Meet the Youthsafe Team

Our fresh, vibrant and fun-loving team consists of a bunch of passionate and dedicated individuals sharing a commitment to the safety and happiness of young people. Together, we hold a breadth of professional experience, from injury prevention and rehabilitation, to health promotion, communications and research, and we enjoy pooling our skills and knowledge to achieve exceptional results. We love what we do and we take pride in staying abreast of the latest developments in the injury prevention field.

Anne Deans, Executive Officer

Anne is our tireless and committed leader, grammar wiz and in-house interior decorator. Assisted by countless cups of very strong coffee, she powers through long days in the office, followed by numerous after-hours committee meetings and nights spent designing and sewing costumes for her daughter’s dance studio. Dubbed the ‘safety police’ by her daughter’s friends, Anne has dedicated her career to the prevention and management of injury. She began her career as a physiotherapist and worked in clinical,

If you’re interested in partnership opportunities with Youthsafe, or simply want to know more about who we are and what we do, send Anne an email.

Kristy Abbott, Assistant Executive Officer

No staff profile could ever do Kristy “action that” Abbott justice. She is our much loved Assistant Executive Officer and community projects coordinator who excels at anything and everything she puts her mind to. She is heavily relied upon by the rest of the team for her in-depth knowledge of injury prevention research and her unmatched ability to provide insightful direction on everyone’s projects. Kristy’s degree in Psychology and recent completion of her Masters in Health Science reflects

her passion for learning, a passion that also sees her ploughing through research papers, books and journal articles on a regular basis. Unflappable under pressure, Kristy somehow manages to balance her huge work load at Youthsafe, with study, a lively social life, family commitments and a self confessed addiction to shopping!

If you want to find out more about any of our community projects, our commitment to youth participation or the work we are doing to promote safe celebrations for young people, send Kristy an email.

Cecilie Dell, Advocacy and Promotions

Equally comfortable in a TV studio or in front of a room full of teens, Cec excels in her role as Youthsafe’s Advocacy and Promotions Coordinator. Her radiance, empathy and unique ability to relate to people of all ages ensures she’s a popular point of contact amongst Youthsafe’s key consumers. When she’s not busy with her own role, supporting her colleagues, or responding to consumers’ requests, you’ll find Cec pouring through the Good Living section of the Sydney Morning Herald looking for recipes, or

serving up some of her homemade slices for the team to share. Working three days a week, Cec has truly mastered the happy balance between work, family, and a lively social life.

Michaela Zappia, Coordinator – Safe Celebrating Program

Vivacious, articulate and very, very funny, Michaela joined Youthsafe in 2005 and quickly made her mark on the team. Whilst her official role sees her coordinating Youthsafe’s safe celebrating initiatives, her exceptional work ethic coupled with her willingness to try her hand at anything, sees her perpetually busy. Michaela is passionate about giving a voice to young people outside the school system on social issues that affect them. For this reason she is currently undertaking a Masters project investigating the

effectiveness of Photovoice (a participatory methodology) to research young people’s attitudes and beliefs about risk-taking behaviours. Michaela has a degree in Russian Studies, speaks fluent Japanese and has an expansive knowledge in anything from road safety and communication management to the intricacies of pop culture. She’s exactly the kind of person you’d love to get stuck next to on a flight to London! When not studying, working or scheduling the Youthsafe team’s social calendar, you’ll find her playing the Japanese drums, knitting, dreaming about travelling or checking out the latest eateries or shoe boutiques.

Dianne Naylor (AKA Dynamite Di), Administration

Motivated, organised and persistently happy, Di joined the Youthsafe team in 2004 and quickly assumed responsibility for the smooth running of the office. Her exceptional work ethic and ‘can do’ attitude sees her constantly busy - supporting colleagues, maintaining the office systems, taking bookings for the Presenter Program and ensuring that Presenters are at the right location at the right time (no mean task!). Di’s professional attire, blond hair and love of Princess Di disguise a wicked wit, and her humorous

bantering with Dunc and Craig is a constant source of entertainment. Outside work Di is a devoted mum and self confessed super coach of her adored boys’ soccer teams. She also plays a mean game of backyard cricket.

If you’ve got a question for us, but not sure where to direct it, send Dynamite Di an email.

Duncan Nisbet, Presenter Program

Duncan is our all round nice guy and presenter extraordinaire. With presentation experience already under his belt, Duncan joined Youthsafe in 2001 where his exceptional people skills and vision put him in good stead to coordinate the new look presenter program. Duncan boasts a creative flair and excels at anything IT, earning him the unofficial titles of ‘IT trouble-shooter’ and ‘in-house graphic designer’. He’s a proud Dad, dedicated sportsman and avid Rangers supporter. It’s not uncommon for him to be up ‘til

the wee hours of the morning watching his team in the UK soccer league. When he’s not at work or watching the Rangers, you’ll find him playing basketball, swimming, or out cycling with his kids.

If you want to know more about Youthsafe’s presenter program, send Duncan an email.

Maureen Owen, Data Management

Equipped with a sophisticated pommy accent, groovy red mouse pad and a Doctorate in Child Road Safety, Maureen came to Youthsafe in 2004 and quickly earned a reputation as ‘the expert’. Her role sees her managing Youthsafe’s range of information needs, from current injury data and trends, to the translation of new research findings in to practice, and coordinating a new workplace safety project. She is also frequently called upon for her help and advice from the rest of the team. Patient, determined and down

to earth, Maureen can hold her own in a room full of academics and then get down and dirty in her six a side soccer team. An avid reader, dog lover and mother of two beautiful girls, Maureen likes to spend her weekend bushwalking, dreaming about sleeping in and hanging out with her family.

If you’ve got a question about youth injury statistics, or would like to know more about the research informing our practice, send Maureen an email.

Joanne Kemp, Coordinator – Education Programs

Former high school teacher and story-teller extraordinaire, Joanne joined the Youthsafe team in 2005 to tackle the newly-created role of Education Programs Coordinator. Her role sees her constantly busy managing the Youthsafe Presenter Program, developing and reviewing educational resources and providing guidance and direction to the team on anything remotely related to schools! Joanne’s youthful looks and personality belie her 20 years educational

Sandra Davis, Information Officer

Sandra is the newest member of our motley crew, taking on the mammoth task of compiling and cataloguing Youthsafe’s new Resource Centre. She also provides indispensable support to the rest of the team by conducting literature reviews and sourcing references to meet even our most obscure information requests. Sandra’s thoughtfulness, efficiency and fun-loving demeanour have quickly endeared her to the team, although she does

Outside of work Sandra’s leads a hectic life as a wife, mother, Girl Guide leader, friend, movie and theatre goer, dog walker and traveller!

If you have a question about Youthsafe’s Resource Centre, or would like a few hints on how to conduct your next literature search, send Sandra an email.

• Our Organisational chart
• Code of Conduct