For 25 years Kerry has worked to evolve the way social change happens in Australia. She has taken up roles as an advocate, an entrepreneur, a capacity builder and a learning partner with people and organisations striving to reshape systems to be more equitable and just.
A lawyer by training, Kerry spent 7 years working for Aboriginal Legal Services – first, as a children’s specialist; and later, as founding solicitor for Australia’s first Youth Drug and Alcohol Court. It was here that she learnt that punitive systems could become therapeutic when re-orientated around people. Inspired by this outcome, Kerry retrained through a Masters in Social Work.
Kerry spent the next 7 years leading youth-focused service delivery organisations and learnt how to scale innovation and reach and grow impact. To hone her organisational leadership skills, Kerry completed a Masters of Management.
Yearning for greater impact across the fragmented social impact field, Kerry co-founded Collaboration for Impact to build capacity in Australia to transform systems. Over the next 10 years Kerry supported communities, corporations, governments, philanthropy and non-profit organisations to deepen their collaborative practice and adopt systemic approaches to the change they were seeking.
Alongside this work, Kerry has taken up several advisory and board roles, including membership of the Australian Social Inclusion Board and the NSW Treasurer’s Advisory Body; and co-founding Just Reinvest NSW.
In her spare time Kerry likes to cook, camp and swim (preferably all in one idyllic weekend!).