Dr Matthew Pink
Associate Director (Acting) - Brisbane
Dr Matthew Pink is the National Community Engagement Manager, ACU Engagement. Matthew's areas of interest include the transformational, logistical, and reciprocal processes of university-community engagement, and the pairing of sport/exercise with educational opportunities for groups who have experienced disadvantage or marginalisation. Matthew has worked with ACU since 2011 in various academic and community engagement roles and received his doctorate from ACU in 2016.
Dr Jen Azordegan
Community Engagement Program Manager - Brisbane
Jen joined ACU in 2019 with over a decade of experience in teaching, research and project roles in Australian higher education, particularly in the area of teacher education. She previously was an education policy researcher in the US and trained as a primary school teacher. She completed her PhD at QUT in 2019, which explored the complexities of school-family relationships with parents from a refugee background.
Jen is passionate about the role of educational institutions in building social cohesion and fostering greater inclusion of children, youth and families from diverse and marginalised communities in the educational process.
Miranda Bush
Senior Community Engagement Officer - North Sydney
Miranda joined ACU Engagement on the North Sydney Campus in 2018, coming to ACU from the not-for-profit sector, having worked in community-focused organisations for the past 10 years. Miranda is passionate about education and social impact initiatives and enjoys being part of a team that strives to have a positive impact on the lives of others.
Patricia Garcia
Senior Community Engagement Officer - Strathfield
Patricia joined ACU Engagement in 2020, she highly values education, equity and community. Having worked in Widening Participation in the tertiary sector for over 8 years, Patricia has extensive knowledge on the diversity of her student cohort and the differing needs of individuals and their communities. With a Social Work background, Patricia is dedicated to exposing structural barriers that hinder individuals and communities thriving.
Lisa Carzino
Senior Community Engagement Officer - Melbourne (on Maternity Leave until July 2022)
Lisa Carzino is the Senior Community Engagement Officer at Melbourne campus. She has over ten years’ experience across the education sector in a variety of student services, communications and administration roles. Most recently, she worked at Deakin University in the School of Psychology where she held roles in HDR student coordination, and project and executive support.
Lisa is passionate about education which engages students in their learning and connects with our broader community.
Caroline Allen
Senior Community Engagement Officer - Blacktown
Caroline joined ACU Engagement in 2020 working at the Blacktown campus. Originally from the UK, she is passionate about community engagement and the impact that working with community has on students. Caroline spent seven years at Western Sydney University working for The Academy program and most recently in community engagement. Prior to that, she worked for over a decade in marketing and program management for the State Government. She graduated with a Masters of Education (Social Ecology) in 2019.
Kimberley Fort
Senior Community Engagement Officer - Brisbane
Kimberley joins ACU Engagement with a background in youth mental health, tertiary institutions and teaching. In her previous role, working with the Student Enrichment team, she had the opportunity to nurture and build strong community partnerships with a wide range of staff, students and external groups.
Kimberley has a passion for connecting young people with services that bring social change and positive impact.
Alicia Bettles
Community Engagement Evaluator/Senior Community Engagement Officer – Brisbane
Alicia has joined the Brisbane ACU Engagement team after working across the university and vocational sector in QLD and NSW. In previously expanding pathways from school to further education and delivering a range of projects within student support and community development, she is now excited to connect this work to ACU’s agenda of social justice. Alicia is passionate about creating spaces that invite participatory engagement and support the empowerment and well-being of individuals and their broader communities.
Nicola Tait
Senior Community Engagement Officer – Canberra
Nicola joined ACU Engagement in 2018 as the Senior Community Engagement Officer at the Canberra campus. She has a strong background in accessibility and inclusion for tertiary students, including the role of Disability Advisor at ACU where she was able to build relationships with students, staff and the community.
Nicola is passionate about supporting people experiencing marginalisation and disadvantage and enthusiastic to connect staff and students with engagement opportunities in the local community.
Eleanor Duggan
Senior Community Engagement Officer - Melbourne
Eleanor joined the ACU Engagement team in Melbourne during July 2019 from the education sector. She is an accomplished educational program manager with over ten years of experience. Eleanor is driven to empower our young (and the ‘young at heart’!) to reach their potential through the provision of educational programs and pathways. Working in community engagement, Eleanor will be putting her passion into practice by supporting programs and placements for both staff and students of ACU.
Anna Vandierendonck
Community Engagement Officer –Melbourne
Anna joined the ACU Engagement Melbourne team in 2021. She has a strong background in program and project management across not-for-profit and major events sectors working with a wide range of groups, including school students, corporate teams, elite athletes and veterans. Anna is passionate about enhancing the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. She will be an asset to the running of the ‘Read to Learn’ program and other ACU Engagement community engagement initiatives within the Melbourne community.
Annie Dunn
Community Engagement Administration Officer – Brisbane
Annie joined ACU Engagement in 2020 and brings with her a background in working with young people and families in schools and community-based organisations. Having worked in the not-for-profit sector for a number of years Annie is passionate about organisations working together to build strong and thriving communities. Annie will be supporting the Community Engagement team in Brisbane.
