About us

Our team

Nicole Rogerson

Founding CEO / Director

Nicole Rogerson is one of the nation’s leading spokespersons for the awareness and understanding of autism. She is the founding director of Autism Awareness Australia and is an experienced director, government advisor and senior executive.

For more than 18 years, she has been advising on public policy, providing early intervention services and advocating for the inclusion, acceptance and understanding of individuals with autism.

A passionate disability advocate and social policy campaigner, she is a frequent public speaker on these issues and is regularly advocating for families with children on the spectrum. She is deeply committed to improving the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.

Nicole has two sons, the eldest of whom is on the autism spectrum.

To learn about Nicole's family, see their Australian Story here.

Elizabeth Sarian

Executive Officer

Elizabeth is a Business Management Executive who spent the last decade helping Autism Awareness Australia change lives for the better. With over 20 years of experience in marketing, events, project management, and business management, she has held managerial roles in various sectors, including early childhood education, business tourism, corporate event management, and the disability sector.

Serving as the Executive Manager at AAA, Elizabeth oversees all aspects of the organisation. She helps the team find creative solutions and deliver projects that make a positive difference in people’s lives. The same desire to help the community inspired her to leave behind a successful corporate career in 2010 and step into the non-profit sector.

Elizabeth serves as an advocate of genuine diversity and inclusion for people on the spectrum. Her passion is for autistic individuals to have access to every opportunity to thrive, and live happy, independent lives.

She is proud to have played an instrumental role in helping AAA grow from a small charity to one of the most trusted and influential autism organisations in Australia.

Nicole Hurley

Project Manager

Nicole is a Project Manager at Autism Awareness Australia, recently launching Autism: What Next? an online resource to help families and individuals in the first year after an autism diagnosis.

A customer obsessed manager with over 20 years experience in Australia and overseas, Nicole has worked across leading technology, products, platforms, people and culture.

Nicole is a parent to two sons, one who is on the autism spectrum and is a passionate advocate for families and individuals with autism.

Marlene Sayadian

Office Manager

Marlene is our office admin guru, keeping the wheels of Autism Awareness Australia running smoothly. With 12 years in admin management - the past seven years as Office Manager with us - her previous experience in the medical and healthcare sector cemented her passion to work with worthy causes supporting people in need.

With her compassionate and easy going nature, Marlene works tirelessly behind the scenes to support the team and deliver solutions to any problems or enquiries, regardless of complexity. Her empathy towards the challenges faced by autism families fuels her passion to provide the best possible support and positive outcomes for those facing difficult situations. Together with a drive to conquer technological obstacles and a "can-fix" attitude, Marlene is a critical member of the AAA team.

Sally Collins

Chairperson

Sally is the Chief Financial Office at the health and community services industry super fund HESTA. With over 25 years‘ experience in financial services she has lead many large functions within VFMC, NAB, CBA and AXA Australia.

At work, Sally has been a vocal advocate for gender diversity and inclusion and also workplace flexibility. She was recognised for this as the 2016 recipient of the Financial Executive Women (FEW) Positive Progression of Women award. She is also an author and her first book, Stepmother Love, is all about the challenges faced by stepmothers in finding their way and building loving families.

It’s this combination of Sally’s corporate skills and advocacy for tough parenting gigs that brought her to Autism Awareness Australia.

Sally joined the AAA board as a non executive director in 2016 and became our Chair in 2022. She continues to be inspired and energised by learning about and supporting the challenges faced by people on the autism spectrum, and their families, and can’t wait to help AAA be as successful as possible in their great work.

Tabitha Pearson

Director

Tabitha is a seasoned executive, with experience across a number of industries, including banking, legal, retail and hospitality.

Tabitha is currently the Chief People and Transformation Officer at G8 Education, a listed Child Care provider. She is an advocate for change and inclusion and is passionate about providing opportunities for those less able or fortunate.

As a mother of 2 boys, Tabitha and her husband are striving to raise amazing men, who are not afraid to speak out for others who cannot do so for themselves. Her youngest son is on the spectrum and she understands the daily challenge that families face, and the need for a supportive community of professionals, friends and family to achieve the best results.

Tabitha is very excited to be part of Autism Awareness Australia, so she can further support families and those on the Autism Spectrum through their journey.

Prof. Andrew Whitehouse

Director

Andrew Whitehouse is the Angela Wright Bennett Professor of Autism Research and the Director of CliniKids at the Telethon Kids Institute. He is also Professor of Autism Research at The University of Western Australia, Research Strategy Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC) and the current president of the Australasian Society for Autism Research.

At the Telethon Kids Institute he leads a large team that seeks to find new and innovative ways to help each and every child on the autism spectrum reach their full potential. Andrew has published over 200 peer-reviewed journal articles and attracted over $60 million in competitive research grants. He currently presents an internationally syndicated video series called ’60 Second Science”, which has had over 2 million views. He is an advisor to State and Commonwealth Governments on policies relating to children with Autism Spectrum Conditions, and he chaired the committee that generated Australia’s first national guideline for autism diagnosis, and the first national guideline for autism intervention.

Andrew has published one edited book with his twin-brother (Ben), and a popular science book that examined the science behind some of the myths of pregnancy and child development (Will Mozart Make My Baby Smart?). He has also been awarded a Eureka Prize for his research. Prior to coming to the Telethon Kids Institute, Andrew was a Junior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford.

Charlie Viola

Director

Charlie is an experienced investment and financial services professional, and is the Managing Director of Pitcher Partners Sydney Wealth Management Pty Ltd (PPSWM). PPSWM manages over $3bil of client moneys and Charlie, while running the business is personally responsible for c.$2bil.

Father of two, Charlie is passionate about helping families like his that have a child with autism. He is very excited to be on the board of AAA as a means of ensuring families are offered the best possible support and access to information when they need it most.

John Maher

Director

John is a successful Australian CEO, Chair/ Director with over 25 years of extensive board and business management experience across several publicly listed and private companies including Wesfarmers Ltd, Ruralco Holdings Ltd and the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation.

He is a strong advocate for raising the awareness, knowledge and acceptance of autism particularly in regional & remote communities and has been awarded Sydney University’s Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award for his contribution to this cause.

John was previously on the board of Autism Awareness Australia from 2008-2015 and currently serves as Chair/Director of a number of Australian public and private businesses.

He is married with three children and is both humbled and excited about rejoining the board of AAA to help contribute to the fantastic work the team undertakes in supporting families affected by autism.

Empowering autism families

Autism Awareness Australia was founded in 2007 to improve the lives of all Australians on the autism spectrum and the families who love them.

Our team

Use of language

Words connect us.
The words we use create shared stories that can bring us together as a community.

Our work

Events & campaigns

Contributors & collaborators

Services we offer

Annual reports

About us

Empowering autism families

Autism Awareness Australia was founded in 2007 to improve the lives of all Australians on the autism spectrum and the families who love them.

Our team

Use of language

Words connect us. The words we use create shared stories that can bring us together as a community.

Our work

Events & campaigns

Contributors & collaborators

Services we offer

Annual reports

Words connect us.
The words we use create shared stories that can bring us together as a community.