Organisations and special interest groups understand that communicating with politicians is one of the most effective forms of achieving results within a government.Understanding the complexity of government at a State and Federal level and knowing the right person to communicate with can be the singular difference towards success.Influence with politicians from both sides of politics takes intelligent, strategic and consistent effort over time to obtain results.At Horizzen we understand this process and have been successful at helping organisations achieve their desired outcomes.

The Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC) is the world's first national $104 million dollars cooperative effort based on autism.It is taking a “whole of Life” approach to autism focusing on diagnosis, education and adult life.Autism is among the most complex, prevalent and heritable of all neurodevelopmental conditions, affecting at least 1 in 100 people. It is a lifelong condition with estimated annual support cost to Australia alone exceeding $7 Billion dollars.Our goal is to ensure that individuals with an ASD:1. Have a definitive diagnosis at an early age that can be coupled with a targeted an early intervention strategy2. Will be educated in an appropriate environment by skilled professionals3. Will be given the best chance to find a meaningful and fulfilling place in society through higher education, employment and better opportunities for long term social relationships.As a director, my responsibilities have included serving on Board Committees including :The Audit, Risk and Finance CommitteeResearch and Development Committee. For a four month period in 2014, I also served in the Managing Director role during the search for a new CEO after the incumbent developed a terminal illness.Our Mission is:To build a self-sustaining, collaborative venture that facilitates world-class research focused on diagnosis and best-practice lifetime interventions, underpinned by a commitment to inclusive research practices and ultimately enhancing the lives of those living with autism

AEIOU Foundation is one of Australia's largest providers of full-time early intervention, delivering a curriculum that is underpinned by evidence-based practices. With eight centres across Queensland and one in Adelaide, AEIOU supports up to 200 pre-school aged children with an autism diagnosis each year.Each AEIOU centre is staffed with full-time specialist early childhood teachers and skilled learning facilitators, with support from speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and behaviour therapists. AEIOU employ's a research and psychology team. AEIOU is also a founding partner of the Griffith University Autism Centre of Excellence (ACE), which has a mission to improve the quality of life for children and adults with autism by supporting learning - from early childhood to education and employment.As one of the founding Directors, I am focused on ensuring the Foundation can continue to deliver its enormously valuable program, which provides 20 hours of intensive intervention each week. I have thoroughly enjoyed contributing at all strategic levels within the organisation including operational support in the Fundraising Directors role.Our daily mission continues - To enhance the lives of children with autism and their families and benefit the community through early intervention learning along with practical and caring support