Our staff
Ro (Phoenix) Bersten
xe/xyr | managing director
Ro is a queer Jewish autistic person with ADHD. Xe has been an activist and communications strategist for more than 20 years. Xyr most recent publication was the Pride in Prevention Messaging Guide in collaboration with Rainbow Health Australia. Ro lives on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation.
Fiona Vuong
she/her | project officer, FUSE
Fiona is the eldest daughter of an immigrant family. She studied social work, sometimes works in women’s health, and has about 5 different craft projects going on at any one time. She feels less hopeless about the world because young people are the best. Fiona lives on the lands of the Bunerong people of the Kulin Nation.
Ulysses Thomas
they/them | casual trainer
Ulysses is a queer Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person from the Bwgcolman community on Palm Island. Ulysses creates and facilitates supportive networks and programs for queer BIPOC people. Ulysses lives on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation.
Chloe (Frankie) Dillon
she/they | peer worker
Chloe (sometimes called Frankie) is a queer, neurodivergent young person, who delights in supporting other young people to explore their own identity and space in the world. When they’re not madly finishing assignments, they can usually be found playing celtic fiddle, doing queer partner dancing, or knitting socks. Chloe lives on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation.
Jessica Kejun Xu
she/they | admin & marketing
Jessica is a social researcher, creative educator and artist working to support access and equity in community programs. Jess facilitates connections across cultures, generations and workplaces, with an aim to collaborate, (re)imagine and (re)structure work so that it supports cultural safety, thriving beyond barriers, and transformative creativity. Jess lives on the lands of the Bidjigal people of the Eora nation.
Khoi Nguyen
he/they | project officer, FUSE
Khoi has worked as a secondary school teacher and also as part of the Safe Schools program for the Department of Education. These roles, and their broader life experiences as a queer person of colour, have driven a passion for supporting LGBTIQA+ young people to live their best lives. Khoi lives on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation.
Victoria Barlow
she/her | fundraising & partnerships
Victoria is a professional creative, fundraising and marketing professional, and producer. Victoria has worked for over six years in a range of creative, corporate, and NFP contexts. As a queer woman and artist, it is important to Victoria to work in spaces that are sustainable, inclusive, and ethically minded. Victoria lives on the lands of the Kaurna people.
Holly Kemp
she/they | casual trainer
Holly is a queer, nonbinary person who works as a lived experience worker in the public mental health system and identifies as a person with big feelings/ psychosocial disability. They have spent the last 20 years facilitating dialogue in groups; meetings, collectives, workshops, tutorials, councils, research labs, mental health support groups and workplace consultative committees. Holly lives on the lands of the Wongol people of the Eora nation and loves gardening, especially growing flowers.
Our governance team
Rafeif Ismail
she/her | board member
Rafeif is a writer and poet. She is a third-culture child of the Sudanese diaspora, the current managing director of Djed Press and co-editor of Unlimited Futures: Speculative, Visionary Blak+Black Fiction.
Skye Mackie
she/her | board member, secretary of the board
Skye has extensive experience in HR and management consultancy and has worked as general manager of a diversity consultancy in London. She is currently Head of HR Transformation for a global data and insights business, and lives with her partner, her daughter and a small Cavalier King Charles puppy called Luca who keeps her very busy!
Tim Hollo
he/they | board member, public fund management committee
Tim is Executive Director of the Green Institute and was previously Communications Director for Greens Leader Christine Milne. He has been a board member of Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Green Music Australia (current), the Young Music Society (ACT), and Manuka Occasional Childcare Association.
Tim’s book, Living Democracy: An Ecological Manifesto For The End Of The World As We Know It, was published in 2022.
Elgina Ansey
xe/hir | board member, ethics committee
Elgina is a spearhead for Torres Strait Women, and believes inclusiveness is key as we are all one. Xe maintains that by embracing one’s identity, culture and education we will enable the tools to great success.