Leadership Team 

Priya Chandra 

Chairperson

Priya Chandra has over 20 years’ experience as an officer in the Royal Australian Navy and is the founder of a consultancy specialising in helping small businesses go digital. Priya served two deployments in the Middle East and worked in many different areas including marketing; communications and public affairs; information technology; human resources; and risk and governance.  Born in India and brought up in Adelaide, Priya has lived and worked in nearly every State and Territory, as well as in the UK. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is studying for a Master in Strategic People Management.

Dr Helen Hickson

Treasurer

Dr Helen Hickson is a Researcher and accredited Social Worker. She has worked internationally and has a long-standing interest in sustainable and healthy rural communities. Her interests include health workforce planning, community recovery after disaster, and community health and wellbeing. Helen is a Graduate of the AICD Company Director's Course and holds Board Director roles, where she contributes skills in stakeholder engagement, strategy and planning, and risk management. 

Erin Broben

Board Member

Erin fell in love with volunteering for non-profits in her first year studying at LaTrobe University Bendigo in 2003, when she started volunteering at events for the Bendigo Student Association. Erin moved on from this to become a member of the Board of the Bendigo Student Association and has since been a passionate volunteer, committee and board member for numerous non-profit organisations across Bendigo. Erin is a voice for social change and is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Community Development, while also working in the youth mental health sector.  

Andie West 

Board Member

A solid foundation was established for Andie, after completing her tertiary studies with a focus on psychology, sociology and women’s studies. With 25 years’ experience working in the sector, Andie’s passion for working with vulnerable families and children began as a Foster Care worker in Shepparton, Victoria.   It was in this case management position she realised her place was working directly with children who had been exposed to trauma, rather than referring on to specialist services. Andie has held positions with Centre Against Sexual Assault (Bendigo), Bendigo Community Health Services and EASE (now the Centre for Non-Violence.  Andie also established her own Equine Assisted Therapy program, to provide counselling and experiential learning opportunities for those who had experience significant trauma.  Andie is currently Manager Community Services for the City of Greater Bendigo.

Dr Grace Brown

Board Member

Grace has qualifications (including a PhD) in social work. She moved to Central Victoria about 20 years ago to take a break from social work and to escape the city. After establishing businesses in hospitality and tourism, Grace moved into social work academia and now works in her business as an academic consultant. Grace is passionate about the work undertaken by CNV and has been a member of the CNV board for much of the past 20 years. She is committed to ensuring women’s voices are heard in the tertiary education sector. 

Amy Holmes

Board Member

After many years committed to providing one to one health and wellbeing services, Amy realised that her passion was to support community more broadly. Returning to university she studied public health and transitioned her career into the community health sector. Holding positions with Bendigo Loddon Primary Care Partnership, City of Greater Bendigo, and Loddon Shire Council, Amy has experienced a variety of public health and community service portfolios. Her most recent position is at Macedon Ranges Shire Council as Manager Community Strengthening.

Amy is looking forward to utilising her skills and experience as Board Member for the Centre for Non-Violence, to contribute to the empowerment of women, their safety, and a violence free world.

Emily Pearson 

Board Member

Emily combines experience at the school and systems level to lead meaningful change towards equity, such that all Australian children can live a life of choice and contribution.

Emily’s career has focused on improving education outcomes for vulnerable Australians. Emily has experience in organisation leadership, strategy and operations, and social impact evaluation. Emily is a Principal Researcher at the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO), leading policy and research projects on school improvement.

Emily has previously worked as an Assistant Principal - Director of Operations at a large school in Melbourne's outer west and as the Head of Strategy and Impact at an education not-for-profit. Emily is an Alumna of Teach For Australia's Leadership Development Program. Emily holds a Bachelor of Science, Post Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Master of Evaluation.

Emma Doherty

Board Member

Emma is a purpose-driven leader and works in the family violence sector leading strategic organisational projects.

She is passionate about creating a gender-equal world and advocating for change and is driven to work with communities to alleviate them from disadvantage, oppression, and injustice. Emma believes in challenging the systems and structures that disempower, target, and marginalise communities, and it’s this drive that has led her to join the board and Centre for Non-Violence.

Emma is a member of the Australian Institute of Project Management and is currently completing her Graduate Certificate in Social Impact.

Meegan Stanley

Board Member

Meegan started her professional career eighteen years ago building her skills in the recruitment and business development industry. Meegan has been working in the not-for-profit sector for the past decade.

Meegan has specialised working alongside people who have experienced complex trauma, with a particular focus on sexual violence. Meegan is motivated to influence systemic change in this sector to ensure victim/survivors voices are heard and perpetrators are held to account to reduce re-offending and further victimisation.

Meegan has vast managerial experience, leading therapeutic teams and being part of executive management groups with a focus on innovation, growth and sustainable partnerships. Meegan values education and ongoing opportunities for learning having completed two psychology degrees and a master’s degree in clinical family therapy.

Tonye Segbedzi 

Board Member

Tonye is passionate about social justice and has 30 years’ experience in the legal and social policy sectors, including roles at Victoria Legal Aid, Department of Human Services and Australian Association of Gerontology. Her qualifications include Bachelors of Arts and Law, Graduate Certificate in Management and Master of Policy.

In 2014 Tonye was awarded a Victorian Women’s Governance Scholarship which enabled her to complete the Australian Institute of Company Directors course. Since then she has served on several not-for-profit boards, including Uniting Care Werribee, Flemington-Kensington Community Legal Centre and Women’s Health West.

Tonye moved to central Victoria in 2020, and proudly identifies as a person of colour and member of the LGBTIQA+ community.

Margaret Augerinos

Chief Executive Officer

Margaret Augerinos (B.SW) is a qualified Social Worker who has been working in the not-for-profit community services sector for the last 30 years.  Margaret has worked in many different settings including family counselling, community health, community legal services, and advocacy and rights organisations.

Margaret has served on a number of Boards and Committees over the years and is presently the Victorian representative on WESNET (Women’s Services Network - Australian Women’s Domestic and Family Violence peak), a board member of Homelessness Australia, an Executive Member of the Australian Women Against Violence Alliance and is on the Interim Board of the Global Network of Women’s Shelters.

Margaret has presented at many conferences nationally and internationally and has presented at side and parallel events at a number of sessions of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

Margaret is a passionate supporter of human rights and in ending gender-based violence against women.

Robyn Trainor

Senior Manager Strategic Projects

Robyn is a qualified social worker who brings a strong research and policy focus to her work.  She is committed to social work and social change, using research, evaluation and evidence to demonstrate the social impact of CNV’s work.

She has previous experience working at CNV in the role of General Manager - Prevention and Development and the Regional Integration Coordinator (Loddon Campaspe) to improve family violence service and system responses. Prior to working with CNV, Robyn was a Lecturer and Seminar Leader within Social Work Education and Education Curriculum at La Trobe University (Bendigo).

Yvette Jaczina 

Executive Manager

Yvette is instrumental in establishing strong partnerships, delivery of services and practices that deliver positive outcomes for service users and the broader community, in line with the CNV strategic plan and feminist philosophy.  Starting her career as a social worker, Yvette has been working in the community sector since 2000.  Since then she has held senior strategic leadership positions in mental health, homelessness, youth services and family services.  She has a strong commitment to women’s and children’s safety and to women’s empowerment. 

Cate Moloney 

Senior Manager Intervention Programs

Cate is the Senior Program Manager for Outreach services in the Client Services Program at Centre for Non-Violence. Cate has been part of the Centre for Non-Violence’s journey for 17 years.

In 2014 Cate returned to study and completed the Graduate Certificate in Social Science in Male Family Violence, to support the work of the Centre for Non-Violence Men’s Behaviour Change Program.

Heather Paterson 

Senior Manager Partnerships and Service Development

Heather brings more than 25 years of experience to Centre for Non-Violence.  Responsible for the development of relationships and partnerships with other organisations and individuals, Heather supports these relationships to strengthen and extend the scope and capacity of CNV to undertake its work and meet its strategic objectives.

Heather’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Social Science, Graduate Diploma of Criminology and Master of Criminology.

Lauren Davies

Executive Manager

Lauren’s responsibilities include leading the Corporate Services team, driving corporate services strategy, executing purposeful and targeted outcomes that reflect CNV vision, streamlining and integrating corporate processes and systems, and developing robust integrated management frameworks.

Lauren has significant leadership and management experience with more than 26 years in senior leadership roles within the Not-for-profit sector.  She has Diplomas in Financial Services, Human Resource Management and Management.

Karen Andrews

People and Culture Manager 

Karen is responsible for overseeing the human resources, IT and wellbeing portfolios.  After working in Human Resources leadership roles during the past 20 years and as a HR Consultant for the last 7, Karen brings an expertise in leading and mentoring people, and HR governance.  Karen has a love for painting, and you will find her either in the garden or working on a creative project in her spare time.