Our board

Nicole has a background in Finance and Strategic Management and is currently a Board Member at Laurel House and Treasurer of Playgroup Tasmania. She is the founder of the social enterprise mortgage broking firm madLoans which provides home and personal loans across Australia and donates its profits to a range of charities. She is passionate about making a difference for others, particularly in the areas of equity, human rights and neurodiversity, and was inspired to join Laurel House to ensure local Tasmanians had access to the best possible services and support. Nicole has more than twenty years’ experience in business and financial management in a diverse range of organisations including local small business, government, large corporations and not for profits. She has experience in governance, financial and risk management and strategic planning in addition to her broad business skills. Nicole holds a Masters in Financial Planning and a Bachelor of Business, Finance. In her spare time Nicole loves to read and bush walk and is looking forward to taking on the Three Capes Track.

Jane is currently the State-wide Manager of the Family Violence Counselling & Support Services (FVCSS) within Department of Communities. She has held that position since 2012. This position entails Jane travelling to all regions of Tasmania and supporting FVCSS work practice and service development and more widely maintaining a community awareness of matters relating to family violence. Jane has held other senior roles including within Student Support Services in the Department of Education (DoE).

Victoria is an experienced social worker who enjoys helping people to achieve their goals for change through identifying barriers to wellness and articulating strategies to overcome and balance these. Victoria is a born and bred Tasmanian, and has lived extensively in rural and remote areas both in Tasmania and the mainland, and understands what it is to live rurally in Tasmania and the complexities and gifts of living in a small community. In her spare time, Victoria likes being at the beach, bushwalking, reading and playing music.

Jess is a public sector Union Organiser, working each and every day to improve the lives of working people and protecting the public services all Tasmanians rely on.   For over 5 years, Jess has served on the Boards of Playgroup Tasmania and the Child Health Association of Tasmania. Jess has a keen interest in supporting families and public policy relating to child development.   She was also recently elected to serve on West Tamar Council.

Amanda has a background in promoting health literacy, including death literacy and mental health literacy. She is interested in opening up conversations about the elephant in the room, to reduce stigma and empower people to seek help when they need it. Amanda is a passionate volunteer in her local community, including with parkrun and Citizen Advocacy and previously with Specialist Palliative Care and Encore Theatre Company. In 2024, she has joined the board of Laurel House as well the Northern Palliative Care Auxiliary. Amanda holds a Bachelor of Commerce (marketing) from the University of Tasmania and a Graduate Diploma in Counselling from Monash University. In her spare time, she enjoys candle making and hiking in Tasmania’s national parks.

Charlotte is a fully registered Psychologist (since 1995) with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulatory Agency (AHPRA) and has enjoyed a professional and varied career across Australia within the education, health (mental health) and disability sectors with passionate interest and service to rural and remote communities. Charlotte was previously a high school Mathematics teacher, and was worked in School Psychologist roles in NSW and then in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) including in the West Kimberley, working closely alongside Aboriginal communities and their elders to improve mental health outcomes for young people who had experienced trauma. Within Tasmania Charlotte has worked with the Child Development Unit, Tasmanian Autism Diagnostic Service and Mental Health Tribunal. Additionally, Charlotte has successfully run a number of businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector.

Sarah is an experienced Human Resources Consultant who is passionate about supporting organisations to meet their strategic objectives and individuals to reach their professional goals. Sarah has worked and across a diverse range of sectors and has developed a generalist skillset through her employment and volunteer activities supporting the Tasmanian community. Holding a Diploma of Leadership & Management and a Diploma of Community Services, Sarah is currently studying a Bachelor of Human Resources (Psychology) and is also an Accredited DiSC and Five Behaviours of a Cohesive Team Facilitator. Sarah enjoys traveling, spending time at the beach and hiking.

Kelsey is a recognised leader in gender-based violence prevention, having implemented innovative best-practice initiatives at La Trobe University in Australia, and Advance HE, University College London where she led the organisational strategy to address and prevent bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct, and Culture Shift in the UK, where she was the Head of Success and developed a prevention-based strategy for all UK university users of Report + Support. Since returning to Australia in 2021, Kelsey has worked with the Tasmanian Government as a Senior Advisor for Our Watch focusing on primary prevention of gendered violence working across state and local government, education, charities, and sporting clubs. She works as a research assistant for the Gendered Violence Research Network at University of New South Wales, and sits on the Board of Laurel House, a Sexual Violence charity based in Tasmania. Kelsey continues to work as a consultant in Australia and the UK on preventing bullying, harassment and gendered violence in the education, public and private sectors.