April Long is an experienced Executive leader from the central coast of New South Wales, Darkinjung Country.
April is passionately committed to ensuring everyone can live a life free of addiction. April’s work is grounded in collaboration, partnerships and working with communities as co-producers of solutions not consumers.
April has lived experience of parental and family addiction. Throughout their career April has worked closely with children and their families impacted by incarceration and has seen the intergenerational impacts of a criminal response to the health issue of addiction.
April is currently a director of the Community Restorative Justice Centre and an Ambassador for the University of New South Wales. April holds a Bachelor of Law and Arts and has worked with some of Australia’s leading not for profits and social enterprises.
April was previously named one of Australia’s top 100 women of influence for their commitment to social change by Australian Financial Review.
April is a previous Director of First Nations Foundation, Director of NSW Lawyers Association Ngalaya and Member of Law Society of NSW Indigenous Legal Issues Committee.
April loves spending time on country connecting with their family.
Brett is an experienced corporate executive, non-executive director, consultant and advisor focused on building businesses in the technology, media and telecommunications sectors. He has broad C-suite experience as Chief Executive Officer of ASX-listed Zimi and Free TV Australia, as well as being a CFO and Corporate Development Director at BAI Communications. At the same time, he has deep consulting and advisory experience as a former PwC Strategy Partner and Senior Advisor at Alvarez and Marsal.
The focus on his work is helping companies deliver innovative strategies to grow both organically and via M&A. Brett has a BA (Hons), MBA, and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Directors. He is on the advisory board of RESULTS Australia, enjoys literature and hiking, and playing golf, badly.
Dr. Victoria Manning is a Professor in Addiction Studies at Monash University and Head of Research and Workforce Development at Turning Point. She has over 25 years of experience as a clinical researcher in addiction treatment services across the UK, Asia, and Australia,
Vic’s research focuses on developing and trialing novel psychological, neurocognitive, and peer-based interventions aimed at improving outcomes for individuals with substance use disorders. Her passion and dedication to peer support and mutual aid is longstanding; having led the UK's first assertive linkage trial for peer-support recovery groups and more recently a Victorian Department of Health study that highlighted the effectiveness of integrating SMART Recovery into addiction treatment.
Vic is a trained SMART Recovery facilitator, running an online support group since early 2020. She is an active member of the Australian Research Advisory Committee and the Global Research Advisory Committee, collaborating with international academics and experts to advance the evidence base on SMART Recovery’s impact.
In her role at Monash University, Vic also oversees the Master’s program in Addictive Behaviours, where she lectures on peer-support. Through her teaching, she works to increase awareness and understanding of SMART Recovery among professionals in the alcohol and drug, as well as mental health, sectors.
Clare has more than 20 years’ experience in providing financial and operational audit, governance and risk advice to Australian and global organisations including major ASX listed companies, public sector departments and the not-for-profit sector. Her most recent role was as a senior partner at Deloitte where she was the Lead Partner of the Australian Risk Services Public Sector and Not-for-Profit industry group. She was a founding Director of the Deloitte Foundation and a recognised advocate of workplace diversity as an executive of the firm’s Inspiring Women program. Clare is the Chair of SMART Recovery Australia’s Finance, Audit, Risk and Remuneration Committee, as well as the Vice Chairperson of SMART Recovery International’s Fundraising Committee.
Clare holds a degree in History and Philosophy (BA Hons), is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, studied post graduate accounting at the University of Technology Sydney and is a Certified Internal Auditor.
Currently, Clare’s focus is using her skills to make a community contribution. She is also a Director of the Tasmanian Land Conservancy and Treasurer of the Australian Watercolour Institute.
Jeff has a history with various strands – sound engineering, health science, academic research, and educational leadership - combined with lived experience of addiction and ongoing recovery with its elements of self-directed change, support structuring, and reflexivity.
Jeff has volunteered for needle exchanges, sex worker collectives, and hepatitis C support groups and collaborates with people who have been stigmatised and marginalised because of lifestyle, health status, or choice of income stream. He looks forward to working with the SMART Recovery board and contributing to the secular, experiential, evidence-based approach emphasising advocacy, support, and destigmatisation.
Having been a heavy but high functioning drinker since her teens Faye wound up in inpatient detox in late 2017 after the wheels really fell off. Determined not to let her sobriety ruin her social life she founded Untoxicated, now Australia’s largest alcohol-free social community.
She is a TEDx speaker, co-author, and has featured widely across national media with a mission to normalise living with less or no alcohol in a culture that reveres it. With a lifelong fascination in human behaviour, she holds a degree in psychology, is a certified Grey Area Drinking coach and trained SMART Recovery facilitator and is currently undertaking a Master of Counselling.
A portfolio careerist, she’s also a marketing, communications, and engagement consultant and has worked with disability, mental health, and community service organisations across Australia.
Faye is passionate about using her lived experience of intergenerational addiction – both alcohol and drugs - to advocate for the reduction of stigma and increase inclusion and belonging. The loves of her life are her two adult daughters, the ocean and her badly behaved Bengal cat.
Tania is the Director of Avertis Consulting, providing management consulting to the health and human service sectors. Tania has over 30 years’ experience working in health and mental health across three Australian states in clinical, training, management and senior executive positions. Her most recent roles were Deputy Commissioner for the Mental Health Commission of NSW and Director of Clinical Services and Programs for the Mental Health Branch, NSW Ministry of Health.
Tania originally trained as an Occupational Therapist and has a master’s degree in Health Services Management (Planning). She is passionate about influencing strategy, policy and practice to help people impacted by health issues and social disadvantage to achieve their goals and live the lives they hope for. She enjoys bushwalking, ceramics and cooking for family and friends.
Shaun Fisher is a proud Mununjali and Goorenpul man. He owns and operates Fisher's Oysters and works part-time as the First Nations Engagement Worker at the Brisbane Recovery Service of the Salvation Army.
He is passionate about driving change within his community, particularly around alcohol and other drug (AOD) issues. His goal is to create pathways for healing, culturally safe spaces, and a First Nations addiction retreat for his people.
Having grown up facing these challenges daily and having attempted rehab himself multiple times, he believes that his personal experiences give him a deep understanding of the need for change. He looks forward to the opportunities this journey will bring for the future of his people.
With over 25 years of extensive experience in the public service and community sectors, Gary has dedicated his career to supporting vulnerable populations and fostering innovation in service delivery. He has held senior executive positions in the NSW Department of Communities and Justice, Family and Community Services, and NSW Police. Previously, he served as the CEO of JewishCare NSW, focusing on the provision of critical services for members of the Jewish community.
As Chief Executive Officer at ReachOut Australia, Gary is at the forefront of advancing digital mental health initiatives that empower young people on their mental health journeys. He leads the organization with a commitment to maximizing impact, ensuring sustainable resources, and enhancing collaborations with sector partners and funders. Gary is a staunch advocate for the belief that access to confidential and supportive resources is a fundamental right for all individuals facing life’s challenges.
He holds a degree in Policing and postgraduate qualifications in Crime Prevention and Criminology from Charles Sturt University. Additionally, he is a credentialed member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a fellow of the Australian New Zealand Executive Leadership School of Government.
With a passion for mental health awareness and innovation, Gary is dedicated to developing and implementing strategies that improve accessibility to vital mental health support, ensuring that ReachOut remains a leading resource for young Australians as they navigate their paths to thriving.
Shayan is a Senior Finance Manager at AustralianSuper, Australia’s largest super fund with the purpose to help members achieve their best financial position in retirement. Prior to his role at AustralianSuper, Shayan was an Audit Director at EY where he spent over 13 years providing financial and regulatory assurance services to financial services clients in Australia and the USA.
He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Corporate Finance) degree from the University of Adelaide and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. Shayan is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Shayan is a Board Director of SHINE SA, and is a member of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committees of several SA-based not-for-profit organisations.He is a passionate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion advocate, particularly interested in intersectionality. Shayan is a long-time volunteer surf lifesaver, and trains and assesses various surf lifesaving qualifications.
Associate Professor Peter Kelly is a Senior Lecturer and Cancer Institute NSW Early Career Research Fellow based in the School of Psychology, University of Wollongong. He is a registered Clinical Psychologist and has been awarded membership of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) College of Clinical Psychologists. He has extensive clinical and research experience working with individuals diagnosed with severe mental illness and substance abuse problems.
Assoc. Prof. Kelly’s research is focused on cardiovascular disease and cancer prevention in disadvantaged and marginalised populations. He holds a number of research grants and consultancies supporting this work. His program of research is particularly focused on developing and trailing multiple health behaviour change interventions for at-risk population groups (i.e. mental health and substance abuse populations, Indigenous Australians). These interventions tend to focus on reducing smoking, improving diet and promoting physical activity.
He has published over 30 peer reviewed journal articles or book chapters, with the majority of this work focused on the non-government sector. Prior to completing his PhD, Assoc. Prof. Kelly was employed as the Chief Executive Officer at Kedesh Rehabilitation Services. Kedesh is a large organisation that provides both residential and outpatient treatment for individuals diagnosed with substance abuse problems and co-occurring mental illness.
Dan is our National Engagement and Membership Manager and has been at SMART since 2016. Dan is passionate about collaborating with a diverse range of organisational partners to implement SMART effectively and has successfully trained over 1000 facilitators across Australia, New Zealand, and worldwide. His extensive experience in addiction work is grounded in both personal lived experience of recovery and a robust professional background, spanning over 30 years. He has earned an Honours degree in Addiction Studies, complemented by Diplomas in Integrated Counseling and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a certificate in Community Mental Health and is currently pursuing studies in business.
Dan has worked within numerous not-for-profits at the coal face and also in leadership positions within the addiction, homelessness, and mental health sectors in Australia and Scotland. Be is also currently serving on the Board of Directors for a Queensland-based organisation Silky Oaks Children's Haven. His overarching passion revolves around challenging the stigma associated with addictive behaviours and through an unwavering dedication to training, education, and promoting self-empowerment, Dan's energy derives from support organisations and individuals to harness SMART Recovery in impactful ways, fostering life-long change.
D’Anne is a Chartered Accountant and hands-on CFO with more than 20 years’ experience and a passion for providing transformative leadership in large and growing organisations. While the core focus of her roles has been finance, she often gravitates towards roles which include a considerable Human Resources & Operational Process Improvements element.
D’Anne commenced her career with Deloitte where she worked for 9 years in their Corporate Tax and Insolvency Divisions. She has worked with various not-for-profits in varying capacities for the last 20 years and is passionately committed to supporting people who have suffered from Addiction, Sexual Abuse and Domestic Violence. D’Anne currently serves on the Board of Impact for Women.
D’Anne loves to spend time with her puppy and son.
Sal dreamt of being Australia’s first female fighter jet pilot. Luckily, she didn’t grow tall enough before her morals properly developed. A brief but brilliant career as an opera singer followed before illness stole her voice in tragically operatic fashion.
A Trusts and Foundations specialist, she has over 15 years’ experience managing and developing complex philanthropic portfolios for some of Australia’s most significant performing arts, social justice, education, and medical research institutions including the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, SHINE for Kids, Story Factory, Children's Hospital Foundation and SMART Recovery Australia.
An advocate for ethical fundraising and social responsibility, she has a fierce commitment to cultivating genuine and transparent funding alignments to avoid mission drift, support maximum grant impact and outcomes for recipients, and encourage financial and operational sustainability for all stakeholders. This, combined with her passion for building strong, genuine relationships with both funders and recipients and her dedication to inclusive measurement and evaluation design, has contributed to her ongoing success.
As a freelancer, Sal has worked with a global clientele to deliver government grants and tenders, copywriting, blog and web design, SEO, and more. Clients range from independent theatre companies like Red Line Productions and Defence consultancies to multinationals such as Pearson Education and AreaTen. She is deeply connected throughout the philanthropic sector, having also worked with Philanthropy Australia.
Sal is also a massive nerd, possessing an unyielding belief that data drives demand and delivery and that a well-managed (and used!) CRM is one of the most important resources an organisation can have. With a high degree of IT literacy, she has competencies across multiple platforms, relational databases and operating systems with CRM expertise including Tessitura, Better Impact, Raiser’s Edge, Blackbaud and Salesforce. Sal has managed two CRM scoping and migration projects and functioned as database administrator and conference delegate at multiple organisations.
Erin is an passionate people leader with 20 years experience in the corporate technology space. In 2023 Erin commenced a purposeful journey towards a career with meaningful social impact. This landed her at SMART Recovery Australia, an organisation whose science-based approach is strongly aligned with her personal values. Erin enjoys the challenge of harnessing technology to support efficient and effective business processes, and is a strong believer in authentic, compassionate and collaborative leadership.
Erin has a Bachelor in Media, and is currently undertaking a postgraduate degree in Indigenous Cultural Competency. She was awarded the Qantas First Nations Ally Champion of the Year for her efforts in supporting reconciliation, truth-telling, and allyship within her local community and beyond.
Erin is also a mermaid, a volunteer, a bakery enthusiast and a lover of exploring this beautiful land we call Australia.
Professor Leanne Hides is a clinical psychologist with clinical and research expertise in the assessment and treatment of primary and co-occurring substance use disorders in young people. She also has worked extensively in youth mental health. She is an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship holder at the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI), Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Leanne is also the Deputy Director of the Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research (CYSAR), the only youth-focused research center of its kind in Australia. Leanne has developed brief and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) interventions for substance use and comorbid mental health issues in young people and has led over ten clinical trials on these interventions.
Leanne also develops web and mobile app based interventions and is the QUT project leader of a major project in the Young and Well Collaborative Research Centre developing Etools for enhancing the mental health and wellbeing of young people.
Dr Alison Beck is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of Psychology, University of Wollongong and the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence on Meaningful Outcomes in Substance use treatments.
She previously held a University of Wollongong COVID-impacted Emerging Research Leaders (CERL) Fellowship (2022). Dr Beck has spent most of her career working part-time in research and part-time in clinical practice. She is a registered Clinical Psychologist, Chair of the RAC, Member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) and Fellow of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists. Her work is focused on improving treatment in the alcohol and other drug sector. She has a special interest in mutual-help groups and treatment fidelity. Dr Beck’s work bridges psychology, psychiatry and addiction science and involves quantitative and qualitative methods. She has presented to Australian and International audiences across a range of conferences and invited presentations and has published in journals that cater to a variety of disciplines including medicine, nursing, psychology, psychiatry and public health. Through her supervision of students and role as a peer reviewer for leading psychology, psychiatry, addiction and e-health journals Dr Beck is committed to creating a culture of research excellence and continuous improvement. She is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the 2023 Kyp Kypri Early Career Researcher Award from The Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs and the 2024 SMART Recovery Science award from SMART Recovery USA.
PhD, BSc (Psych) (Hons) – Briony Larance is an NHMRC Australian Public Health Early Career Fellowship recipient and has worked at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), Faculty of Medicine, UNSW, since 2004.
Her research interests include opioid dependence, opioid substitution therapy and pharmaceutical opioids. Her research focuses on understanding the trajectories and health consequences of pharmaceutical opioid use among diverse populations, including chronic pain patients and people who are opioid dependent and/or inject drugs. She has been involved in epidemiological and clinical studies utilising a range of methods, including randomised-controlled trials, post-marketing surveillance studies, analyses of linked administrative data and cohort studies.
Current research projects include a large cohort study of patients being prescribed opioids for non-cancer pain; post-marketing surveillance studies of a tamper-resistant formulation of oxycodone; piloting interventions to improve the treatment of pain and the prescribing of pharmaceutical opioids in general practice; and a multi-site collaboration examining the pharmacoepidemiology of opioid use in Australia.
Dr Kristen McCarter is a Lecturer in the School of Psychological Sciences, University of Newcastle. She is a registered Clinical Psychologist and has been awarded membership of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) College of Clinical Psychologists. Kristen has both clinical and research experience working with individuals who experience substance use problems.
Dr McCarter’s research is focused on the co-occurrence of mental health and substance use issues. Her program of research is focused on trialling psychological interventions for these co-occurring conditions for priority populations (e.g., people who experience severe mental illness). She recently coordinated a multi-site NHMRC funded trial of Quitline support for tobacco treatment in people experiencing severe mental illness. Kristen also led the initial development research into adapting SMART Recovery for young people in Australia, resulting in a qualitative paper exploring the perspectives of young people and SMART facilitators.
Dr Katinka van de Ven is an internationally recognised expert in alcohol and other drugs, with a distinctive focus on client centred care, service improvement, program evaluation, harm reduction and alcohol and other drug policy. She is currently a Principal Consultant at 360Edge and the Research Manager at Hello Sunday Morning. She also serves as a Research Advisor to SMART Recovery Australia and is a Visiting Fellow at the Drug Policy Modelling Program (DPMP), University of New South Wales.
Katinka is the Founder and Director of the Human Enhancement Drugs Network and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Performance Enhancement & Health, where she has led the journal to Q1 status and helped establish its inaugural impact factor. She brings over a decade of experience working across academic, clinical, policy and community sectors—partnering with government departments, alcohol and other drugs services, health networks and lived experience organisations. Her research spans diverse areas including harm reduction, drug treatment systems, workforce development, consumer centred care and outcome measurement. She is particularly passionate about improving services for people who use non medical anabolic-androgenic steroids and other enhancement substances. A key output of this work is the widely endorsed GP Guide to harm minimisation for PIED use, supported by the NSW Ministry of Health.
Katinka holds a PhD in Criminology and has published extensively across leading journals and media platforms. Her work is driven by a commitment to evidence based practice, health equity and capacity building within the alcohol and other drugs sector. You can follow Katinka via LinkedIn.
Professor Anthony Shakeshaft’s expertise is in health services research and public health. He is currently Professor of Indigenous health services research at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, University of Queensland.
His primary interest is in partnering with health services, communities and governments to co-design, implement and evaluate the impact of services that are both best-evidence and highly adaptable to the characteristics of different service delivery ecosystems. He is interested in the development of research methods and processes that can be embedded into the routine delivery of services, with the aim of improving client and population-level outcomes in close to real-time. He has a particular focus on engaging with Indigenous services and developing Indigenous research capacity through active support of Indigenous higher degree researchers.
Professor Shakeshaft has previously been Deputy Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at the University of NSW, and a Visiting Research Fellow at the Universities of London, Verona, Nijmegen, British Columbia, James Cook and Newcastle. He served on the Council of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for the 2012-2015 triennium, was the International Assessor for the establishment of Scotland’s Drug Research Network Collaboration, was a member of the Executive Committee for the Drug and Alcohol Network of the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation, and a member of the Expert Advisory Network for the NSW Government’s Family and Community Services.
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Grants and Partnerships Manager
Cassandra is an experienced grants and partnerships manager who has been with SMART since 2022 and has nearly a decade of experience working in the non-profit and university sector. Her ability to secure funding and establish strategic collaborations has been instrumental in supporting the growth and impact of various initiatives.
She is dedicated to helping people and is driven by a genuine desire to make a positive difference in their lives.
With a PhD in Ancient History, specializing in pre-Islamic Bedouin from Macquarie University, Cassandra brings a unique perspective to her work. Her deep understanding of historical cultures and societies allows her to approach challenges with a broad and insightful mindset. Additionally, she holds a Masters of Journalism and Communications from the University of New South Wales, enabling her to effectively communicate and advocate for the causes she is passionate about.
Outside of her professional pursuits, Cassandra enjoys appearing on quiz shows and is Director for a transgender youth charity which reflects her commitment to fostering inclusivity and supporting marginalized communities.
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Sally has a Masters in Psychology and worked for many years as a rehabilitation psychologist both in the UK and in Australia. She is fascinated by the brain and body connection and passionate about helping empower people to gain control over their lives. She has extensive training in meditation, mindfulness and neuroscience in addition to brain-mapping and neuro-feedback therapy.
In 2014 Sally trained with Dr Joe Dispenza, best-selling author and international speaker, and is a certified trainer of his work. Through assisting at his 2000+ participant events around the world, teaching WellBeing and Brain Health workshops in schools around Australia and facilitating Organisational Change workshops, Sally has a wealth of training experience with tools and strategies that help equip people with the power to change. She is passionate about the SMART programme and its ability to help change lives, and relishes the opportunity to help it to reach as many people as possible.