Nicole Longley AM – Board President
Member since 2017
Nicole is an experienced executive and strategic leader with more than three decades of service across the public and private sectors. Following the completion of her role with Aspen Medical Pty Ltd, she is undertaking a planned career transition and full-time study. A former Australian Defence Force senior leader with 32 years of service specialising in logistics and training, Nicole brings deep expertise in leadership, strategy and organisational management.
She holds postgraduate qualifications in strategy, management and business. Passionate about service to her community, she continues to serve part time as a Defence reservist and is Chair of the ACT Ministerial Advisory Council for Veterans and their families.
Ewan Perrin – Vice President
Member since 2013
Ewan has more than 30 years’ experience in the IT industry. He has extensive senior executive experience with Commonwealth and state level governments, as well as private sector and international experience.
His areas of focus include IT strategy, business and IT collaboration, and digital inclusion, advocating for our most marginalised and disadvantaged citizens to have equitable access to digital government services. He holds a Master of Business and Bachelor of Business from Charles Sturt University and is an AICD graduate.
Paul Wyles – Member
Member since 2012
Paul has more than 25 years’ experience working as a social worker, manager and senior executive in human service organisations in the government and community sectors. His experience includes work in education and health settings, mental health, youth justice, child protection, out of home care, disability and early intervention. He recently spent two years working for the National Redress Scheme in the Department of Social Services. Paul now works full-time as a PhD Candidate at the Griffith University School of Health Science and Social Work.
Caitlin Stone – Member
Member since 2019
Caitlin is a social worker and passionate about delivering quality services to children, families and the community. Caitlin’s experience includes direct practice, consulting and policy roles in out of home care, gender and family violence, mental health, community development sectors. Caitlin is currently working for the Investment Dialogue for Australia’s Children. Caitlin enjoys balancing operational and strategic elements to solve complex challenges that services, families and communities face.
Jodie Griffiths-Cook Member
Member since 2021
Jodie Griffiths-Cook is the ACT Public Advocate and Children and Young People Commissioner, a position she has held since 2016. With more than 30 years’ experience in human services, Jodie began her career in front-line direct support roles with people with disability and then as a psychologist working with children and young people with complex needs.
She has extensive leadership experience and is driven by a strong commitment to social justice and to advocating for, and pursuing reform that generates cohesive, sustainable and more effective outcomes at both individual and systems levels, especially for those experiencing vulnerability. Jodie is particularly focused on furthering the value of hearing from children and young people about issues that impact them, and on protecting and promoting their rights, safety and wellbeing.
Ramya Balachandren – Member
Member since 2021
Ramya joined the Relationships Australia Canberra & Region Board in 2021 bringing a wealth of knowledge from her experience practicing exclusively in family law since admission. Ramya is originally from Malaysia and moved to Australia to study law at the Australian National University. Ramya is now a Director at Farrar Gesini Dunn, a multi-disciplined national firm with their largest office in Canberra, where she practices family law. She is passionate about both parenting and property matters, but has a keen interest in complex parenting matters, where she navigates the intricacies of family relationships alongside difficult risk issues to provide effective solutions to her clients.
Scott Ellis – Member, Finance Committee Chair
Member since 2013
Scott has been working in private practice for more than 25 years and is one of the principals of Les Ellis & Associates. Scott has worked closely with small and medium enterprises in managing their accounting and taxation affairs. He has also provided an audit service for many small associations. Scott is currently on the board for Missing School Incorporated and acts as an external accountant/advisor for Relationships Australia Incorporated.
Ruby Sellings – Member
Member since 2023
Ruby is a Gunaikurnai woman with experience across the public and private sectors working in Indigenous affairs and social policy. Her work has focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, justice and social systems, including supporting capacity building in remote Aboriginal organisations.
Ruby is passionate about ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and families have agency and equitable access to culturally safe and holistic health and social supports. She brings experience in research, evaluation and policy design, with a focus on using evidence and community perspectives to inform policy development and support continuous improvement in programs and services.
Saad Kahlid – Member
Member since 2023
Saad brings deep expertise in strategic communications, multicultural engagement, and sector leadership in ethnic community media. As a first-generation migrant and multilingual communicator, he brings lived insight and strategic discipline to RACR. He has played a prominent role in strengthening Australia’s multicultural broadcasting landscape, championing in-language media as a vital bridge between services, policy, and culturally diverse communities. His work advances intergenerational social cohesion and ensures migrant voices are represented in mainstream and policy conversations.
He is a Ministerial appointee to the ACT Board of the Medical Board of Australia and serves as a Board Member of the Australian Association for Adolescent Health. Saad was also recognised for his leadership across multicultural and health sectors as a finalist for the 2024 Young Australian of the Year. His work consistently centres on culturally responsive health communication, public trust, and equitable wellbeing outcomes.
Dr Stephanie Hodson CSC PSM – Chief Executive Officer
Member since 2022
Steph is a psychologist with 28 years’ of experience in community and mental health settings and is committed to ensuring appropriate, effective, and compassionate services are available for individuals and their families. She has extensive leadership and management experience of service delivery organisations and utilises evidence based practice and innovative approaches to improving service delivery. She completed her research PhD focusing on the long-term impact of traumatic events. While serving in the Australian Army she was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross in 2008 for outstanding performance supporting ADF operations including enhanced service delivery. In 2021 she was awarded the Australian Public Service Medal for her leadership in the transformation of the Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling service to meet the needs of contemporary military personnel and families.
