Scott Brunelle (he/him) is a founding Board CoChair of Rainbow Families, a charity focused on reducing the discrimination and disadvantage faced by children with LGBTQ+ parents. Scott’s interest in family diversity education began in 2011 as the coordinator of Gay Dads NSW. Formerly a private sector marketing and business development leader for 20 years, both in the USA and Australia, Scott transitioned into the early childhood educator sector in 2021. In addition to being a qualified educator, Scott has a Graduate Certificate in Marketing and a Master of Commerce (Marketing) from the University of Sydney. 

Dr Rachel Chapman is an academic in early childhood education at Melbourne Polytechnic. Her research areas include gender, sexuality, early childhood, diversity, inclusion, policy and teacher practice. She has over 18 years of experience teaching, lecturing and researching in the early childhood sector.

Anna is a registered Play Therapist helping children impacted by trauma. She works full-time for Bill Crews Foundation, which address the cause and effect of homelessness and poverty. The Foundation has specialised Play Therapy rooms in Ashfield and at the Summer Hill Children’s Centre in Sydney. Previously, Anna was a Clinical Manager of a play therapy charity in Sydney. She practiced Play Therapy for many years in large, culturally diverse, nursery, primary and high schools in socially deprived parts of London. 

Helen is responsible for leading the national to local strategy for the National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health. She has a vast knowledge of Health and Community Services with a combination of over 30 years management experience, identifying service gaps and developing community partnerships advocating for ‘joined up solutions to local issues’. Helen has extensive experience in child and family mental health, training and development, action research, community consultation, community development and capacity building initiatives, and ‘lived experience’ engagement in the process of co-design. 

Marly Greenwood (she/her) has worked as a teacher and director in the ECEC sector for over 20 years. She is also a long-time volunteer with Rainbow Families. Marly and her family have personally faced numerous challenges with ECEC services and their children’s primary school because of their family structure. These experiences prompted Marly to volunteer her time to provide training and information sessions to ECEC and primary educators. Marly continues to work in the early childhood sector. 

Nancy was born in Darwin on Larrakia Country and is a proud Woolwonga descendant. Nancy works at Emerging Minds Australia as an Advisor in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social and Emotional Wellbeing Portfolio, Partnerships and Implementation team.  

Nancy believes in the power of education. She is passionate about change for her people and keen to see the next generation of Indigenous children succeed and become leaders within all our communities. Nancy finds that, in working together with others, we have the capacity to make a real difference.

Meni has worked in the early childhood education sector for 35 years. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology (UNSW) and has worked in various multicultural children’s services positions under the Commonwealth Inclusion Support strategy, including co-ordinating Sups Programs and managing the NSW Bicultural Support Program. She is an early childhood author, resource developer and trainer on cultural inclusion. In addition, Meni is a CALD representative, adviser and consultant on various platforms. 
Meni currently co-manages a multicultural consultancy program called Diversity Kids and has a strong passion for cultural inclusive practice, bilingualism, and embedding cultural perspectives in education and care settings. Her goal is to provide support and resources to the sector, to ensure that early childhood education services are multicultural places where children’s cultures and languages are recognised, valued and reflected and spaces where all children are, and feel included. 

Lou is a proud Anangu Father with Pitjantjatjara connections to Docker River and Mutitjulu Communities, with Stolen Generations history in his family. As a Pitjantjatjara man, also with Indonesian and Scottish heritage, Lou is guided by experiences of growing up between cultures, families and environments. Exposure to this diversity has informed Lou’s identity and forms the foundation to how he lives and engages with the communities he has had the honour and privilege of living and working amongst. 

Lou is committed to a journey of ‘walking in two worlds’ (navigating and engaging between First Nations and mainstream communities), seeking solutions with others to promote and realise intergenerational healing opportunities for now and future generations.

Lou is driven by cultural obligations to be actively engaged in a collective healing process that reconciles past history and builds relationships between people based upon values of reciprocity, respect and unity, and honouring the voices of people with lived experience. Lou endeavours to show kindness and compassion to where individuals are at on their own journeys of understanding.

The recording will be made available to ticket holders via email within 1 week of the event. The recording will remain available to view until Wednesday, 22 March.

A survey will be sent out after the event to gather attendee details. Details will need to be completed for a certificate to be issued. All certificates will be sent by email before Wednesday 29 March.