Meet our team!

Damian Green, CEO
CEO

Damian Green is the CEO of Stopping Family Violence (SFV), and a passionate advocator and researcher of perpetrator responses in Australia with a key vision of instilling a high standard of excellence across the sector. Through his work at SFV, and as an experienced Research Associate within the Social Work discipline at Curtin University, Damian has been involved in an array of national research projects exploring perpetrator interventions in both an advisory and investigatory capacity. Prior to this, Damian worked for nine years at Communicare as Executive Manager for Accommodation and Therapeutic Services. Here, he was responsible for a directorate that included a Professional Training Institute, Psychological Services, Family and Domestic Violence Services and Justice Services. Prior to commencing employment at Communicare, Damian worked in out of home care with youth and spent 10 years in the management of child care services.

Damian is a Board member of Starick, a not for profit organisation that provides support services to women and children affected by FDV. Damian is a registered psychologist and board approved supervisor with AHPRA and in this role provides clinical supervision and training. He is a registered Safe & Together Trainer, and an experienced group work facilitator and trainer having worked extensively in the areas of violent offending, MBCPs and parenting over the past 15 years.

Damian is a White Ribbon Ambassador and WA State Committee member, a member of the National Fatherhood Program Expert Reference Group and is strongly committed to the goal of ending violence towards women and children.

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Mark O'Hare
Project Consultant

Mark O’Hare is a Project Consultant at SFV and has a wealth of experience in working in Mens Behaviour Change Programs, Violent Offender Treatment Programs, Sex Offender Treatment Programs and working with Men with AOD issues. Previous to working in the FDV sector, Mark has facilitated Drug and Alcohol group programs, and specialised in mens groups and working with adolescents who use substances. Mark has held a number of positions in government including a specialised FDV Coordinator and consultant roles with WA Department of Justice which involved providing specialist FDV consultancy to the Department and supporting community based MBCPs.

Additionally, Mark has direct experience case managing offenders in prison and community and has worked in high level managerial and leadership positions in government overseeing the delivery of criminogenic programs for offenders in WA prison and community settings. Mark’s work with SFV has involved extensive consultation across the sector to support the WA Implementation Plan for the NOSPIs and to support WA MBCPs align with current WA Practice Standards. Mark sits on a number of FDV related advisory groups and steering committees and has engaged as a key research officer in the ANROWS Invisible Practices Project. Mark has practiced in these areas as a Social Worker for more than 15 years and also has experience as a sessional academic within the School of Social Work at Curtin University. Most recently, Mark has become a fully certified Trainer in the Safe & Together Model and is currently delivering the training across WA.

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Rodney Vlais
Project Consultant

Rodney Vlais is a Project Consultant at SFV. He is an independent trainer, policy advisor, researcher and supervisor in family and domestic violence perpetrator interventions and perpetrator intervention systems. Since leaving No To Violence where he worked in a variety of positions for almost ten years, Rodney has consulted to NGOs or governments across most Australian jurisdictions, and at a national level.

He is a psychologist with significant experience in men’s behaviour change program work and the delivery of counselling and clinical services more broadly. Rodney is also involved in social movements that weave anti-hierarchical, autonomous organising with intersectional feminism towards ecological and social justice. He is an extreme metal fan (particularly blackened sludgy doom, blackened deathgrind, discordant black metal and modern yet dark transformations of old school death metal), and hopes that one day metal communities will identify and challenge embedded misogyny, sexism and racism.

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Dawson Ruhl
Project Co-ordinator

Dawson Ruhl is a Project Co-ordinator at SFV responsible for various projects, training and program evaluations. He is currently supporting the development and delivery of a new intervention in the Kimberley’s, combining Men’s Behaviour Change and Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Interventions specific to Aboriginal perpetrators of Family and Domestic Violence (FDV). With over 30 years experience in the Human Services field, Dawson initiated his career in family therapy, training and program management, branching into community development and social justice reform. More recently, Dawson has held a number of positions in Senior Management.

Dawson began his professional career in the FDV Sector as the Inaugural Manager of Relationships Australia’s Domestic Violence Intervention Program. At this time, Men’s Behaviour Change Program’s (MBCP’s) and Victim Support Programs were being introduced in WA, along with the development of important FDV intake and assessment tools for professionals working in this space. Moving from clinical practice to system reform, Dawson co-established the Domestic Violence Action Groups of WA, a peak body which coordinated a criminal justice reform response to FDV. In partnership with Starick House Refuge and Armadale Police, Dawson helped to establish the Armadale Domestic Violence Intervention Project (ADVIP).

Dawson has a Bachelor of Arts degree, a certificate in Public Sector Management and is an Institute of Company Directors graduate.

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Jenni
Research and Communications Officer

Jenni is the Research and Communications Officer at SFV. Her role is to conduct research in the area of Family and Domestic Violence and has been investigating issues around; Men’s Behaviour Change Program’s (MBCPs); primary prevention and early intervention in violence against women; masculinities; and the intersectionality of Family and Domestic Violence and Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse. Jenni was instrumental in getting SFV across social media platforms Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (like and follow our pages!) and assists with the day to day communications for the organisation. Jenni also works as a Youth Worker in her spare time.

Prior to working at SFV, Jenni worked as a Researcher in Federal Government and other various roles in the public and private sectors. Jenni’s passion for working in the area of Family and Domestic Violence stemmed from her time at Leeds Women’s Aid, where she worked on the frontline supporting women who were experiencing Domestic Violence and Abuse. Jenni holds a BA(Hons) in Sociology and a Master’s in Psychology, and has completed research on female attitudes towards pornography; and pornography use within intimate relationships.

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Sharon
Executive Assistant

Sharon is the Executive Assistant at SFV. A native to Perth, WA, Sharon fell in love with not-for-profits whilst living in London. Inspired by working with vulnerable elderly people and children at underprivileged schools, Sharon quickly developed a passion for charitable work. This resolve stuck with her when returning to Australia, leading her to work at a Peak Body in the state of Victoria working for the prevention of Family & Domestic Violence (FDV).

Now based back in Perth, Sharon provides support to Stopping Family Violence’s CEO with the mission of reducing FDV through training, policy and academic research. Sharon is passionate about raising awareness of FDV and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the office and coordinating all of SFVs events and training like a rockstar! With over 21 years’ office and operations management across multiple industries in Australia and London, Sharon has become an indispensable part of the team, pivotal in helping cultivate and steer the organisation as it grows.

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Jacqui
Digital Marketing Coordinator

Jacqui is the Digital Marketing Coordinator at SFV. Specialising in Communications and Journalism at Murdoch University, Jacqui has worked in NGO’s, NFP’s, government departments, local government, television and newspapers in a variety of different areas. She is drawn to ethical and advocacy work in her career and that led her to further her studies in Community Services. Jacqui has a heart for social justice and she is passionate about influencing change and advocating for people who don’t have a voice. Through volunteering at Amnesty International WA and numerous other positions in disability and health, she wanted to tell the stories that made a difference, and working in the FDV sector was the perfect fit.

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Project Consultant

Kate Jeffries is a Project Consultant at SFV. Kate has come to SFV from Anglicare with 15 years’ experience in the FDV sector.
Kate’s experience started in WA’s Men’s Behaviour Change programs in 2006, when she moved from New Zealand’s Specialty Youth Services. Here she would support high risk young people away from the justice system and assist them back into thriving. She has worked across direct service delivery with men choosing to use violence, women impacted by their violence and therapeutically with young people and children.

Most recently, Kate has focused on strategic development in both the FDV sector and Family Law Sector through executive committees such as WA Family Law Pathways Network, Women’s Council for Domestic and Family Violence (WA) and the Men’s Behaviour Change Network.

Kate said her passion and energy come from supporting direct group work and practitioner development as well as seeing the FDV sector thrive in continuous improvement, intersectionality, innovation and diversity. Her experience from across the ocean, and throughout Western Australia working with an Indigenous cultural lens, means she has the awareness to listen, learn, grow with and support the strengths and specific needs for the people.

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Sophie Ridley
Research Assistant

Sophie Ridley (BSW Hons.) is a PhD candidate and sessional academic at Curtin University, School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology. Sophie is also a research assistant for Stopping Family Violence.

Sophie’s role at SFV involves contributing to research projects via completion of scoping and literature reviews, preparation of written materials and completing other research activities as required on various projects.

Sophie has research experience in areas such as the involvement of lived experience in tertiary education, mental distress and recovery, homelessness and family and domestic violence. Sophie’s experience and research interests include personal recovery and mental distress, violence and trauma, the intersection of human rights and the mental health and criminal justice system, substance use, and lived experience in education. Sophie’s PhD research is exploring mental health service cultures and reform aspirations from the perspectives and experiences of mental health service users, family/carers and mental health professionals.

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