Natalie Zelinsky is our founder and a director of StreetKind.co and is also voluntarily overseeing its operations. For 8 years prior, she was Chief Operating Officer and Company Secretary for Stay Kind where she had full oversight of the daily operation of the Foundation.

 

Natalie has also had an extensive career with TAFE NSW spanning over 20 years and held various executive and leadership roles. Her motivation for founding StreetKind.co was her passion for building kinder communities and the closing of Stay Kind and the Take Kare program, leaving a gaping hole in harm prevention.

 

Developing and executing successful strategic activities has been integral to the various roles that Natalie has held. She also has extensive experience in establishing key relationships and advocacy. Natalie excels in operations, program, campaign and project management and regulatory compliance. She has extensive experience working with boards as an executive and as an experienced Company Secretary.

Lucy Arundell is a technology enabled solutions expert whose focus is strategic positioning and business reform with a successful track record in implementing solutions, underpinned by strong people engagement, communication and change leadership skills.

 

As Digital Skills Partnership Manager (Asia Pacific Japan) Amazon Web Services (AWS), Lucy works with training partners to deliver cloud skills training to underserved communities and non-traditional learners. She has also had an extensive leadership career in public vocational education and training. Notably, Lucy was TAFE NSW’s first Chief Education and Training Officer playing a central role in the successful modernisation and transition of TAFE NSW, Australia’s largest RTO with 300 000+ students.

 

Lucy is passionate about positive community outcomes whether this be through education or programs. Lucy also provides high level skilled volunteering to the Macular Disease Foundation Australia.

Nicholas Kofod represents the “youth voice” on our board.  As a Service Support Officer with Wollongong City Council, Nicholas has developed an in depth understanding of how effective operations ultimately benefit a community. 

 

Through his professsional role and studies at university Nicholas has actively developed and uses an excellent macro perspective. He is highly proficient with his interpersonal relationships and excels in negotiation.

 

Nicholas is near completion of his Bachelor of Engineering degree. Whilst excelling in his degree Nicholas also has a special interest in physics as well as the development and implementation of business strategy and solutions that are both efficient and effective in improving outcomes and quality of life.

 

Nicholas actively supports social responsibility and has volunteered in various roles since he was 13.

Olga Zelinsky was born in Turkmenistan and has witnessed first-hand how poverty, civil wars and conflicts detrimentally affect people’s lives. This experience has been the driving force of Olga’s commitment to health and community, and where she learnt the value of helping others.

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Olga has actively supported the community sector in various capacities including mental wellbeing education, diversional therapy, mentoring, program coordination and volunteer management. Mental health, innovation and novel strategies that overcome isolation and loneliness are of special interest to Olga.

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With her educational and health background Olga is able to share a versatile skill set gained in diverse cultural settings. She has completed both a Master of Public Health and a Graduate Certificate in Applied Mental Health. Olga is also a member of the Public Health Association Australia and Graduate Women Australia.

Nate Brown established and coordinated the Take Kare program in Sydney from 2014 to 2017,  playing a pivotal key role from short-term pilot to a highly successful multi-site program supporting thousands of people across Sydney’s entertainment precincts. He has a deeply developed practical understanding of community and youth issues that relate to Sydney nightlife and safety.

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Nate is currently Regional Youth Coordinator with the Department of Regional NSW. His professional career spanning 20 years has focussed on youth with experience in both the not-for-profit sector and government agencies, Additional areas of expertise also include supporting young people experiencing disadvantage, homelessness, and addiction. Nate enjoys the challenge of identifying and coordinating solutions to emerging and complex social problems. He holds a Bachelor of Social Science and qualifications in Youth Work.

Paul is a specialist in Emergency Medicine and has worked for many years at St Vincent’s Hospital in Darlinghurst. He centres much of his work on caring for the vulnerable and disadvantaged, particularly where there are issues around drugs, alcohol and mental health. He has been a long-term advocate for safety in our city and believes it is possible to have a vibrant and culturally diverse night-life which still manages alcohol responsibly and provides protections for our community, particularly our youth.

 

Paul has Associate Professorship appointments at University of Notre Dame and at UNSW and has been involved in student teaching at every level. He has recently introduced programs for students to learn from the hospital’s Aboriginal health program, along with the PANDA unit which manages patients who have drug and alcohol, mental, physical and social health needs, along with the homeless health service.

Dr Gillian Sanzone completed her medical degree at the University of Newcastle.  As a junior doctor, Gillian found herself becoming increasingly fascinated by psychiatry and the interplay between a person’s early life experiences, background, circumstances, and the effect on behaviour and functioning. 

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Gillian was subsequently awarded an Institute of Psychiatry Fellowship and completed advanced training in child and adolescent psychiatry. She feels passionate about identifying and treating mental illness an early stage.

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Gillian has had extensive experience in the public health sector and now works as a Visiting Medical Officer at South Coast Private Hospital where she sees adolescents and adult patients. and works with both individuals and families.  Gillian also devotes time to the supervision of medical students and registrars and is an Honorary Lecturer at the University of Wollongong. 

Allan Sparkes is one of Australia’s most highly decorated citizens and  a 20-year veteran of the NSW Police force. Of recent times, a Deputy Commissioner of the Mental Health

Commission of NSW, a qualified trainer of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, a founding partner of the ‘Operational Readiness for First Responders’ program, Chairman of the National Police Bravery Award Committee, member of the Mental Health Commission Suicide Prevention Advisory Panel, member of the NSW Police Mental Health Intervention Team and a Royal Society of NSW fellow.

 

Allan was founding patron of the Thomas Kelly Youth Foundation, a former Director of the Gidget Foundation and Ambassador for Beyondblue and Soldier On. He is now patron of the Australian Police Over 35’s Rugby Team, and an Ambassador for Australia Day as well as Kookaburra Kids. Allan is an accomplished international yachtsman and best-selling author of “The Cost of Bravery”.

Dr Phillip Wadds is Senior Lecturer in Criminology at UNSW, Sydney. He has spent the last 15 years engaged in projects concerning the interrelated themes of policing; nightlife/related leisure; alcohol/other drugs; violence; and harm reduction.

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Major projects include the NDLERF funded POINTED and NSW Health funded ACED projects, government funded research evaluating the Take Kare program and the extent of violence, sexual violence and public safety issues at Australian music festivals. He is currently lead Investigator on a City of Sydney funded project looking at best-practice in harm reduction for the music festival sector.

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Dr Wadds is also a recognised expert around public safety and has worked on policy advisory committees around nightlife for the City of Sydney and Randwick City Council and is the inaugural lead assessor for the NSW government’s Purple Flag program.