Our staff
Olivia Nguy
Director
Olivia commenced as the Director of the Foundation in January 2023, providing executive leadership and delivering on strategic development and governance of the Foundation. She is a passionate advocate and executive leader focused on systemically improving social justice and wellbeing outcomes for individuals and communities. Drawing upon her qualifications in social work, social policy and business, Olivia brings to the Foundation a wealth of senior and executive leadership experience across for-purpose organisations. Immediately prior to joining the Foundation, Olivia was Chief Executive Officer of Detour House, where she led the delivery of crisis accommodation, outreach and alcohol and other drug residential services for women and girls experiencing homelessness. Olivia has also held leadership positions at Western Sydney MRC and Australian Red Cross, focused on program delivery and community development initiatives centred on improving outcomes for refugees and people seeking asylum in Australia. In her capacity as Director of the Foundation, Olivia has a strong interest in generating effective cross-sector collaboration across the judicial, legal assistance and human service sectors, and in exploring innovative and practical strategies to enhance community capability in responding to their legal issues, towards improved justice outcomes for the NSW community.
Dr Kate Davies
Research Director
Kate joined the Foundation as Research Director in August 2024. Kate is passionate about the power of rigorous and robust research to shape more socially just and equitable systems. She holds a PhD in sociology, Master of Public Policy and Management, and Graduate Certificate in Alcohol and Other Drugs. Her research has explored topics related to homelessness, mental health, disability, child protection and youth justice, using a range of mixed methods, participatory and creative methodologies. Kate has worked throughout the Asia Pacific region in research and community development roles and was previously the Policy and Research Director at Homelessness NSW. She is currently a Conjoint Senior Lecturer at the University of Newcastle. Kate is active in social justice issues in her local community, including as a Board member for homelessness organisations.
Delphine Bellerose
Principal Researcher
Dr Kerryn Butler
Principal Researcher
Dr Emily Kothe
Senior Researcher
Dr Ivy Vuong
Researcher
Katya Eagles
Research Assistant
Maeve Redmond
Communications Manager
Delphine Bellerose
Principal Researcher
Delphine joined the Foundation in 2017 on completion of her previous research on children’s rights in the digital age at the Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University and her contribution to UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children 2017 report. Born and educated in France, her research career spans across different sectors, including telecommunication and health, in Ireland and Australia. Initially focusing on political studies, her subsequent methodological training has included both advanced qualitative and quantitative studies. She is experienced in survey design and analysis, workshop design, research synthesis, policy analysis and research management.
Dr Kerryn Butler
Principal Researcher
Kerryn joined the Foundation in early 2020 from a distinguished career in public health examining the social and public health implications of access to services, particularly for vulnerable populations. She was previously lead researcher of a state-wide evaluation of the Drug and Alcohol Hospital Consultation Liaison service. Her many skills include national surveillance survey design and analysis, research design including evaluation, randomised controlled studies/trials, and mixed methods studies. Kerryn also has extensive experience in research management, project management; and student mentoring.
Dr Emily Kothe
Senior Researcher
Emily Kothe joined the Foundation as a Senior Researcher in 2023. With 15 years of scholarly experience under her belt, Emily was previously affiliated with Deakin University’s School of Psychology as a Senior Lecturer and a key contributor to their Data Science Unit. Her research has spanned diverse sectors including mental and physical health, education and environmental studies. Well-versed in both qualitative and quantitative research methods, she has extensive experience across literature reviews, administrative data mining, survey creation, and both descriptive and multivariate statistical analyses. Emily holds a PhD and a Masters in Applied Science.
Dr Ivy Vuong
Researcher
Ivy joined the Foundation in 2025. She has held research roles in universities such as University of Technology Sydney, Western Sydney University and University of New South Wales, as well as in non-profit organisations such as Parenting Research Centre and Diversity Arts Australia. Her research has focused on migration, class, parenting, education, leadership, gender equity and culturally competent communication in emergency and disaster contexts. Ivy completed her PhD in sociology of education in 2024.
Katya Eagles
Research Assistant
Katya has professional experience across the public, academic, and private sectors. With a Master of Development Studies (Excellence) from UNSW and a background in linguistics and teaching, Katya combines research expertise, stakeholder engagement, and policy analysis skills. Her work spans applied policy research, advocacy, and data analysis, with a focus on equity, access to justice, and improving outcomes for marginalised communities. Born and raised in Belarus, she brings an international perspective to her work.
Maeve Redmond
Communications Manager
Maeve is a communications leader with experience across health, legal and environmental organisations. She has worked with purpose-driven brands including Canteen, WIRES and Marrickville Legal Centre to communicate their impact through campaigns, partnerships and creative content, collaborating closely with subject matter experts to make complex information accessible for diverse audiences. She holds a Graduate Certificate in Social Impact from UNSW as well as a Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from UTS. Maeve brings expertise in brand development, storytelling and engagement, with a commitment to equity and community impact.
Carina Morales
Office Manager
Sarouche Razi
NSW Legal Assistance Forum (NLAF) Project Manager
Alice Gage
Senior Project Manager
Carina Morales
Office Manager
Joining the Foundation in January 2024, Carina is a seasoned accounting and bookkeeping professional with over 15 years of expertise. From small family businesses to large financial entities, Carina specialises in developing policies, procedures and cost-effective budgeting, and navigates complex accounting responsibilities with ease and efficiency. Carina has seamlessly integrated into the team and plays a pivotal role in ensuring the seamless day-to-day operation of our office, including major events and board meetings.
Sarouche Razi
NSW Legal Assistance Forum (NLAF) Project Manager
Sarouche is a lawyer, researcher and arts practitioner who navigates the legal landscape with expertise in coronial inquests, racial discrimination, and torts against the state. His passion lies in addressing structural oppression and championing state accountability through critical lawyering. Sarouche explores innovative narratives via podcasting, community radio, graphic novels, and storytelling, redefining perspectives on justice. A dedicated collaborator, he seeks like-minded individuals to join in reshaping the legal narrative for a more inclusive future.
Alice Gage
Senior Project Manager
Alice is a communications and engagement professional with experience across the media, politics and the arts. As Senior Project Manager at the Foundation she leads projects including milestone events and key content pieces, while managing stakeholders across the legal access sector. Throughout her career, Alice has communicated complex issues through compelling narratives and built communities both online and offline. Prior to joining the Foundation, Alice launched General Publishing’s news platform The Politics, covering issues like parliamentary integrity, climate change and First Nations’ rights. As content lead at the Australian Museum, she crafted stories that highlighted scientific research and First Nations contributions. Alice holds a Master of Communication degree from the University of Melbourne.
Our staff are leaders in their field; highly skilled across operations, management, research and marketing. The team’s expertise draws on experience in collaborating across human and social service sectors, both within Australia and internationally.
Within our research team, capabilities extend across research, data analysis, and knowledge translation. The team routinely provides research advice and support to the justice sector, undertakes primary research to develop the evidence base, and disseminates information about the justice system to the sector and the community of NSW.
Our working style is collaborative and we welcome opportunities to partner with government, service providers, and other researchers in New South Wales and beyond.