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Our People

Our vision is for a community free from family violence and sexual assault, and a society underpinned by the principles of gender equality, social justice and human rights.

The SAFV Centre is governed and staffed by a dedicated and highly experienced team of professionals committed to the prevention and elimination of sexual assault and family violence in our community and to supporting people in their recovery from trauma.


Our Board

Our Board members take pride in the governance of our organisation. For the Board, good governance includes respectful and aspirational leadership in setting our strategic direction.

The SAFV Centre upholds a culture of respect and equality, where we celebrate diversity and embrace inclusion in all we do.

Our values Respect, Integrity, Innovation, Collaboration, Commitment are central to our Board and organisation.

Diversity and inclusion are important to us, we recognise our vibrant community comes from every background and in turn we seek to create a Board and workforce that’s representative of everyone we support.

Renee Fiolet Chairperson View Profile »
Renee Fiolet Chairperson

Dr Renee Fiolet is a Research Fellow in the Safer Families Centre of Research Excellence at the University of Melbourne. Renee is President of the Nursing Network on Violence Against Women International (NNVAWI) and Conference Chair for the Australasian Association for Academic Primary Care (AAAPC) and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Renee joined our Board in October 2016.

Sheridan Emond-Salmon Deputy Chairperson View Profile »
Sheridan Emond-Salmon Deputy Chairperson

Sheridan is the Marketing Manager at Caronlab Australia. Prior to this Sheridan was the Marketing & Fundraising Manager for the Give Where You Live Foundation, a Geelong based community foundation aiming to address disadvantage within the Geelong region. Sheridan is also a graduate of the Company Directors Course from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Sheridan joined our Board in 2016. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Deakin University.

Ben Meeke Treasurer View Profile »
Ben Meeke Treasurer

Ben is a fully qualified CPA and holds a public practice certificate. He completed his Bachelor of Commerce degree, majoring in accounting and financial planning at Deakin University in 2002 and has been working in the public practice accounting field since then.

Ben joined our Board in 2009 and became the Treasurer in 2011, a position that he holds today.

Jodie Haydon Board Member View Profile »
Jodie Haydon Board Member

Jodie Haydon recently worked as Executive, People & Culture at Energy Australia and previously was the General Manager of Human Resources at Viva Energy Australia.

Jodie joined our Board in February 2018 and holds a Bachelor of Economics and a Postgraduate Diploma in Japanese from Monash University. Jodie is also a graduate of the Company Directors Course from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Kate Stowell Board Member View Profile »
Kate Stowell Board Member

Kate Stowell is a Barrister with the Victorian Bar. Kate practices in common law, with a focus on civil claims for historical institutional child abuse. Kate practices in family law and victims of crime compensation matters. Kate is also a graduate of the Company Directors Course from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Kate joined our Board in June 2021.

Teaghan Osborn Board Member View Profile »
Teaghan Osborn Board Member

Teaghan Osborn is WorkSafe Victoria’s Financial Controller. As Director of Finance, Teaghan looks after a large team responsible for statutory and financial reporting, strategic budgeting and forecasting, taxation, capital management, transactional services and payroll. Teaghan is also a graduate of the Company Directors Course from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Teaghan joined the Board in November 2019 and holds a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in accounting and commercial law from Deakin University.

Sophie O’Keeffe Board Member View Profile »
Sophie O’Keeffe Board Member

Sophie is a Registered Nurse and has worked in a variety of clinical areas including rural health, oncology, and the operating suite. She has also worked in the higher education sector, having Lectured Nursing and Deakin University for many years. Sophie now works as the Quality and Risk Coordinator at Heywood Rural Health and is a Board Director on a small rural health service board in South West Victoria.

Sophie’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Nursing; Graduate Certificate in Cancer and Palliative Care; Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine; Graduate Certificate of Higher Education Learning & Teaching; Master of Education (Leadership & Management).

Sophie was on the Emma House Board in Warrnambool before joining our Board in 2023 to represent South West Victoria.

Simone Renyard Board Member View Profile »
Simone Renyard Board Member

Simone is passionate about women and children having access to services like The SAFV Centre in times of need.  Much of Simone’s professional life has been spent in the counselling areas (B Arts – Psychology) in the South West working in community health, student support, after-hours crisis teams and research.

Simone owns and operates a Dairy Business with her husband in Timboon and is also a graduate of the Company Directors Course from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Simone was on the Emma House Board in Warrnambool before joining our Board in 2023 to represent South West Victoria.


Executive

Helen Bolton Chief Executive Officer
Helen Bolton Chief Executive Officer
Carmel Thomas Executive Manager Merger Implementation - Client Services
Carmel Thomas Executive Manager Merger Implementation - Client Services
Katie Wright Executive Manager, Strategy and Impact
Katie Wright Executive Manager, Strategy and Impact
Mary Cowell Projects - Corporate Services
Mary Cowell Projects - Corporate Services
Bec Wilkin Executive Manager – Client Services
Bec Wilkin Executive Manager – Client Services
Megan Wright Acting Executive Manager Corporate Services
Megan Wright Acting Executive Manager Corporate Services

Our Team

We employ over 200 people across the Barwon, Wimmera and South West regions of Victoria. We ensure all our people are highly capable, qualified, professional and experienced in their role. Our counselling staff are qualified social workers, psychologists and family therapists who are dedicated to assisting the recovery of adults, young people and children who have experienced sexual assault, family violence and exploitation.

Our case managers are social workers who hold many years in this specialist field, and are able to assist women and children experiencing family violence through support and assistance, including court support, high risk management and short term accommodation.

Our gender equality and professional training team is made up of skilled educators with qualification in public health and gender studies with practical expertise in the area of sexual harm recovery and family violence primary prevention.

Our administration team includes a highly dedicated group of people providing customer services, finance, communications, quality services, and human resources.

The Sexual Assault & Family Violence Centre acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of the land we stand on. We are committed to working toward creating a community where all people indigenous and non-indigenous are safe, connected and empowered to live well. The Sexual Assault & Family Violence Centre recognises the diverse needs of our community and we ensure our services are inclusive of all children, young people and their families including those who are of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, those who identify as LGBTIQ and persons living with disability. We work collaboratively with people and partner organisations who also support our diverse client group. Interpreter and translator services are available to all our clients upon request.

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