Staff & Associates
Eric Sidoti, Director has been actively engaged in public policy development, strategic planning and communications throughout his career. For over a decade, prior to his appointment at the Whitlam Institute, Eric managed Strategic Options, his own small consultancy. This enabled him to develop long-term relationships with a small number of clients, principally the Dusseldorp Skills Forum and the Australian Red Cross in addition to the Enterprise and Careers Education Foundation, Greening Australia and Job Futures. He has been engaged in projects across a broad range of policy fields (education, training and employment; human rights; development; Indigenous land rights and education; humanitarian law and conflict; and welfare issues).
Eric was the Executive Director of the Human Rights Council of Australia (HRCA) 1992 - 1995, Communications Director of Amnesty International Australia 1987 – 1992 and National Secretary of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace 1985-1987.
Anna Yeatman is currently a professorial research fellow attached to the Whitlam Institute in the University of Western Sydney. From 2008-2012 she was the director of the Centre for Citizenship and Public Policy at UWS. Before this she was a Canada Research Chair in Political Science at the University of Alberta (2003-8), and before that she was the Chair of Sociology at Macquarie University (1993-2003). Recent publications include: Individualization and the Delivery of Welfare Services (2009), and two co-edited collections, State, Security and Subject Formation (Continuum 2010) and Action and Appearance: Ethics and the Politics of Writing in Hannah Arendt (Continuum 2011). She is working on a set of essays on contemporary civil philosophy.
She is also a trained Feldenkrais practitioner who sustains a modest Awareness through Movement (ATM) and Functional Integration (FI) practice. Read Professor Anna Yeatman's full CV here.
Our program team:
Sandra Stevenson is the Senior Program Manager. Sandra has a legal background in the private and community legal sectors. For the past 12 years she has worked at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre as solicitor and coordinator of the Public Interest Law Clearing House, managing its pro bono referral scheme and access to justice projects.
Her work on a diverse range of projects including indigenous justice, consumer protection, workplace issues for people with disability, unlawful detention of young people, protection for refugees and education and training for not for profit community organisations, has enabled her to work closely with the public, private and community legal sectors and a range of community sector organisations and peak bodies.
Amy Sambrooke is the Whitlam Institute's Communications Coordinator. Amy has a strong background in media, having worked as a producer at 702 ABC Sydney for several years. Amy has completed a Bachelor in Media in Writing at Macquarie University and a Graduate Diploma in Radio Broadcasting at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. Amy has worked as a producer at the ABC and in commercial radio and has presented and produced programs on various community stations. Amy is currently studying part-time for a Master of Arts in Modern History, and in her spare time enjoys working in her local community garden.
Chris Wrightson is working part-time as a Research Assistant at the Whitlam Institute. Chris is working primarily on the Whitlam Institute’s education projects, in particular the Federalism and Australian Schooling project. After completing a Bachelor of Business at UTS, Chris spent 8 years working at the Dusseldorp Skills Forum on a range of projects focusing on the engagement of young people in education and training. Chris also has an interest in online communications and communities. Recently, Chris has been busy with her young family and working with her husband.
Our administration team:
Lorraine Starr is the Manager (Administration) with the Institute. Commencing with the Institute in December 2011, Lorraine has over nineteen years experience at UWS all within the Faculty, College, Schools and Centres in the Business and Commerce areas. Prior to joining the Institute her most recent appointment was as School Manager with the School of Accounting based on Parramatta Campus, where she has worked since the opening of the campus. Lorraine is a member of the Association for Tertiary Education Management (ATEM) and the Australian Institute of Management (AIM).
Georgia Hannouch is the Project Support Officer at the Institute. Although new to the Institute, Georgia has previous experience at UWS, having most recently worked in the Assessment and Graduation Unit as a Graduation Officer. Her current role sees her supporting all program areas such as our events, exhibitions, schools program and publications. She has a Bachelor of Education from the University of Sydney, and she spends her free time dabbling in various crafts such as cake decorating.
