Staff Profiles
Natalie Collins, Deputy Chief Executive
Allayne Woodford, Project Manager – Cinema, DVD and the Arts
Chris Mikul, Project Manager – Television
Sarah Pulis, Manager, Digital Media and Technology
Clarizza Fernandez, Content Producer, Digital Media and Technology
Dr Scott Hollier, Manager, Major Projects
Anne McGrath, Education Manager
Karina Scott, Education Assistant
Belinda Kerslake, Marketing Communications Manager
Katie Couani, Marketing Communications Coordinator
Eliza Cussen, Online Communications Coordinator
Amajjika Kumara, Project Manager
Angela Tragotsalos, Administrative Assistant
Alex Varley, Chief Executive
Alex Varley is the Chief Executive of Media Access Australia since its inception in 2006. Alex was previously the General Manager of MAA’s predecessor the Australian Caption Centre.
With that extensive experience in access issues, coupled with a Bachelor of Business in marketing from NSWIT and post-graduate qualifications in town planning from Macquarie University, Alex is well equipped to lead a practically focussed organisation that looks for real-world solutions.
Alex was the inaugural chair of the communications advocacy organisation Australian Communications Consumer Action Network Limited (ACCAN) and is a director of Australian Social Innovation Exchange Pty Ltd (ASIX).
Before joining the Australian Caption Centre/Media Access Australia, Alex held senior positions at the Sydney Theatre Company, Australian National Maritime Museum and BP Australia.
“My heart and interests were always with the not-for-profit component of the Australian Caption Centre, so when it was split into the commercial captioning company and the not-for-profit organisation I had to follow my heart. I could see that free from commercial conflicts of interest and by effectively self-funding through the sale process, we could achieve great things quite rapidly. The years since have shown how effective we are and the massive progress that has been made in access. I know we have played a significant part in being a catalyst for that change.”
Natalie Collins, Deputy Chief Executive
Natalie joined the Media Access Australia team as the Deputy Chief Executive in mid-2010.
After completing a double degree in Politics and Media from Swinburne University, Natalie spent 13 years working for Infoxchange.
She began her career as the web designer; however her passion for information technology saw her grow to eventually become the General Manager at Infoxchange.
Through her fascination with technology, Natalie built on her skills and developed a desire to ensure everyone in society has the ability to access technology. Natalie has extensive experience in project management and business development.
“I have been passionate about access to the Internet and the web for many years having worked for a non-profit technology enterprise in Victoria for 13 years. The opportunity to work for an organisation with a comprehensive vision for access piqued my interest and means I continue to do what I am passionate about.”
Allayne Woodford, Project Manager – Cinema, DVD and the Arts
Allayne is the project manager focused on access to DVD, cinema and the arts. She has been with Media Access Australia and the Australian Caption Centre since 1999. Allayne originally joined the organisation as the Executive Assistant to the CEO, but her passion for access and interest in project management led her into her current role.
Before joining Media Access Australia, Allayne worked in a variety of roles within the NSW Ministry of the Arts, now known as Arts NSW.
“When deciding on a career move from the public sector, I had considered MAA as a nice segue into the corporate sector, but have since learnt that the interesting and important work that MAA does is far more rewarding than a major corporate entity’s bottom line.”
Chris Mikul, Project Manager – Television
Chris has been with Media Access Australia and its predecessor, the Australian Caption Centre for more than twenty years. As a skilled captioner and trained audio describer Chris brings practical knowledge and understanding about caption and audio description quality.
Chris’s focus at Media Access Australia is access in television. Previously Chris was the National Production Manager at the Australian Caption Centre.
Chris oversaw the production of the first DVDs to be audio described in Australia in 2005.
Chris has a BA (Communications) from the University of Technology, Sydney, and is a published writer, having authored several books.
“As a former captioner, I am passionate about caption quality, and believe that poor captions are an insult to Deaf and hearing impaired people who rely on them for access.”
Sarah Pulis, Manager, Digital Media and Technology
Sarah joined Media Access Australia as the New Media Coordinator in early 2010. She has since taken on the responsibility of Manager, Digital Media and Technology.
Sarah has a Bachelor of Computer Science/Bachelor of Cognitive Science and has also completed a Master of Science entitled Interpreting the DCMI Abstract Model to support software development for Dublin Core Metadata. Her Master’s thesis was completed as part of an ARC-funded project to develop a semantic web application for cultural heritage management, during which she also worked as a developer on that project.
Sarah is an active member of the accessibility community, attending regular accessibility meetups in Sydney, and representing Media Access Australia on a number of W3C accessibility working groups. She has also attended the OZeWAI conference, Australia’s only web accessibility conference every year since 2002 and is now responsible for organising the conference.
With over four years of marketing and science communication experience in the tertiary sector including nearly two years as a Marketing Manager, Sarah is well equipped for her role as content manager for the digital media and technology.
She has presented at Australian and international conferences on web accessibility and other topics. In 2011, Sarah was awarded a scholarship to attend the Non Profit Technology conference in Washington, DC for her commitment to access to technology and social media.
Clarizza Fernandez, Content Producer, Digital Media and Technology
Clarizza holds a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communications, majoring in Film Studies. In pursuit of her passion for communications she then worked for a boutique creative advertising agency.
Clarizza then completed a Masters in Journalism at the University of Technology, Sydney to advance her writing and research skills. For her final work, she produced a video documentary about comics journalism in Australia. The writing and researching skills she acquired allows her to tell stories about how people and technology interact.
Clarizza arrived at Media Access Australia in October 2011 after a role as the chief editor of Reportage Online. She has written for Computerworld, The Daily Telegraph, Concrete Playground, UTS Tower Magazine and ABC Online. As a content producer, Clarizza works towards empowering people with a disability through digital technology and online media.
Dr Scott Hollier, Manager, Major Projects
Scott joined Media Access Australia in 2008 and has a focus on computer and Internet related technologies.
With a PhD entitled The Disability Divide: an examination into the needs of computing and Internet-related technologies on people who are blind or vision impaired, Scott has a wealth of experience in computer science and information technology.
Scott represents Media Access Australia on the Advisory Committee of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the organisation primarily responsible for developing and promoting access to media through technology for people with disabilities. Amongst the many projects he is working on Scott takes time out once a month to write a column with up-to-date news and information about the W3C.
Scott is legally blind and as such understands the importance of access at a personal level.
“The MAA position that was advertised was basically my PhD in practical form, and the role meant I’d be able to use my professional, academic and personal knowledge to help people with disabilities, which was a really exciting opportunity”
Anne McGrath, Education Manager
Anne works part time as the Education Manager at Media Access Australia.
Anne has worked as a primary school teacher in mainstream schools and as an Education Project Officer with the NSW Department of Health, where she worked on the award winning, internationally acclaimed Triple A peer education program. She has also worked for the NSW Department of Education and Training as an Itinerant Support Teacher Hearing (ISTH) and as a Teacher/Consultant in Hearing Impairment for RIDBC School Support Services (Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children).
“The opportunity to work at MAA meant that I could focus on working towards purpose-designed access solutions for students who are deaf and those with hearing impairment, as my ITOD experience showed me that the need was great.”
Anne also currently works part time with the Catholic Education Office, Sydney, as an Itinerant Teacher Hearing with the Sensory Impairment Program, working directly with students who are deaf and those who have hearing impairment in Catholic mainstream schools.
Anne has personal experience of hearing impairment, growing up with a deaf mother and being hearing impaired herself. Anne uses hearing instruments and assistive listening devices in her daily life.
Karina Scott, Education Assistant
Karina joined Media Access Australia in mid-2010 as the Education Assistant.
Karina is currently studying a Bachelor of Education/Bachelor of Arts at the University of Sydney, and plans to graduate as a high school English and Drama teacher at the end of 2012.
Karina has been a volunteer mentor with Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) since 2008, and enjoys the dynamic nature of working with teenagers. She has also previously volunteered with a variety of students who have special needs, in both a respite environment and educational context.
“My interest in working with MAA stemmed from a pre-existing passion for equity of access to education, with specific interests in Indigenous education and working with students with special needs.”
Belinda Kerslake, Marketing Communication Manager
Belinda joined Media Access Australia in 2009 as the Marketing Communication Manager.
With a BA in English and Linguistics from the University of NSW and a Graduate Diploma in Marketing Communication from the University of Canberra, Belinda has a deep interest in the media in its various forms.
On completing her undergraduate studies Belinda spent a number of years travelling and working overseas. It was here that she gained invaluable experience in corporate development, project implementation and marketing.
She has over 10 years of experience in marketing and project management and has worked in a range of sectors including not-for-profit, government and financial services.
“My research on ethical investment and work with Business in the Community while in the UK piqued my interest in working in the charitable sector. Doing work where I am helping, even in a small way, to bring greater inclusion for all members of society is incredibly rewarding.”
Katie Couani, Marketing Communications Coordinator
Katie joined Media Access Australia in 2010 and quickly progressed from Marketing Communications Intern to Assistant to her current position as Marketing Communications Coordinator. She is a strong communicator, with a passion for the not-for-profit sector.
Katie holds a BA in Public Communication with a major in Public Relations and a BA in International Studies, majoring in Italian Language and Culture from the University of Technology, Sydney.
She has experience working in the Healthcare team at Edelman, the world's largest independent public relations firm, and at a boutique public relations agency specialising in the not-for-profit, community and health sectors.
Eliza Cussen, Online Communications Coordinator
Eliza cut her teeth in the communications team at online activism group GetUp! before moving on to a role at Cancer Council Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Media in Writing (Honours) and completed a thesis on gender representation on FM radio. She joined Media Access Australia in July 2011.
Eliza has dedicated her professional life to the not-for-profit sector and is passionate about how digital communication can be used for social good. Her role at Media Access Australia allows Eliza to combine her interests in writing, social media and online communications.
“I’ve always been attracted to organisations which actually make a difference. Working for MAA is immensely satisfying because you can see its impact on the world.”
Amajjika Kumara, Project Manager
Amajjika joined Media Access Australia in 2011 as Project Manager for a new venture focussing on providing high quality accessibility resources in digital media to business and government.
With a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology Sydney, on completing her undergraduate studies Amajjika spent a number of years travelling and working overseas. She comes to MAA with over 15 years’ experience in marketing, consulting and business management.
“Having worked for private enterprise my entire career, it is a wonderful opportunity to apply my skills to such a worthwhile area. I have spent a considerable amount of time in countries where inclusion and equality are meticulously part of every decision or plan. I look forward to helping shape our decision making in the future, to ensure equal access to digital media for everyone.”
Angela Tragotsalos, Administrative Assistant (on maternity leave)
Angela joined Media Access Australia’s predecessor in 1994 as the Administrative Assistant.
Before joining the Australian Caption Centre, Angela completed a course in Office Administration at TAFE NSW. On completing that, she took on the Administrative Assistant position.
The Australian Caption Centre was Angela’s first position and she has been with the organisation for more than 16 years.
Angela is Deaf, therefore has both a professional and personal understanding of access issues.
“This was my first job and I have enjoyed being a part of an organisation that makes a difference for more than 16 years.”
