Suzanna is a human services executive with over 25 years’ experience in the government and for-purpose sector across aged care, health, disability, mental health, suicide prevention, youth services, employment services, and problematic drug and alcohol use. She is currently Director of Services at Rise, a community organisation supporting over 3000 people across the Perth metro region, providing a range of in-home, residential, community and centre-based services for people living with disability. Holding qualifications in economics and business from Monash University, Suzanna is also an alumni of the prestigious Leadership WA Signature Program and has previously held senior positions in consumer advocacy as the Executive Director for the Health Consumers’ Council of WA and as the Director of Customer Experience at Rise. Suzanna shares her working practical knowledge of contractual frameworks and regulatory requirements in a real-world context, developed through her experience working in both government commissioning and in direct service provision. At Rise, she led organisational development to ensure that services are provided in line with contemporary human-rights based practices. She was selected by the Department of Communities of WA to provide advice and insights as a member of the Community Deliberative Panel for the review of legislation governing authorization of Restrictive Practices in WA.

Suzanna is also mother to an extraordinary teenage son who developed a complex neurological condition in 2022. Her most important role is advocating for his needs and rights amid the complexities and challenges of the health, disability and education sectors. Suzanna is a committed advocate for partnership approaches to increasing consumer voice in Disability policy and systems planning, design, implementation, and evaluation.