social Responsibility, she's dedicated to leveling the playing field for all. Her leadership has focused on impactful partnerships, deepening and scaling positive change across the social purpose sectors. She also holds a seat on the Board of United Way Australia, having previously served as the Head of Partnerships for the charity.
Professor Jen Cleary
Chief Executive Officer of Centacare Catholic Country SA
Jen is a human geographer with a background spanning social services and social policy; vocational and higher education; and regional, rural and remote (RRR) research and development. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Centacare Catholic Country SA (CCCSA), a for-purpose organisation providing social services in RRR communities in South Australia, across a footprint of some 980,000 km2.
Jen holds a PhD in Geography, and her research interests are social services delivery and policy; and community and economic development in RRR Australia. She is particularly interested in the connections between people and place, and the ways in which this influences social and economic development trajectories.
Residing and working in rural South Australia, Jen actively expresses her commitment to all things RRR through service on relevant boards, committees and advisory bodies.
Dr Cleary is a Board Member of the South Australian Council of Social Services (SACOSS), and TAFESA. In 2023, she completed a 10-year term as a member of the SEGRA (Sustainable Economic Growth for Regional Australia) National Steering Committee. She is frequently sought to provide advice and policy input to governments about regional populations, communities and social and economic development.
Associate Professor
Jonathon Louth
Director, Strategy, Research and Innovation, Centacare Catholic Family Services
Jonathon is an Associate Professor (Adjunct) at Flinders University's Centre for Social Impact, College of Business, Government and Law. He currently holds the position of Director - Strategy, Research and Innovation at Centacare Catholic Family Services. In this role, he has led innovative service design. Working alongside relevant government, NGO partners and colleagues, this has included driving service innovation and redesign across post care, family services, residential care, mental health, domestic violence, homelessness, community development and Aboriginal services. He also leads Centacare's Registered Training Organisation, which leads the sector for Mental Health Peer Work qualifications.
Professor Ian Goodwin-Smith
Director, Centre for Social Impact, Flinders University
A Matthew Flinders Professor of Social Impact, Ian is a researcher in the fields of social policy and social service. He has extensive experience in research and evaluation relating to social service improvement, systems reform and social policy. Ian is a research leader experienced in managing research centres and concentrations in collaboration and partnership with industry and community stakeholders. He has a history of working collaboratively with government and non-government organisations, communities and people who have been marginalised, and a long track record of research partnerships.
Meet our team
Professor Michael Gilding
CSI National Strategic Committee Member
Michael is Vice President and Executive Dean of the College of Business, Government and Law at Flinders University. He is also an economic sociologist and former President of The Australian Sociological Association, whose research program includes ‘cycles of advantage’. His current areas of research include the formation of new markets, inheritance and family business succession, and dynastic institutions, including family offices and foundations.
Professor Ian Goodwin-Smith
Director
A Matthew Flinders Professor of Social Impact, Ian is a researcher in the fields of social policy and social service. He has extensive experience in research and evaluation relating to social service improvement, systems reform and social policy. Ian is a research leader experienced in managing research centres and concentrations in collaboration and partnership with industry and community stakeholders. He has a history of working collaboratively with government and non-government organisations, communities and people who have been marginalised, and a long track record of research partnerships.
Associate Professor Selina Tually
Deputy Director
Selina is a geographer, social researcher and evaluator. She has been the embedded researcher with the Adelaide Zero Project to end rough sleeping homelessness in inner Adelaide since its inception in 2016. Selina has a substantial track record of work for the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute linked around the themes of equity, inclusion and connectedness, and is a participant in the Constellation Project’s Better Journey’s project, which is co-designing solutions with predominately Aboriginal young people leaving the custody of youth justice or home care.
Professor Svetlana Bogomolova
Deputy Director
Through the process of co-creation and co-design, Svetlana brings the voice of the consumer to the design of preventative health initiatives, many targeting young people. Her work focusses on healthy food choices, increasing physical activity, improving the quality of health services, and preventing illicit drug use. She currently leads a national research program 'Towards zero hunger: improving food relief services in Australia', a strategic partnership between service providers, policy makers, researchers and consumers aimed at lifting the quality of service in food relief.
Sahar Faghidno
Research Assistant & PhD student
Sahar is undertaking her PhD research in food insecurity. Her PhD topic contributes to a recently funded Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project titled 'Towards 'zero hunger': improving food relief services in Australia'. She has also been working on various projects with not-for-profit organisations and government sector. Sahar is experienced in evaluation research, preparing proposals for clients, designing questionnaires, data collection, coding, analysis, authoring written reports, and the delivery of results via phone, virtually, or in-person presentations.
Dr Tahna Pettman
Senior Research Fellow
Tahna believes that problems and possibilities in health, the environment, and society must be addressed through collaborative action between these sectors. She is applying her knowledge brokering experience to an ARC-funded Linkage research project with the South Australian food assistance sector. The project aims to translate principles into good practice and collective impact. Tahna also provides research consultancy services for organisations, engaging people to ensure that research investments are useful, relevant and have impact.
Diana Eyers-White
Research Assistant
Diana is a Research Assistant and PhD candidate. She is currently involved in the ARC Linkage Project, 'Towards 'zero hunger': improving food relief services in Australia'. She is currently completing her HDR project in the area of food insecurity, which stems from work on the linkage project and her volunteer work in food relief. Prior to joining CSI, Diana worked in a diverse range of positions across the private and not-for-profit sectors. She has over 30 years’ experience in marketing, brand management, education and communication.
Dr Catherine Mackenzie
Senior Research Fellow
Catherine has a background in public health, health promotion, political science and community services research. She has an overarching research interest in finding practical, participant-informed solutions to social and health problems. She has a commitment to bringing the voices of marginalised people to the political table, which has fed directly into her development of ethical and emancipatory methods. Catherine's current research encompasses the government and non-government social and community services sectors, with a focus on the experiences of people living and working in regional, rural and remote Australia.
Kirsteen Munro
Research Assistant & PhD Student
Kirsteen’s research is centred on investigating unintended and negative (harmful) effects of public service announcements (social advertising).
Her previous careers with the Commonwealth government and the insurance industry have shaped her critical analytical skills and strong work ethic to endeavour to make a material social difference.
Kelly McKinley
Research Assistant
With a background in qualitative, interdisciplinary research, Kelly's experience prior to joining CSI includes active research and support on a range of projects in the fields of housing and homelessness policy and practice. She is currently in her final year of postgraduate research at the University of Adelaide where she is completing a PhD thesis examining the history of critical responses to GM food and crops in Australia.
Jung Yoon
Research Fellow
Jung is a Research Fellow with practical knowledge and experience translating conceptual frameworks into practices in disability employment and social enterprises. Jung has rich working experiences in creative industries, including graphic and animation projects and brand concept development. She also uses her cross-cultural relationships and networks between South Korea and Australia to integrate with diverse social policies and knowledge to bring innovative projects, including research and business management, to improve the quality of life for people with disability.
Jung supports cross-cultural research projects between Australia and South Korea by building project concepts and connecting to project relevant bodies in South Korea. Currently, she is working on research projects around disability employment and free school lunch programs in Australia and South Korea. Jung has focused on building accessible, inclusive and innovative working environments to enable socio-economic inclusion for people with cognitive disability, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and intellectual and mental disabilities. Jung’s research interests include disability employment, social enterprise management, inclusive corporate culture, and social and disability-related policies under the jurisdiction of other countries.
Pablo Rengifo
PhD student
Pablo is a Higher Degree by Research student at Flinders University, supervised by CSI Director, Professor Ian Goodwin-Smith. Pablo's research focuses on servant leadership at not-for-profit organisations. He is senior manager at a large not-for-profit organisation leading innovation, quality improvement, risk management and client-centred services among the most disadvantaged in South Australia, where he has been working full time for the last 8 years. Prior to that, Pablo worked for 15 years in the market research industry across Australia and South America.
Peter McDonald
Project Lead - Data for Good
Peter leads CSI Flinders Data for Good project which examines the rise of complex data sets and the inherent biases which keep people trapped in isolation or poverty. Peter is an industry partner whose research remains embedded with social service provider Uniting Communities.
Dr Zurina Simm
Research Associate
Zurina is a Research Associate whose work centres on the manifestation of wealth inequality, specifically major philanthropy and its social impact, and the dynamics of ultra-high net worth families. Her research is informed by how philanthropy addresses social justice and sustainability issues within communities in Australia and internationally.
Sandra Robinson
Senior Lecturer in Social Impact
Sandra is a a Senior Lecturer in Social Impact. Sandra has 30 years’ experience in community development, community program design, delivery and evaluation, community engagement, system reform and cross-sector collaboration in education, Local Government, the Not-For-Profit sector, and State Government. As the Senior Lecturer and Course Coordinator of the new Graduate Certificate in Social Impact at Flinders University, Sandra integrates her practical experience of creating innovative social impact solutions in real-world scenarios to enrich the immense research, policy, and practice expertise of the Centre for Social Impact Flinders team.
Bryony Jardine
Research Assistant & PhD student
Bryony is a Research Assistant and PhD candidate. Her research is focused on co-design and knowledge translation in community settings. She is an experienced researcher and educator, skilled in understanding consumer attitudes and behaviour. Her experiences include research in food production, distribution and retailing. Bryony’s work spans children’s health, community outreach programs, and quality of life in community settings.
Jenna Mizzi
Research Associate
Jenna is a PhD Candidate and Research Associate for ARC Reducing Aboriginal Imprisonment Project.
Michelle Strudwick
Project Officer
Michelle is a Project Officer at the Centre for Social Impact. She is currently involved in an ILC grant funded project with a focus on building employer confidence and inclusion in the hospitality and fashion retail sectors. Leveraging her background in Speech Pathology and industry experience in the disability sector, she is currently working alongside community researchers to co-design elements of the ILC Project.
John Cooper
PhD student
John is an active company director and former CEO of businesses across a range of industries and business sectors, including internationally. Sectors include logistics/transport, infrastructure, construction, manufacturing, agribusiness, correctional/security and justice support services, technology, and specialist consultancy services. John’s university qualifications cover business, law, economics and engineering. His prior doctoral research focused on corporate governance and its intersection with strategy/execution, crisis management, and performance for private companies.
His current PhD research through CSI Flinders touches on affordable housing through a specific international lens. The research is an exploratory study of a 100 year old building and its long-term residents as they navigate gentrification in one of New York City’s grittiest neighbourhoods. The residents are from a range of socio-economic backgrounds, and the research explores concepts of space and community. The thesis title is: Centrality of place and community as a New York neighbourhood gentrifies: A narrative research study of an East Village building from pre-1960s to 2020s.
Heather Prider
PhD Student
Heather is a Teaching Academic in Accounting at UniSA Business. As a Lecturer, Heather is responsible for first year introductory courses such as Accounting for Business, as well as teaching in third year courses.
Heather is a Chartered Accountant (CA ANZ) and a member of the Accounting and Finance Association (AFAANZ) with extensive experience working overseas in a variety of public accounting roles (specialising in internal audit). Heather plays an active role in shaping CA ANZ and the evolving needs of the profession through membership of the CA ANZ Insights Panel.
Heather has degrees in Accountancy and Law as well as a Graduate Certificate in Education Studies (Digital Learning). Heather’s expertise has been recognised through multiple Learning and Teaching Awards as well as being appointed to South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) Boards Stage 2 Assessment Panel. Heather’s contributions focus on the improvement of teaching and learning in the accountancy discipline and profession. Heather’s research interest is in the area of teaching, business and entrepreneurship.
Dr Nada Ibrahim
Research Fellow
Nada is a Criminologist/Counsellor specializing in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) and Faith-based Domestic and Family Violence (DFV).
Dr Ibrahim’s DFV research and publications centers around CALD and faith communities exploring its extent, harmful attitudes/beliefs, risk factors, gender drivers, victims’ experiences with Australian criminal justice system, children’s experiences of DFV, mental health impacts on DFV, among others.
She recently completed research with colleagues from Flinders University on ‘Arranged and Forced Marriages’ in multicultural communities. Dr Ibrahim has also engaged in research on child abuse and neglect in Aboriginal communities, international child sexual abuse medical reviews, harmful sexual behaviours, and exploratory research in child abuse and neglect in Australian Muslim communities.
Nada has co-designed two signature DFV programs for the prevention of, and recovery from DFV targeted at survivors, faith/community leaders and wider community, and has experience teaching various courses in Psychology, Criminology and Humanities.
Dr Ibrahim was awarded for her DFV work such as Queensland Domestic Violence Prevention Honour Roll and was a finalist “Women’s Empowerment” category 2020 Women Acknowledging Women Award and International Islamic University Malaysia Alumni Community Engagement Award 2022.
Steph Eglinton-Warner
PhD Student
Stephanie’s PhD will investigate the purpose of higher education as defined in legislation, public policy and institutional strategic documents, compared against the lived experience of people who work and study in the sector.
Stephanie has worked in education for over 40 years in a variety of roles. In the last 20 years her work has been in the tertiary education sector in teaching, quality assurance, accreditation and curriculum development roles. She currently holds MBA, M Ed, Grad Dip TESOL, B Ed and Dip Tch qualifications. Her M Ed study had a focus on tertiary education, practitioner research and the role of communities of practice to drive positive change to practice. She has a passion for social justice and believes education has the potential to transform lives at the individual as well as societal level. Bringing her passions and experience together, she is embarking on research into the role of higher education in enabling positive societal impact.
Kate Williams
PhD Student
Kate’s experience spans diverse populations and geographies, centring on community-led change. She holds a Bachelor of Management and a Master of Social Sciences (International Development).
Over 14 years, her expertise in facilitation, design, and stakeholder engagement has driven the successful leadership of complex multinational projects and nuanced, place-based initiatives across Australia and internationally. This includes establishing collaborations across multilateral institutions, government bodies, non-profits, enterprises, and local communities.
Kate's Ph.D. research centres on collaborative governance and the pivotal role of community voice in promoting equity and inclusion within systems change initiatives. Kate will actively learn alongside place-based, community-led initiatives to understand the impact of local governance processes. This includes exploring the intersections of Western governance, bio-regional governance, Indigenous, and cultural governance, aiming to uncover how these models might enhance local responses to economic inclusion.
Alongside her PhD, Kate is a practitioner with Collaboration for Impact and Ethical Fields. Kate’s approach to place-based social change is participatory, strength-based, adaptive, and highly relational. She is committed to walking alongside initiatives, ensuring that they are shaped by diverse perspectives and are community-driven and owned. She is deeply committed to the economic inclusion of women as well as fostering community-strengthening initiatives that create opportunity and achieve self-determination for people, whilst respecting and restoring local ecologies, economies, and cultures.
Countries of Program/Research Experience: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Georgia, Kurdish Republic of Iraq, Nepal, Palestine, Peru, Philippines, Romania, and Uganda.
Meet our adjuncts
Professor Peter Sandeman AM
The Ven. Peter Sandeman AM, is Director of Strategic Advice SA Housing Authority, Archdeacon & Canon for Social Justice and Adjunct Professor at CSI Flinders. Peter is the former CEO of Anglicare SA and has a close working relationship with the newly formed CSI Flinders within CBGL. Peter has significant experience at the Executive level in the Non-Government Organisation Sector as well as Government Sector.
In addition to his 8 years as CEO of Anglicare SA, his other experience includes: CEO of Anglicare NSW South, NSW West and ACT; Director, Case Management in the Department of Trade and Economic Development; Director of the Office of the North, and Director: Primary Heath Care and Disability Services for the South Australian Health Commission. Peter was recently awarded Membership of the Order of Australia in acknowledgement his significant service to the Anglican Church of Australia, and to the community of South Australia.
Mr Ben Smith
Ben is the CSI Flinders Impact Investor in Residence. He is Head of Impact Investing at Australia’s largest philanthropic foundation, the Paul Ramsay Foundation. Alongside his role at PRF, Ben is the inaugural Chair of the Foundations Group for Impact Investing and is Vice Chair of the UK’s NatWest Social and Community Capital.
Ben has over a decade of experience in impact investing and social enterprise. Starting his career in the private sector (management and strategy consultancy) and before joining the Foundation, Ben established UnLtd’s – the UK’s largest early-stage social enterprise supporter – social impact investment department and first funds. Most recently, Ben was Head of Social and Impact Investment at Esmée Fairbairn Foundation – the UK’s largest impact investing foundation. Other notable activities in the space include co-Chairing the UK’s Social Impact Investors Group and lecturing on Social Finance at Cranfield University and University of Westminster.
Professor Jen Cleary
Jen is a human geographer with a background spanning social services and social policy; vocational and higher education; and regional, rural and remote (RRR) research and development. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Centacare Catholic Country SA (CCCSA), a for-purpose organisation providing social services in RRR communities in South Australia, across a footprint of some 980,000 km2.
Jen holds a PhD in Geography, and her research interests are social services delivery and policy; and community and economic development in RRR Australia. She is particularly interested in the connections between people and place, and the ways in which this influences social and economic development trajectories.
Residing and working in rural South Australia, Jen actively expresses her commitment to all things RRR through service on relevant boards, committees and advisory bodies.
Dr Cleary is a Board Member of the South Australian Council of Social Services (SACOSS), and TAFESA. In 2023, she completed a 10-year term as a member of the SEGRA (Sustainable Economic Growth for Regional Australia) National Steering Committee. She is frequently sought to provide advice and policy input to governments about regional populations, communities and social and economic development.
Assoc. Professor Jonathon Louth
Jonathon is an Associate Professor (Adjunct) at Flinders University's Centre for Social Impact, College of Business, Government and Law. He currently holds the position of Executive Manager of Strategy, Research and Innovation at Centacare Catholic Family Services. In this role, he has led innovative service design. Working alongside relevant government, NGO partners and colleagues, this has included driving service innovation and redesign across post care, family services, residential care, mental health, domestic violence, homelessness, community development and Aboriginal services. He also leads Centacare's Registered Training Organisation, which leads the sector for Mental Health Peer Work qualifications.
Jonathon's research focuses on political economy, complex systems and the lived experience of the everyday. This has informed work on complex social issues, trauma, gender, spatial politics, neoliberal governance, financialisation, and the impact of economic thought. Additionally, he researches electoral politics with a focus on marginalised communities. His work in community services and policy settings includes social impact, community development, program evaluation and design, and whole of system approaches. Jonathon has experience working alongside Aboriginal communities in remote settings and has undertaken fieldwork in Cambodia.
Dr Anna Owen
Anna has extensive experience of applied Social Justice research and policy development through research management roles in academia, UK and South Australian Governments and currently, as Manager, Impact and Innovation at Centacare Catholic Family Services in Adelaide. Much of her work has involved the evaluation of innovative, ‘real world’ interventions supporting the resettlement and rehabilitation of people in prison, with a particular focus upon the impact of family focussed interventions upon motivation, family functioning and intergenerational offending. Her work evidences an ongoing commitment to delivering insights of practical value to practitioners and policymakers, while also contributing to the academic literature. Previous research has included an evaluation of Invisible Walls Wales, a pioneering ‘whole family’ approach which places emphasis on enhancing imprisoned fathers’ ties with their children and identifies the ‘whole family’ as the main beneficiary, rather than focusing narrowly on rehabilitation of the father. She also undertook a significant program of research to develop the empirical evidence about those who perpetrate domestic abuse, and in particular those that commit serial, prolific and high-risk offending. The research was the first step in helping to inform and shape the development of an Integrated Offender Management-based approach to tackling domestic abuse across Wales, UK.
Meet our affiliates
Lucy is a Lecturer in Health Care Management and Marketing at Flinders University. Her research focuses on translating the latest evidence in perinatal and paediatric research into policy and practice to help children have a good start in life. She is experienced in using co-design techniques with women and health care providers to improve the health care system for families. Her projects to reduce inequity in childhood include co-design with women to develop a population-based screening program to reduce the chance of premature birth, improving the nutritional quality of commercial food products for young children, and developing and evaluating a methamphetamine-prevention public health campaign for adolescents. Lucy’s work has been translated into clinical practice guidelines and implemented into clinical care, providing significant impact for local and national communities.
Assoc. Professor Caitlin Hughes
Caitlin is an Associate Professor in criminology and drug policy and Matthew Flinders Fellow at Flinders University; Visiting Fellow at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW; and Vice-President of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy. She brings extensive experience in analysing drug laws, criminal justice policies and drug markets and identifying avenues to reduce drug-related health issues and social and criminal justice harms. This work includes undertaking the first independent, academic study of the effects of the Portuguese decriminalisation of illicit drugs and explicating the drivers of and burden from rising methamphetamine use and supply in Australian regional communities. Caitlin engages extensively with government and non-government organisations including the Commonwealth Department of Health, the Australian Federal Police, NSW Police and the United Nations Development Programme and her work has contributed to many policy and practice reforms within and outside of Australia.
Simone is a former criminal defence solicitor and an expert in juvenile offending, impacts of custodial/care settings and life-course cumulative disadvantage. As the previous Principal Advocate for all South Australian children and young people detained in training centres, Simone’s work prioritises the development of a youth engagement approach in relation to addressing the range of disconnections – from kin, culture, community, and country – that propel justice involved youth towards the adult corrections system. Her research, infused with a working knowledge of the law, explores the attitudes of children and young people towards crime, incarceration, family, work, education, and intervention programs to explore the complex personal and situational factors that promote or derail the desistance process. Her research has also culminated in ongoing film projects with incarcerated young people as a tool for broad reaching social change and justice reform; these documentaries tackle issues of entrenched disadvantage, juvenile brain development, mandatory sentencing as well as issues around reintegration and parole.
Dr Madhan Balasurbamanian
Madhan is a Senior Lecturer in Health Care Management and serves as the Business Research Lead and HDR Academic Advisor at the College of Business, Government, and Law at Flinders University. He also holds honorary positions at the University of Sydney and the University of Adelaide. Madhan's primary research expertise is in the health workforce, where he brings over 15 years of critically acclaimed research and policy contributions. He has a background in public health and health management, with a focus on the future design and sustainable development of core health system components and the development of integrated health workforce solutions to address Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). His health workforce research has extended to include culturally and linguistically diverse groups, disadvantaged, and rural and remote populations.
Mark is Professor of Criminology and Criminology Research Lead in the College of Business, Government and Law. He has extensive experience in recording and contextualising the experiences of vulnerable groups with the view to creating better lives and safer communities. This work has included overseeing Australia's longest and most in-depth study of repeat incarceration and desistance from crime among a group of young men aged 15 to 29 years, the co-design of a desistance framework for public and private prisons, and the conduct of yarning circles for understanding service delivery gaps in the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners. Mark has worked with numerous government and non-government agencies to target the social, cultural and economic needs of juveniles and adults in custody, various court users, victims, and prisoners’ families. He has served on the Social Inclusion Board, SA Department of Premier and Cabinet, was the non-Aboriginal spokesperson for Justice Reinvestment SA, and is a patron of the Justice Reform Initiative (led by the former federal Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Robert Tickner).
Dr Ashokkumar Manoharan
Ashok is a Senior Lecturer of Strategic Management in the College of Business, Government and Law. He has a background in hospitality and human resource management. His research interests cover human resource challenges in the hospitality industry, focusing on workforce diversity and related diversity management practices, migrant workers, and organisational culture. He currently leads a research program, 'Facilitating sustainable employment of people with intellectual disabilities in Hospitality SMEs: A multi-stakeholder perspective' which aims to stimulate demand for the employment of people with intellectual disabilities in the Hospitality SME sector.
Professor Gerry Redmond
Gerry's research concerns analysis of the adversities that marginalised young people face, in particular young people experiencing poverty, young people with disability, and young carers. Taking a youth-centred approach, his research aims to show how these adversities are reflected in inequality in both everyday experiences and life chances. He has a strong interest in how these adversities can be effectively addressed by policy. In order to propose policy reforms and interventions that work for young people, he aims to amplify their perspectives not only in small scale qualitative research that is led by young people, but also in large scale analysis that aims for population representativeness. He maintains an ongoing engagement with policymakers, business and advocacy groups, and seeks to build in knowledge translation into his academic research.
Associate Professor Janice Jones
Jane has a dual research focus on the interfaces between innovation and its impact on society, and diversity and inclusion (D&I). Her D&I research centres on the careers of culturally and linguistically diverse workers and migrants, First Nations Australians who work in remote Indigenous art centres, and people with an intellectual disability. Jane’s research projects have led to major submissions to the Commonwealth Government and publications in high impact journals and media outlets such as The Conversation. She has extensive experience in collaborating with both public and private sector organisations at national and state level, as well as with peak bodies and non-government organisations.
Dr Laura Lesar
Laura is a Senior Lecturer at Flinders University and Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Griffith Institute for Tourism. A fusion of her multi-disciplinary background in environmental studies, sustainability, and business (tourism), Laura specialises in the delivery of customized sustainability and resilience building solutions for industry. Specifically, her expertise is in the quality control tools for building industry sustainability and resilience, such as certification programs, net zero initiatives, sustainability indicators, climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, capacity building training tools, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting. Through extensive review of international sustainability practice and industry consultation, her research has identified more than 100 tools that businesses can use to implement sustainability into practice. Embracing industry- and community-engaged research, Laura has worked on sustainability projects for the public and private sectors globally in the USA, Australia, Southeast Asia, and South America. She is an Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Travel Research, and her research is featured in internationally leading academic journals in tourism.
Dr Ashleigh Powell
Ashleigh is a Lecturer in Marketing in the College of Business, Government & Law. She has a background in psychology, and therefore a strong understanding of the psychological, social, and biological factors that underlie behaviour and behaviour change. She is a mixed-methods researcher with expertise in consumer psychology and an interest in consumer health and well-being and has worked on projects for the Foundation for Alcohol Education and Research and VicHealth.
Dr Melissa de Vel-Palumbo
Melissa is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology. Her research aims to understand how to best facilitate the reintegration of people who commit criminal or deviant behaviour. Informed by her background in psychology, this work involves examining social-psychological processes such as identity change—that is, how people who commit crime can be supported by others to develop prosocial identities that help them desist from crime. This knowledge can help to produce more effective and humane criminal justice policy and practice, including in courts and correctional contexts. She is also interested in understanding and challenging stigma-related attitudes. Often the public have biased views about the nature of crime that foster support for punitive and ineffective justice policies, working against rehabilitative and reintegrative efforts.
Dr Zhibin Zhang
Zhibin is a Senior Lecturer in the College of Business, Government and Law at Flinders University.
His primary research interests focus on comparative nonprofit studies and comparative public administration/policy. Specifically, his research covers a wide range of topics including nonprofit-government relations, governance reforms, and public policy and management, across China, Singapore, Australia, and the Asia-Pacific. Prior to joining Flinders University in 2016, he taught at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He has been an Associate Editor of Nonprofit Management & Leadership since 2019.
Mr Muhammad Muradul Islam
Murad is a doctoral research student, under the supervision of Professor Andrew Parkin, investigating the management of Rohingya cross-border forced displacement in Bangladesh. This study evaluates the Bangladesh government’s response and identifies gaps by investigating comparable cases in other countries. Eventually, the study advocates for a structured, policy-led strategy for the long-term well-being of displaced and local host communities.
Murad is a senior member of the Bangladesh government, where he holds the position of Senior Assistant Secretary to the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Previously, he served as Protocol Officer to the Hon’ble President of Bangladesh. His multi-sectoral experience covers public administration, retail, distribution, and banking. Murad has attained tertiary degrees in public administration, human resource management, and business.
Meet our associates
Mr David Pearson
David is Chief Executive Officer, Australian Alliance to End Homelessness. He recognises that ending homelessness is possible and that homelessness is not normal or something we should accept. He has worked towards this goal in a range of roles in the community, government, university and philanthropic sectors, including currently as the CEO of the Australian Alliance to End Homelessness.
Before this he helped lead the establishment of the Adelaide Zero Project, a collective impact initiative of over 45 organisations all working together to end street homelessness in Adelaide’s inner city. David was a 2020 Kenneth Myer Innovation Fellow, a 2021 Churchill Fellow and is a Senior Advisor for the Institute of Global Homelessness (IGH). In 2019 David was recognised as one of the top 40 Under 40 leaders in South Australia. Prior to this David was the Senior Policy Adviser to several South Australian Premiers and Commonwealth Government Ministers in a range of portfolio areas.
Dr Claire Hutchinson
Claire is a Senior Research Fellow in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, a full academic member of the Caring Futures Institute and an Associate Member of the Centre for Social Impact. She is a mixed methods social scientist with research interests in disability employment, the quality of life and lived experiences of social care recipients, and the measurement of social value using social return on investment (SROI) analysis. Claire has been a named Chief Investigator on over $3.1 million of competitive grant funding and has a strong track record of managing and delivering collaborative end-user focused research.
She has used SROI analysis to measure the social value of vehicle modifications and home modification for people with disabilities. Claire is currently working on two projects to assess the social return of social enterprises to support the employment of people with disabilities at market level wages, and two healthcare SROIs to determine the social impact of cancer information services and a new rural cardiac care service.
Her work in disability employment has been across all employment pathways (ADEs, open employment, microenterprise). She is currently conducting an evaluation of a school transition program to increase the open employment of young people with disabilities, and on two projects to address employers’ attitudes and stimulate demand for employing people with disabilities across several retail and service sectors.
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