EPIC EMPLOYMENT - Key Persons
"One of life greatest privileges is to be invited to walk alongside another person in their time of vulnerability."
Amanda has a passion for Mental Health, and thrives on helping people to overcome barriers and achieve their personal, educational and vocational goals. Amanda enjoys working with individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities, with special areas of interest inclusive of anxiety, depression, trauma, and LGBTQIA+-affirming therapy.
Amber joined EPIC's Hobart team as an Employment Consultant in early 2023 as she wanted to make a positive impact and a difference in people's lives. She is also a personal trainer who works with people with disability. Amber loves being part of a team who encourage, support, and inspire each other and our participants to live and work to their greatest potential. She goes the extra mile to support, encourage and market specific job seekers to find their meaningful employment, as well as build good relationships with employers to help job seekers not only gain employment, but maintain employment. Outside of work, Amber loves to spend time with her family, and enjoys keeping fit in the gym and going for walks.
Job Titles:
- Senior Employment Consultant
Amy was working in retail supporting one of EPIC's participants through work experience when she was offered the chance to work in the disability industry and has never looked back. Amy started with Ability Tasmania Group in 2013 and came over to EPIC Assist when the organisations merged in 2016. She has had many roles within ATG and EPIC but by far enjoys her current role the most. Amy enjoys making an individual connection with each participant and assisting them to succeed. Amy enjoys spending her free time with her family, friends and fur children.
Job Titles:
- Employment Services Officer
Annalisa joined EPIC at the beginning of 2022. She comes to EPIC with over 10 years experience in the club industry in management, dealing with recruitment and training. Annalisa enjoys the reward of building a client's self-esteem and encouraging them to work on their barriers towards suitable employment. She focuses on a participant's strengths and works on their weaknesses to find positive employment results.
Job Titles:
- Evans Head, Kyogle, Casino / Clarence
Job Titles:
- Senior Employment Consultant
Chanetelle joined EPIC in October 2023. She spent the majority of her career (10 years) working with the Department of Housing/Community Services in Western Australia, working across sectors including remote Aboriginal housing, procurement and contract management, and training and development. For the last five years she provided specialised music therapy classes to children and young people with additional needs in conjunction with the NDIS. Chantelle enjoys working with a team of friendly and helpful colleagues. She also enjoys the variety of the role, meeting people, and working with them to reach their employment goals. She believe everyone should have the relevant support networks to find meaningful employment that suits their skillset and abilities. Chantelle loves to meet new people and harness their interests and skills and motivate them to reach for their full potential in life. She has always enjoyed using her skills in IT and creative writing to develop resumes, cover letters, and explore job opportunities, and also loves mentoring, community engagement, and marketing, which helps her to advocate for job seekers based on their interests.
Cheryl joined EPIC in September 2022 with over 20 years prior experience working in Disability Employment Services. Her favourite thing about working for EPIC is the supportive environment and watching someone'se life change when your find the right employer. She loves the dynamism: there are no two days the same, yet each day you are working towards a purpose and to help others. In her spare time, Cheryl loves to spend time with her family and play badminton.
"It's great to be part of a company and team that changes lives daily for the best."
Craig has been with EPIC since the beginning of 2021. He enjoys the daily challenges and seeing the positive life-changing results that are taking place to our participants' lives. Craig enjoys hiking, surfing, and anything sporty.
"There is no greater disability in society, than the inability to see a person as more."
Danielle started with EPIC Assist in March 2023. She previously worked in primary schools as a tearcher aide, assisting children with ADHD, autism, and behavioural issues. Danielle enjoys assisting people to find a career pathway to their goals and aspirations. This can be done by exploring courses and having meaningful conversations that highlight their interests. The most rewarding part of her job is watching someone grow, learn, and succeed when working towards their goal.
Deb is EPIC's longest serving staff member, and the first female staff member to reach the milestone of 20 years. Deb decided to make the career leap and begin her journey with disability employment after her husband was involved in a workplace accident. During her 20 years, she has worked across an extensive portfolio of supports, including spearheading EPIC's NDIS program. Deb started as a casual support worker in North-West in June 2002. She was quickly promoted to a full-time position as an Employment Consultant and continued to climb the ranks to become a team leader. When North-West transitioned to Ability Tasmania Group, she was appointed State Manager and took charge of their NDIS program. In 2016, Ability Tasmania Group and EPIC Assist merged, and Deb continued on as the Operations Manager for Tasmania.
"Persistence beats resistance every single time. It means never give up - keep pushing, keep adapting, keep evolving till you achieve what you want to achieve cause if you are persistent in achieving your goals you will beat a quitter every time."
Emily has been in the employment services sector since 2005 and joined EPIC in February 2013 as an Employment Consultant in Bundaberg. She was promoted to Regional Coordinator in March 2013 for the Bundaberg ESA. Emily loved being involved in a start up site and watching it grow and develop over the years. She became the Employment Services Manager in 2014 and has been in that role (across various titles) ever since. Emily enjoys spending time with her teams and watching them achieve amazing results. She loves the dedication and commitment her teams have to supporting people with disability to realise their potential and it is why she comes to work every day. Emily loves to spend her spare time cooking and hanging out with friends and family.
Emma has been working at EPIC for over 10 years. Her background is in hospitality where she worked at Mures Upper Deck, Rockefellers, T42 amongst others. She has a passion for training and honed her considerable skills on the job. Emma started her career as an Employment Consultant within the DES framework, working across ESS and DMS contracts. In 2023, she moved into a Support Coordinator role working in the NDIS space. Emma's passion is assisting and training participants to be able to complete tasks to the employer's satisfaction. She is keen to assist them to feel like they are a valuable part of a community.
Gaylene joined EPIC in January 2013. She wanted to be a part of a team that treats everyone as equals. Gaylene strongly believes people with disability have the same wants and needs as everyone else. The most rewarding part of her job is every day.
"I believe if you focus on ability rather than your disability anything is possible. "
Jeanette has been working in the employment sector since 2004. She has been employed with EPIC since 2017 in an Employment Consultant capacity. She moved into the role of Regional Coordinator in late 2020 and then into the Acting Area Manager role in 2022. She is passionate about participants gaining meaningful employment and the life changing affect this brings with it. She believes everyone deserves the best opportunity in life. Jeanette likes to assist her team to provide quality service to their participants.
"Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tip toe if you must, but take the step."
Jess joined EPIC in 2014 with a range of experience in community development, domestic violence crisis support, foster care, and Aboriginal liaison. She believes everyone deserves to work and is passionate about creating community, friendship, communication, opportunity, and change all through employment. Jess loves the team work and forever changing environment at EPIC which values life experiences and the opportunity to grow and share. Her favourite part of her day is seeing her staff happy and engaged. Outside of work, Jess is a full-time mum. She spends her free time with her kids engaging in walking, talking, playing, and caring together.
"I am privileged to be part of a team that is dedicated, supportive, and passionate about helping people over-come any barriers."
Jodie has come to EPIC with over 30 years of experience in the community sector. Jodie feels privileged to be a part of a dedicated, supportive, and passionate team helping people overcome any barriers to achieving long-term employment and their life goals. Jodie works from our Woodridge office and is here to answer any of your employment questions.
Job Titles:
- Senior Employment Consultant
Kelly has been a part of the EPIC team since August 2021, but her life experiences have truly prepared her for his role. "My daughter has ADHD with mild autism, other family members have disabilities also." Kelly's life experience has encouraged her to use these skills to help others to overcome their own barriers. Knowing I am a part of EPIC's vision to be the most innovative and unique provider of human and community services. Having the resources to go above and beyond for our job seekers. I love supporting everyone as an individual." Kelly was drawn to the Employment Consultant role because she is extremely passionate about community services and loves to help people. "I'm passionate about what I do and being able to deliver 10/10 customer experience."
"I come to work each day to support my local team who are some of the most passionate people in the industry."
Kim commenced his role with EPIC in November 2021. He has have 22 years' experience within the disability sector including providing direct to case management and service coordination with government and non-government organisations. Kim enjoys working with EPIC because of the people he gets to work with. He finds supporting people with disabilities, health conditions, and mental health conditions very rewarding and is passionate about empowering people to make positive changes and achieve their life goals. He believes finding a job seeker meaningful employment is about being patient, a good communicator, a problem solver, an excellent listener, and understanding. An opportunity for someone is always there; it's just discovering it. The most rewarding part about his role is allowing someone to grow, experience, and make informed decisions regarding their life.
Job Titles:
- Senior Employment Consultant
Kristine has been employed in disability employment services for over 12 years, assisting, guiding, learning, and sharing knowledge to help participants achieve their employment or education pathway goal.
"I'm the kind of person who wants the people around me to be comfortable, to laugh and to have a fabulous time- I want them to be as happy as I am."
Kylee has worked in Employment Services for over 19 years. Kylee said that her most rewarding and positive experience working in this industry has been her 7 years with EPIC. Kylee said that she loves assisting people with their goals, hopes and dreams, she believes that everyone deserve an equal opportunity to succeed.
Job Titles:
- NDIS Regional Coordinator
Laura has worked at EPIC since 2009, starting out as a job trainer and then moving to an Employment Consultant. She really enjoys the discovery process and loves when her participants find their place in the workplace. Laura loves that her job allows her to be in the community working with participants and employers to achieve long term paid employment.
"I believe in looking at the ability, not the disability."
Mandy comes to EPIC with 30 years experience in the hospitality industry and having been singing and performing in Bundaberg for the same amount of time. She believes in looking at the ability, not the disability, and with the right support and guidance anything is achievable as long as you believe. Mandy has found her forever job and believes there is no better feeling in the world than seeing a smile on a face of someone on their first day of work.
"To encourage, nurture, enable and inspire our participants to achieve their goals to meaningful employment and community engagement. "
Marie Claire (Claire) started working at EPIC in mid-2022 as the Regional Coordinator for Hobart and surrounds. Claire has a background in sales and marketing, with a focus on community events and small business. She started her career in DES as a Marketing Coordinator in Tasmania and has also worked as an Employment Consultant in South Australia. In between jobs, she qualified as an Equine Vet Nurse and educated final year Veterinary Students on the finer points of treating and handling horses. Her passion lies in making meaningful connections and resources for participants and stakeholders, to recognise their potential in becoming valuable contributors to their community.
"Quality is where performance matches requirements. Everyone has their individual goals and challenges that determine their requirements. I look to provide quality service by matching the individual requirements of every person."
Matthew has returned to the disability employment sector after time working in retail, finance and property. It was Matthew's desire to make a positive difference in people's lives that brought him back to this field. Matthew enjoys helping people take the next step towards achieving their goals and ambitions.
"At the end, it's not about what you have or even what you've accomplished. It's about who you've lifted up, who you've made better. It's about what you've given back."
Meagan started at EPIC as an Employment Consultant in 2021, before progressing to a Senior Employment Consultant and now a Regional Coordinator. She has eight years of past experience in employment services. Meagan loves the team, culture, and support she receives in her career progression at EPIC. She comes to work every day to make the world a better place and bring more awareness and acceptance for people with disability. She uses her expertise to draw out a job seeker's interests and passions, build on their skills, and work towards a future goal. In her spare time, Meagan enjoys reading, op-shopping, and spending time with her three children.
"The work we do at EPIC does actually change people's lives, and I really enjoy seeing how having a job can make a huge difference to the people we help. "
Michael started work with EPIC in August 2002, back when it was known as Ability Tasmania. He achieved 20 years in DES in 2022 which he is very proud of. Prior to joining EPIC, Michael had worked at Centrelink in Burnie for 23 years, so he likes to say he tends to stick around! Michael really enjoys getting out in the community talking about what we do at EPIC, and welcoming people into our programs on their employment journey. He also enjoys the team of dedicated people he works with and says we employ the best people. In his spare time, Michael spends a lot of time working in my garden; he seems to spend all his weekends either pushing or riding mowers - lucky he likes doing it!
Michele comes to EPIC after 20 years of working in special and mainstream education. After making a sea change with her husband, She is new to Bundaberg and Queensland - bring on the sunshine! Michele has experience working with people who have additional needs and providing them with guidance and support, and is keen to put those skills to good use. She gets a lot of satisfaction from working with people who push through their disadvantages and obstacles to achieve their goals and further their dreams. Michele looks forward to learning and understanding the participants as well as the local labour markets.
Olivia joined EPIC in June 2023 as an Employment Advisor for the Gold Coast. She enjoys working with the EPIC team to help participants reach their goals. Olivia focuses on talking to her participants as a human and not a number. She listens to them, hears what their goals are, and reassures them she is here to help and support. The most rewarding part of her job is when participants start talking to her on a personal level. It's seeing the trust that is gained to then succeed in finding them meaningful employment and how happy they are with themselves.
Rhiannon joined EPIC at the beginning of 2023 with six years of prior experience in the DES sector. She loves how passionate the entire EPIC team is and to witness both the little and big moments in their participants' journeys to success. Rhiannon uses her experience to get to know her participants' past experiences and how their barriers might affect them daily. She understands everyone is different and works with them on their short and long term goals.
Rodgers Reidy is an insolvency, restructuring, and forensic accounting firm with Australian and international offices. And Elaine has been working at their location in Tasmania for just about four months.
Previously, Elaine worked in a taxation office in South Africa before moving to Australia 23 years ago. Unfortunately, she had a battle with addiction and was struggling to manage depression and anxiety that stemmed from it. With all this ticking along in the background, employment didn't come easy; she found it difficult to sit still and work in an office for long periods of time.
She went to rehab and stayed there for 14 months. And thanks to the overwhelming gratitude she felt towards the rehabilitation centre and a desire to help people, she decided to volunteer at the centre and help other patients.
"It was my way of giving back and trying to do my part and help people before I was ready to get back into that office environment. Before I was capable of getting back into the world," Elaine explained.
Gradually, Elaine then began to look for employment. Still trying to manage her depression and anxiety while also dealing with some problems with her memory, Elaine was unsure if she could even find a job, let alone keep one.
Fortunately for Elaine, luck was about to turn in her favour. While she was living in Hervey Bay, she spoke to someone who told her about an organisation named EPIC Assist.
Job Titles:
- Senior Employment Consultant
Ruella volunteered for EPIC for 15 months prior to gaining a paid position. She has a passion for helping people in the community and is really enjoying her role here at EPIC. Ruella says her passion comes from life experiences, been able to understand each individuals circumstances as well as connecting with people.
Samantha started her employment journey with EPIC Assist back in October 2014. Prior to this, she worked in Aged Care and hospitality. Sam said she enjoys working for an organisation that makes a difference, and working within a team of like minded people with the same goals. Sam wants to be a part of a society where everyone has equal opportunities and are treated fairly. "While this may be only one part of that puzzle, it is a part that I can make a difference in." When Sam's not helping make positive changes to our participants lives, she is with her family, puppy, out by the water in the Redlands and exercising.
"I am a big believer in treating people how you want to be treated"
Samantha has been in the employment industry going on six years. She started as a customer service officer and progressed into the role of Employment Consultant. EPIC is the best provider she has had the pleasure of working with; the team is great and supportive of each other and their participants. To work in this industry, you need to have empathy and compassion.
Job Titles:
- Senior Employment Consultant
Susan spent 12.5 years in retail, 7 of which were in management. Susan has now been working in disability employment at EPIC Grafton for 3 years. Susan's goal is to make a difference in life of someone with a disability, to assist them to move forward in their life to find meaningful employment.
Tara joined EPIC in the March 2023. Before her time at EPIC, she was a Teacher Aide, helping and supporting primary school students with disabilities. The most regarding part of her job is connecting with her participants and making a difference in someone's life.
"My employment reflects a part of my personality. I enjoy being in a team environment of dedicated professionals who work tirelessly to support people with disability to reach and create their own best life."
Terry joined EPIC at the end of 2022. He brings with him experience as a support worker, TTW case manager, social worker alongside men exiting prison, and coordinator of the Grandparents Raising Children program. Terry enjoys providing assistance to people who need a little support to reach their self-directed goals in life, with an employment focus. He believes employment provides diverse opportunities, such as community access and social inclusion, financial benefits, and engagement with the broader community. He walks alongside the job seeker to gain an idea of their goals and assists them to identify and locate sustainable and engaging roles. Terry and his partner are new permanent foster parents to an amazing teenager. Their spare time is spent supporting him to settle into their home and develop routines while they all get to know each other better.