Presenters and Facilitators

Matthew's career spans 40 years in the information technology, education, and international development sectors. He has worked in academic, commercial, and not-for-profit sectors, and has worked, taught, served and lead geographically dispersed teams in Australia, the USA, South-East Asia and southern Africa.

Operating within the Anabaptist peace tradition, Matthew has worked in conflict resolution, advocacy, grass-roots community development, and supported the work of justice and restoration particularly in the areas of modern slavery (aka human trafficking) and poverty.

Matthew is the Principal Researcher for the Freedom Keys Research Project, which seeks to generate and test innovative ideas for reducing human trafficking. Along with his wife Bella, he is the co-founder of Turning Teardrops into Joy, and author of the books Scattering Church and Disrupting Mercy.

Matthew is a Research Scholar with the Global Association of Human Trafficking Researchers, a Senior Member of the Australian Computer Society, and the President of the Anabaptist Association of Australia and New Zealand.

Sandra is Creative Lead for The Forgiveness Project (TFP), working alongside its founder Marina Cantacuzino in collaborative leadership. She has worked for over 14 years: leading and managing TFP’s prison programme RESTORE, creating video podcasts with storytellers exploring the place of shame and its connection to self-forgiveness, and developing an online immersive course with Marina exploring the transformative power of storytelling for a global community. 

Sandra’s extensive experience facilitating group processes and using creative approaches to explore trauma and pain led her to question and investigate with colleagues the critical place of shame, and its impact on how we see ourselves and others.

In 2018 she undertook a joint research fellowship with Ruth Chitty under The Griffins Society/Cambridge University to investigate explicitly how shame impacts the behaviours of women of lived experience of prison. The findings from this research revealed how vital the inner life force, and resourcefulness of women’s ability to make meaning from their shame supported their survival. This research identified an essential need for training to be implemented by TFP to support practitioners to develop a Shame Informed approach in their practice. Sandra and colleagues developed this training to be facilitated online and face to face with prison officers and clinical teams in HMP Eastwood Park prison estate (UK). At present Sandra is in the process of exploring how this training can be rolled out systemically across the whole prison community. 

Alongside this, as a dance artist, Sandra undertook master’s studies in 2019 at the Trinity of Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, exploring the embodiment of shame and resilience as a practice of research. She is at present developing a collaborative research model with other dance artists to explore the Art of Social Injustice as a living lament in the world. 

Bronwyn has completed 44 successful years in the education sector. The majority of her career has been working with students with a disability. She has a particular interest in supporting schools to become trauma informed, having been Principal of a school for students with PTSD, Depression, Anxiety and ASD.

In her role as school Principal, Bronwyn led the implementation of Collaborative and Proactive Solutions, an evidenced based, trauma-informed, neuro-affirming approach to working with children and young people with social, emotional and behavioural challenges. This model puts the young person as a proactive partner in finding a solution rather making the solution for them without them. 

Bronwyn is now studying to be a mindfulness meditation teacher and is founder of BronTee: breathe, believe, be.

Lily Mailler is a registered psychologist whose work as a therapist is informed by her rich work and life experience as well as her continued efforts to apply a Family Systems lens to her personal and professional life. Lily is originally from Peru and speaks fluent Spanish.

Over the past 30 plus years Lily has worked with individuals, couples, and families in a wide variety of contexts including community health settings, relationship agencies, and residential care facilities for women and children at risk. She has been involved in projects addressing issues in mental health such as schizophrenia, domestic violence, anger management as well as parenting education.

Lily has been a proponent of Bowen Family Systems Theory since 1999, and runs a private psychology practice in the northern beaches of Sydney.

Nathan is Head of First Peoples Strategy and Engagement, Uniting Church Synod of NSW and the ACT. An Aboriginal man of Anaiwon and Gomeroi heritage, Nathan has spent most of his life in Sydney on Gadigal, Dharawal and Darug country.

Nathan has a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Jurisprudence degrees from the University of NSW, a Graduate Certificate in Public Sector Management from Macquarie University, and is currently completing a Graduate Diploma in Theological Studies at the United Theological College.

Nathan has worked with Government agencies such as the NSW Ombudsman’s Office, the ICAC, the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board, and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, and also in senior leadership and executive roles in the Corporate, University and Community sectors. Nathan is a passionate advocate for the rights and interests of Aboriginal peoples and communities, and has extensive community engagement experience.

More recently, Nathan has worked for Uniting NSW/ACT as a Church Engagement Leader supporting the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC), and as the Aboriginal Community Engagement and Partnership Specialist with the Aboriginal Strategy and Engagement Unit of Uniting. In 2020 Nathan joined the Uniting Church Synod of NSW, and in his current role of Head of First Peoples Strategy and Engagement he leads the Synod’s strategy and engagement work with First Peoples.