Champions
The Life in Mind Champions provide leadership across settings, sectors and communities about safe and effective communication and collaboration. They also promote collaboration to build on mutual efforts, avoid unnecessary duplication of work, research and resources, and provide direct input and support to operationalise The Charter.
Lucinda Brogden
Co-Chair & Commissioner
National Mental Health Commission
Lucy has a strong commitment to helping others and building stronger communities. She takes an evidence-based approach to problem solving and social investment.
Chez Curnow
Mental Health & AOD Manager
Suicide Prevention & Low Intensity Strategies
Chez is a passionate advocate for equity in access and encouraging help-seeking behaviours in regional and rural communities.
Maria Cassaniti
Centre Manager
NSW Transcultural Mental Health Centre
Maria’s key area of interest is in the development of mental health services that promote access and equity of service provision and that respond to the needs of culturally diverse populations.
Bronwen Edwards
CEO
Roses in the Ocean
Bronwen is the Founder and CEO of Roses in the Ocean, a leading lived experience organisation in the suicide prevention sector. She is a key advocate for the inclusion of lived experience in all aspects of suicide prevention.
Dr Aaron Groves
Chief Psychiatrist Tasmania
Dr Groves is Tasmania’s Chief Psychiatrist. He has extensive experience in the mental health sector and is committed to contributing his knowledge and expertise to shaping mental health policy and clinical practice and implementing initiatives under the Tasmanian Suicide Prevention Strategy.
Danielle Clarke
Head of Marketing and Communications
SuperFriend – Industry Funds’ Mental Health Initiative
With more than two decades of experience, Danielle has held several senior marketing and communications roles with both profit-to-member and retail super funds, and in qualitative research.
Danielle loves and shares SuperFriend’s vision for a mentally healthy and thriving Australia, and hopes her tertiary qualifications in communications, management, superannuation and education will help contribute to lasting, positive change.
Brendan Maher
Movember Foundation
Brendan is a passionate advocate for suicide prevention. He has been working in the suicide prevention sector for over 10 years, starting at Lifeline Australia in 2007, before moving to R U OK? in 2013 and Movember in 2019.
Sally Morris
LGBTI Mental Health Coordinator
QLD Council for LGBTI Health (formerly QLD AIDS Council)
With an academic and professional background in human services, Sally has worked and volunteered in numerous LGBTIQ organisations over the last 15 years, including Diverse Voices, Open Doors Youth Service, the Queensland AIDS Council, and the National LGBTI Health Alliance. In 2014 Sally co-founded Wendybird which brings together LGBTIQ people to build and facilitate community spaces that foster belonging for those who are so often excluded.
Nieves Murray
CEO
Suicide Prevention Australia
Throughout her career Nieves has been passionate about empowering vulnerable people to live good lives, free from stigma. She is CEO of Suicide Prevention Australia, the national peak body for the suicide prevention sector.
Jo Robinson
Senior Research Fellow
Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health
Jo has worked in suicide prevention for almost 20 years. She is a Senior Research Fellow at Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, where she leads the suicide prevention research unit.
Lachlan Searle
Director External Relations
Mental Health Australia
A communications professional, storyteller and content marketer, Lachlan is passionate about promoting positive discussions on mental health and social and emotional wellbeing.
Christopher Banks
Project Manager Suicide Prevention
BeyondBlue
Christopher Banks has spent over a decade working in the mental health sector in both Australia and New Zealand.
As Beyond Blue's Suicide Prevention Project Manager, Christopher’s chief responsibilities include implementing Beyond Blue's suicide prevention strategy and management of the Beyond Now suicide safety planning app.
Katherine Newton
CEO
R U OK?
Katherine’s commitment to prevention efforts spans 8 years having trained as a volunteer Lifeline telephone counsellor prior to transitioning to the sector professionally. Katherine’s not-for-profit experience also includes a senior leadership role with White Ribbon, working to prevent men’s violence against women.
Katherine leads a small, responsive, and dynamic team at R U OK? and continues to be inspired by the those in the community who believe in peer-to-peer support.
Professor Nicholas Procter
Chair Mental Health Nursing
University of South Australia
Professor Procter is Chair: Mental Health Nursing and leader of UniSA’s Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Research Group. He is a former member of the writing team for Australia’s National Suicide Prevention Strategy (LiFE Framework) and the Steering Committee for the Commonwealth Ombudsman’s Own Motion Investigation into Suicide and Self-Harm across the Australian Immigration Detention Network. In addition to many other activities Professor Procter is an advisor to Australia’s National Suicide Prevention Taskforce and Australia's National Representative to the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) to 2023.
Samuel Hockey
Youth Mental Health Ambassador
National Mental Health Commission
Samuel endeavors to always amplify the voice of real people's experiences in mental health to change healthcare systematically. He is invested in change occurring respectfully and with the knowledge of who the change serves in front of mind.
Charlie Willbridge
Suicide Prevention Officer
National LGBTI Health Alliance
Charlie joined the Alliance in 2015 and has led work on the National Mindout project. Charlie has studied at the Australian College of Applied Psychology, Curtin University and UNSW. Their combined 20 years of experience in counselling, community work, health promotion and team management gives them a holistic approach to their work and a diverse understanding of issues affecting the social services, health and welfare sectors in Australia. Preferred pronoun: they/them