Our team


Peer Support Australia is led by an experienced and passionate Board and team, united by a shared vision to improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people.

Our management team brings a breadth of experience working across not-for-profit, corporate, and health sectors. Our Wellbeing Education Consultants have extensive experience and backgrounds in education and mental health. They support school communities, using the best available evidence on student wellbeing.

Board Members

Timothy Denny

Chair – FCPA, BBus (Acc/Fin)
tim denny

Timothy has over 30 years commerce experience across a broad range of roles including music copyright licensing, systems development and financial management.

Spending more than 11 years in leadership roles incorporating finance, administration and strategy he is currently CFO of the Australasian Performing Right Association Limited and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society Limited, and has previous board and Chair experience within the visual arts industry.

Appointed November 2017

Tim Kitching

Deputy Chair – BA, DFS, JP
tim kitching

Tim was appointed to the board in 2013 and brings a wealth of experience across both the Private and Public Sectors as a senior leader and Board Member.

Tim’s background is in General Management with expertise in Leadership, Operations, Project Management, Risk Management, Compliance and Law Enforcement. Tim has strong ties to his community with 15 years service as a unit leader in the NSW State Emergency Service before moving into less physically demanding ways to support our community.  He is currently a management consultant specialising in leadership and Executive Coaching.

Portfolio – Finance Committee. Appointed February 2013

Cheryl Hayman

Board Member – BCom FAICD
cheryl hayman

Cheryl was appointed to the Board in 2007 and served as Deputy Chair from November 2014 to November 2018.

Cheryl brings extensive global experience in assisting executives and C-suite leaders with the development and implementation of sustainable growth and business development strategies. Areas of expertise include governance, strategy and innovation as well as brand, digital and channel marketing marketing and insight-driven new product development.

Cheryl is a professional non-executive Director, a Fellow of the AICD, member of Chief Executive Women and sits on several boards including Ai Media Technologies (ASX:AIM), Silk Logistics Holdings Ltd (ASX:SLH), Beston Global Foods (ASX:BFC), Guide Dogs NSW/ACT and The Darlinghurst Theatre Co. Cheryl also works as a mentor for organisations and individuals having a strong commitment to professional development and lifelong learning.

Portfolio – Nominations Committee Chair. Appointed April 2007

Dr Michael Nelson

Board Member – BSc, PhD, MAICD
michael nelson

Michael was appointed to the Board in 2014. A management consultant with over 20 years of global consulting experience across the public and private sectors, Michael specialises in improving, innovating and empowering his clients.

Michael also has experience as a teacher in both academic and corporate settings, as an advisor to educational institutions, and as a consultant in education, and educational policy, organisations. Michael is a member of an Industry Advisory Board at UNSW focussed on educating the next generation of Australia’s Information Technology leaders. Michael is also a member of the Hank Nelson Prize Committee at ANU which recognises outstanding scholarly work for the best PhD Thesis globally on a Papua New Guinea topic, and honours the memory of his late father.

Portfolio – Finance Committee. Appointed August 2014

Julia Quinn

Board Member – BA MAICD
julia quinn

Julia has over 25 years’ experience in reputation strategy, stakeholder engagement and sustainability across the industrial, government, financial and professional services sectors.

She runs her own advisory business and has a track record in community involvement both professionally and personally for more than 15 years, more recently as a founder of the Sydney Women’s Fund Giving Circle. Having begun her career in NSW Government Julia has since worked with some of Australasia’s leading brands from Westpac to Qantas, Caltex (now Ampol), AMP and AGL as well as a range of global organisations including King & Wood Mallesons and Korn Ferry.

Portfolio – Nominations Committee. Appointed June 2019

Maria Scott

Board Member – MAICD
maria scott

Maria was appointed to the board in 2018. She has over 30 years of marketing, public relations, sponsorships and communications experience over three continents and has been responsible for conceiving and managing strategic and well-executed marketing campaigns in Australia, the US and the Asia-Pacific region for a range of corporate clients.

Maria has been successfully running her own business for over 19 years. As a freelance executive, she has undertaken assignments for a number of companies across various market sectors including property, legal, financial, medical, insurance, technology, telecommunications, government and private organisations. In 2015, Maria was recognised by the Urban Development Institute of Australia for Excellence in Marketing in the property sector.

Maria is a current Board member of Adele House, a drug and alcohol centre and is involved in Rotary International. She was previously a board member of the Property Industry Foundation Ball Committee, a charity that raises money for Kids at Risk.

Portfolio – Nominations Committee. Appointed August 2018

Our Team

samantha brown

Samantha Brown

Chief Executive Officer

jill pearman

Jill Pearman

Senior Wellbeing Education Consultant

Magic Studio Magic Expand L&P – MOBILE-min

Sophie Sedgwick

Wellbeing Education Consultant

Eloise JPG

Eloise Stewart

Administration and Office Manager

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