Our Team

Natasha is recognised nationallyand internationally as a human rights, equality and inclusion expert. 

While specialising in the rightsof women at work, Natasha brings to this a holistic and intersectionalunderstanding of racial equality, disability rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, and agediscrimination.

As Principal of IntersectionNatasha is a sought after expert advisor on cultural reform initiatives acrossthe public and private sectors. In this role Natasha led the Safe, Respectful and Inclusive Workplace Review ofChevron Australia, Independent Review of Workplace Culture of theProductivity Commission andthe Independent Review of the Nine EntertainmentCorporation. 

Prior to establishingIntersection, Natasha led significant national policy reforms including: 
• Set the Standard: the Independent Reviewinto Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces (2021) and 
• Respect@Work: the National Inquiry intoSexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces (2020).

Natasha’s deep workplace cultureexperience covers a wide range of sectors and includes leading partnershipswith the Australian Defence Force, Australian Federal Police and AustralianBorder Force; working with sporting codes including the AFL, Cricket Australia,Golf Australia, Basketball Australia, and FIFA; supporting change efforts inthe resources and mining sector; and in the arts and entertainment sector,among others.

Natasha has been appointed apart-time Sessional Commissioner of the Victorian Parliamentary WorkplaceStandards and Integrity Commission from 2025-2030.

Dr Zac Seidler is a Clinical Psychologist and one of the world’s leading researchers in men’s mental health. He’s also a proud new Dad to little Arty. His work sits at the intersection of clinical practice, public health, and policy with a singular goal: to reduce the staggering rates of male suicide and domestic violence worldwide.

Zac is the Global Director of Research at Movember and an Associate Professor with Orygen at The University of Melbourne, where he leads the Young Men’s Mental Health Lab. He has spent years translating research into real-world change by working with clinicians, organisations, governments, and the public to shift how we understand and respond to men in distress.

With more than 150 peer-reviewed publications, two edited books, and a track record of advising national and international health policy, Zac brings both rigour and humanity to the conversation around men’s mental health. He developed Men In Mind, the world’s first evidence-based online training program for mental health clinicians working with men, now accessed by practitioners in more than 10 countries.

When he’s not in the research lab or the therapist chair Zac is a regular contributor to major media outlets including the ABC, BBC, The Guardian, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal, and a sought-after keynote speaker for corporate, government, and community audiences.

Tayler Porteiro brings a wealth of experience across mental health, domestic and family violence prevention, and health system planning. With a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours), she has held roles spanning regional planning, executive support, governance, project coordination and frontline service delivery. Before joining Teach Us Consent, Tayler coordinated the implementation of the Gold Coast Primary Health Network's Joint Regional Plan, led governance and stakeholder engagement initiatives, and spent several years supporting women, children and young people experiencing domestic and family violence at the Domestic Violence Prevention Centre Gold Coast. Passionate about creating safer communities, Tayler combines strategic thinking, exceptional organisation and a people-first approach to help drive meaningful social change.

Sohani is a social media producer and digital storyteller specialising in youth-focused content. She joins Teach Us Consent from the ABC, where she produced for the National News Digital and Social teams, with much of her reporting exploring online behaviour and how young people understand gender, relationships and power. Previously, as a multimedia producer at Shameless Media, she grew communities across multiple podcast brands. Now at Teach Us Consent, Sohani is channelling that experience into advancing consent education and a culture of respect for young people.

Ben Oquist is a highly respected policy analyst, commentator and political and communications strategist. He served as Executive Director of the Australia Institute from 2015 to 2022.Ben has a 25 year career engagement with Canberra policy and politics, with a wealth of experience in helping shape policy debates and outcomes.Known for his ability to negotiate across the political spectrum, Ben and the Australia Institute played a key role in stopping the government’s revenue cutting agenda in the form of large company tax cuts, a role for which he was acknowledged in the Australian Financial Review 2018 Power List. He also played a pivotal role in the deal which saw the Senate crossbench save the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and the Renewable Energy Target, preserving $23 billion in clean energy investment.Ben is also a regular commentator and contributor across broadcast and print media.

Dr Madi Day is a trans Murri researcher. Dr Day is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Indigenous Studies at Macquarie University and a Managing Editor for the journal of Global Indigeneity. They specialise in anti-colonial and community-led research practices and prioritise research topics relevant to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander women and LGBTIQA+ people. These topics include gender and colonialism, mental health and wellbeing, social media, technology-facilitated abuse, and family violence.  

Dr Fisher is currently the Young Men’s Health Research Fellow at the Movember Institute where she leads research aimed at promoting good mental health and preventing poor mental health amongst young men globally, including the role and impact of social media.

Jack Jacobs is a DPhil candidate in History at the University of Oxford, where he is writing a book on the global life of non-violence in the 20th century. Previously, he was the Yindyamarra Research Fellow at Charles Sturt University, where he worked closely with Stan Grant to establish and run the Yindyamarra Trust while advocating for First Nations justice during the year of the Voice Referendum.

Jack has long worked to engage men as part of the solution to gender inequality. In 2022, he supported Professor Don Markwell, Head of St Mark’s College, Adelaide, during a culture review of its practices related to gender equality. Prior to that, Jack worked on the landmark Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces at the Australian Human Rights Commission. He also co-founded Future Leaders for Gender Equality, a mentoring program designed to prevent sexual misconduct in NSW schools, and worked as a speechwriter for Elizabeth Broderick during her culture review of the University of Sydney’s Residential Colleges.

Pnina is the Head of Policy at Teach Us Consent. She was an advisor to the Federal Communications Minister and for a member of Local Government, and is currently a member of the UN Australian Internet Governance Next Gen Taskforce. Pnina also worked in the youth media space for companies such as The Daily Aus and is passionate about preventing gender-based violence through technology solutions. 

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Ralph is a Chartered Accountant and has previously served as Treasurer on the board of the NSW Environmental Defenders Office. Ralph has more than fifteen years’ experience in senior financial management roles in the not-for-profit sector and previous experience as an auditor and financial analyst. Ralph currently splits his time working for both Teach Us Consent and the Jane Goodall Institute Australia. 

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Elaine Unterhalter is a Professor of Education and International Development at the Institute of Education, University College London. Dr Unterhalter works on themes concerned with gender, race and class inequalities and their bearing on education. Her specialist interests are in the capability approach and human development and education in Africa, particularly South Africa. Her current concerns are with education, poverty and global social justice.

Dr Joy Townsend is a sociologist whose area of expertise is in the field of gender and sexualities. Her work centres on the lived experiences of young Australians as they navigate gender, relationships and sexualities. Joy is the Founder and CEO of Learning Consent, a global leader in the provision of comprehensive respectful relationships and consent education. Learning Consent continues to partner with leading educational institutions and organisations to deliver cutting edge programs aligned with UNESCO international best-practice for the prevention of sexual and gendered violence.

Ruveni has over 20 years’ experience advising on all areas of employment law including workplace relations, industrial relations, anti-discrimination and work health and safety laws.

Raewyn is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, a recipient of the American Sociological Association's award for distinguished contribution to the study of sex and gender, and of the Australian Sociological Association's award for distinguished service to sociology in Australia. Raewyn's teaching fields have included general sociology, social theory, sociology of education, gender relations, sexuality, and research methods. Raewyn has conducted applied studies and given policy advice to governments about poverty and education, AIDS prevention, gender equity, and other fields.

Jayneen Sanders (aka Jay Dale) is an experienced author, publisher, elementary school teacher, mother of three and an active advocate for body safety, gender equality and respectful relationship education being taught both in homes and in schools. She is also lead author of Engage Literacy published by Capstone Classroom, and has published over 100 stories for children. Jayneen feels passionately that we can do so much more to keep our children safe by teaching them age-appropriate and empowering prevention education.

Jess Sanders is a social worker, educator, and best-selling, award-winning author based in Nipaluna, Hobart. She specialises in prevention and health promotion, creating resources that help young people navigate tricky topics with confidence and care. Jess is passionate about empowering children and teens with the knowledge and tools they need to understand themselves and the world around them. She regularly presents to young people, parents, and educators on subjects including grief and loss, body autonomy, and self-care.

Maree has worked with young people – and on issues affecting young people – since 1993. She has developed and delivered programs focusing on sexual violence prevention, sexual diversity, pornography, and prevention of sexually transmissible infections. Maree presents about pornography, its impact on young people, and what we can do about it, at conferences, professional learning workshops and parent events in Australia and around the world. She has been interviewed for radio and television, and published articles on young people, sexuality and pornography in online and print media.

Kate Jenkins was appointed for a five-year term as Sex Discrimination Commissioner in April 2016. Her term was extended to April 2023. During her term, her purpose was to advance gender equality and the rights of LGBTIQ+ communities, consistent with the Sex Discrimination Act and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Her work responded to national conversations, sparked cultural change, and improved law, policies, practices and funding to foster greater gender equality and address sexual harassment, particularly in Australian workplaces.

Prior to joining the Commission, Kate spent three years as the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner, 20 years as lead equal opportunity partner with Herbert Smith Freehills and many years serving on the boards of Berry Street Victoria, Heide Museum of Modern Art and Carlton Football Club. She is also an Ambassador for the FIFA2023 Women’s World Cup.

Tarang Chawla is a recovering lawyer, storyteller, campaigner and activist. Tarang is the co-founder of Not One More Niki, a campaign to end violence against women and children, named in honour of his younger sister Nikita who was murdered in 2015. Tarang is a Victorian Multicultural Commissioner, sessional academic at Monash University and is on the Board of the Australian Republic Movement. In 2022, Tarang hosted “There’s No Place Like Home”, a double award-winning podcast about domestic abuse, has been named a Young Australian of the Year Finalist, the Young Community Achiever of the Year Award Winner, twice listed as one of the Top 25 Most Influential People Working for Social Change and one of Australia’s Top 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians. Tarang’s work has appeared across all Australian media outlets on TV, print, online and internationally on the BCC, Times of India and Hindustan Times.

Dr Ben Mathews is a Research Professor in the School of Law at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, Principal Research Fellow in the QUT Faculty of Business and Law, and Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health.  He was a Professorial Fellow to the Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Dr Mathews is an internationally renowned researcher on child maltreatment, conducting innovative, transformative research to assist in preventing, detecting, and responding to child abuse and neglect.  He is especially recognised for his research into how legal and social systems can best define, prevent, identify, and respond to child sexual abuse.

Stuart is a creative comms professional with a career spanning the Australian, United Kingdom and Canadian markets. As the founder and director of earned-first creative agency, We Are Different, he has experience leading communication strategy and creative for some of the world’s biggest brands and most awarded campaigns.

He’s an advertiser who believes advertising is dead.

To truly engage with the next generation, organisations across commercial, not-for-profit, and public sectors need to start by earning their audience’s attention first – by doing things differently.

Professor Kyllie Cripps is a Palawa woman and Director of Monash’s Indigenous Studies Centre. She is one of Australia’s leading researchers on Indigenous family violence, sexual assault and child abuse. Leading major grants she has contributed to the field through empirical studies that have defined violence on Indigenous terms, identified factors contributing to violence, and examined the access and availability of services in the aftermath of violence. Her work has been critical in identifying gaps and opportunities to create sustainable solutions to support policy and practice change.

Kyllie’s research and engagement on solutions draws on the strength of her interdisciplinary experience and the value of using an intersectional lens for appreciating the context of violence. In the ‘doing of research’ Kyllie is focused on creating safe places for community members to talk about topics often shrouded in silence. Hearing their stories and working with community to identify areas for change and the solutions for change is always a privilege. Her work has focused on providing communities with resources to support their work locally, networking with individuals and community organisations and connecting them to other parts of Australia and the world to create a network of care and safety that can be a source of learning and empowerment for all.

Dixie is a Gooreng Gooreng woman living on Gadigal land with over three decades of experience in human services, advocating for safer communities for women, children and families. Dixie is currently an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at UNSW and the Aunty in Residence at Full Stop Australia and the Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre. Dixie previously co-founded Mudgin-Gal Women’s Place, and worked as an Advocate and Community Educator (First Nations Women’s Legal Program) for the Women’s Legal Service NSW.

Billy Garvey is a developmental paediatrician with over 20 years of experience working with children and families in various settings. As a senior specialist at one of the largest tertiary paediatric hospitals in the world, he works with families, trains clinicians and professionals who support children, and conducts research in child development and mental health. Billy is also the founder of Guiding Growing Minds (GGM), a social enterprise dedicated to giving all children the opportunity to reach their full potential and live rich, meaningful lives. He is a passionate advocate for supporting those who care for kids—parents, educators, sports coaches, clinicians, and family support workers, by equipping them with the tools and knowledge to foster healthy development.

As part of this vision, Billy hosts the Pop Culture Parenting podcast, which blends expert insights with pop culture references to provide practical strategies for parents and caregivers. He is also the author of Ten Things I Wish You Knew About Your Child’s Mental Health, a book aimed at empowering families and communities to better support children’s growth and well-being.

Dr Asher Flynn is a Professor of Criminology in the School of Social Sciences at Monash University and a Chief Investigator on the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence: the Centre for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEVAW), where she leads the technology-facilitated violence workstream and is Deputy Lead of Research Ethics & Training. Professor Flynn is also the lead Chief Investigator of the first multi-country study on the nature, harms and prevalence of sexualised deepfake abuse (ARC Discovery Project), which seeks to identify appropriate legal, social and educational interventions to this form of abuse. An award-winning researcher in policy and prevention concerning gendered, sexual and technology-facilitated violence, Professor Flynn’s work has shaped almost a decade of research, theory and measurement of these global phenomena. Her research informed the introduction of federal and state laws on image-based sexual abuse across Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States and she is the recipient of a number of prestigious national and international research fellowships. Professor Flynn is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Criminology.

Tess started volunteering for Teach Us Consent in 2021, leading the social media campaign supporting the movement for mandatory consent education. Later, she became their first employee and has most recently led the content production for the organisation’s Promoting Consent Initiative. She has nine years’ experience across women-led social enterprises, not-for-profits, and B-Corps, and has consulted on social media strategy for purpose-driven leaders. An experienced communicator, Tess is committed to using her career to build a more equitable and sustainable world.

James holds degrees in Law and Commerce from the University of Sydney. He was formerly a private practice litigator in Australia, the UK and the UAE, and subsequently a Vice President and Executive Director at Goldman Sachs. He is currently a Director and Senior Legal Counsel at GSR where he structures and negotiates financial instruments.

Adam has ten years of NGO experience working with education and prevention of sexual violence organisations. He leads Teach Us Consent’s global footprint across systems, cultural and individual-level change programs and initiatives. Adam is also Volunteer CEO of Educating The Future which provides pre-school education in Timor-Leste to three thousand children a year, is an Elected Member of the Australian Council for International Development’s (ACFID) Code of Conduct Committee setting best practice standards, and is a Director on the Board of This Life Cambodia working towards penal justice reform. His NGO and government expertise spans Australia, United Kingdom, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Ukraine, and Cambodia.

Holly Rankin is an ARIA nominated artist and strategist (also known as Jack River). Holly uses the power of pop culture to make political change. She has worked with the Uluru Dialogues, Senator David Pocock, Climate 200 and The Australian Recording Industry Association. As an artist, she spearheaded the viral ‘Our Soundtrack Our Stories’ campaign for tv, radio and ads to use more homegrown music.

Matt Hübner holds degrees in Commerce and Science from the Australian National University and has extensive marketing, brand strategy, and business development experience across both B2B and B2C brands. He is currently Head of Commercial for EWA, overseeing commercial development and business strategy, as well as freelance pro bono consulting for impact-driven startups.

Chanel Contos founded Teach Us Consent. It started on Instagram, and soon evolved to make mandated consent education a political priority. In order to achieve this, she worked closely with politicians from across the political spectrum, including prime ministers.

Chanel was the recipient of the Australian Human Rights Commission Young People’s Medal in 2021, and in 2023 she was named NSW Young Woman of the Year for her persistent efforts towards eradicating rape culture. Chanel has also been presented with the prestigious Diana Award for her humanitarian work, and in 2022 she was listed as one of the BBC’s 100 inspiring and influential women worldwide.

Chanel has a Masters in Education, Gender and International Development from University College London and was recently appointed by Julia Gillard to chair the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership’s Youth Advisory Committee. She also sits on multiple government reference panels, and consults for multinational companies on violence prevention.

She is the author of Consent Laid Bare: sex, entitlement, and the distortion of desire.