Rachel is a not-for-profit leader and human rights advocate with twenty years’ experience working in Australia and overseas to secure progressive, systemic change. She’s held senior leadership roles at the Human Rights Law Centre, Oxfam Australia and, most recently, the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, where she supported Assembly Members to negotiate the foundations for Treaty-making in Victoria.

Rachel has expertise working with diverse stakeholders to design and deliver strategies that challenge unfair power structures, including through rights-based advocacy and campaigns, strategic litigation, political engagement and corporate accountability.

Rachel holds degrees in politics and law from Monash University and a Masters of Laws from Columbia University in New York.

Melanie is an accredited editor, writer and communications specialist who is drawn to courageous individuals and organisations seeking to change the world for the better. It’s not by chance — more by her good fortune — she now finds herself working for the Reichstein Foundation.

En route she spent several years working for the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network (AEGN), whose inspiring membership — the Reichstein Foundation among them — are giving their all to protect nature and secure a safe climate through effective philanthropy.

Prior to joining the philanthropic world, Melanie worked for more than 20 years in consultancy and in-house roles in the for-purpose and government sectors.

Melanie’s career began in the arts, and she holds qualifications in fine arts (painting) and communications, with postgraduate qualifications in international development and publishing and editing.

Jill’s commitment to social change philanthropy grew from her early involvement with the first women’s refuge in Victoria and with the community childcare movement. As chair of the Reichstein Foundation since 1987, Jill has been active in developing strategic partnerships and alliances towards growing progressive philanthropy as well as mentoring and resourcing new donors who are seeking to clarify their own philanthropic direction. Jill is on the board of the Trust for Young Australians, the Mietta Foundation and is a member of the Mannifera funding collective. Alongside Eve Mahlab, she co-founded the Australian Women Donors Network, now known as Australians Investing in Women. She has also served on the boards of Philanthropy Australia, the Foundation for Young Australians, Igniting Change, the Koorie Heritage Trust, Melbourne Community Foundation (now Australian Communities Foundation), Victoria University and the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network, which she chaired for six years.

Lucy is a lawyer and criminal justice reform advocate. She is currently based in the United States where she works as a public defender. In the US she has held positions with the Louisiana Capital Assistance Center, Reprieve, the San Francisco Public Defender, the Solano County Public Defender and the Office of the Public Defender in Maryland. The majority of her work has focused on representing people facing the death penalty. Prior to moving to the US, Lucy worked as a lawyer with Arnold Bloch Leibler and as a Senior Policy Adviser at the Federation of Community Legal Centres. Her work at the Federation focused on improving access to justice for people who cannot afford a lawyer. Lucy has degrees in law and history from the University of Melbourne. She also has an LLM from the New York University School of Law where she was a Lionel Murphy Postgraduate Scholar. Lucy is admitted to practice in New York, California and Victoria. Lucy has been a Trustee since 2002.

Tom is a Project Manager at Beulah, a property development firm based in Melbourne. Prior to joining Beulah, he worked as an architect at Bates Smart. He holds a Masters of Architecture from the University of Sydney. Prior to becoming an architect, Tom rowed for Australia for ten years, representing the country at a number of World Cups and World Championships. Tom has been a Trustee since 2006.

Simon is a co-founder of GoodWolf Partners. He supports Boards and Leadership Teams to explore, develop, and execute holistic strategies that bring social purpose agendas to life. As an expert facilitator and a born optimist, he has guided teams through challenging and exciting times of change, including in Executive roles at Trustee Companies and Family Offices.

His clients seek out his experience combining innovative models of ownership, control, and capital to help them create commercial and social value. He draws on an international career in finance, corporate mergers and acquisitions, strategy consulting, trustee services, philanthropy, and family office services; most recently as an executive at the Myer Family Company.

Simon sits on the Boards of Justice Connect and Outward Bound Australia, and he is the inaugural Chair of the Australian International Donors Network which is setting out to encourage more and better philanthropy and impact investing abroad.  He is also a Director of a social purpose business called PARK Social Soccer Company seeking to disrupt the traditional sportswear retail with a new take on the one-for-one model.

Simon feeds his ‘good wolf’ as a dad, a musician, and a passionate explorer of Australia’s great wilderness. He loves having a mountain ahead of him and his family at his back… there’s nothing quite like that feeling of reaching the summit with your pack.

Simon joined the Reichstein Foundation as a Trustee in May 2019. He has always admired the progressive change agenda of the Reichstein Foundation and is delighted to be part of shaping its next chapter.

Julian is Acting Director – Office of the CEO at the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency. He has extensive experience working with national and State based peak bodies focussed on young people, students, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and vulnerable families and children, as well as a Masters in Policy and Management. He has previously worked with the Victorian TAFE Students Network, Australian Youth Policy and Action Coalition, Youth Affairs Council of Victoria and was the Executive Officer with SNAICC, the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care, from 1998 to 2009. He was Director, Public Policy and Advocacy at the Berry Street Childhood Institute from 2009-2018. He has served on numerous boards and councils, including the Commonwealth Child Care Advisory Group. Julian has been a Trustee since February 2016.

Esther has a strong background in environmental advocacy, holding senior leadership positions at Environment Victoria and Moreland Energy Foundation in the late 1990s and early 2000s. As Executive Officer for Changemakers Australia, she worked closely with then CEO of the Reichstein Foundation to get the 2013 Charities Act through Parliament. As Giving Green Manager at the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network, she helped funders drive positive environmental change through philanthropy and supported funder collaborations around climate change and sustainable food systems. 

Esther now focuses on supporting environmental organisations to become stronger and build capacity through Estuary Consulting. A particular passion is finding ways of unlocking capacity through collaboration. She coordinates the State and Territory Environment Forum a capacity-building collaboration between peak environment organisations. 

Esther is also the Chair of a new regional sustainability social enterprise, Mycelia Renewables. She is thrilled to be a trustee of the Reichstein Foundation, having admired the foundation’s progressive, change-oriented approach for many years

Amelia Telford (Millie) is a Bundjalung and South Sea Islander woman. As Acting Co-Executive Director and First Nations Justice Director at Australian Progress, Millie builds capacity of First Nations-led movements and advocacy across the country. Prior to Australian Progress, Millie co-founded and led Seed, Australia’s first Indigenous Youth Climate Network. Since Seed’s launch in 2014, the organisation expanded rapidly, becoming a national grassroots network that both connects and bolsters the voices of young Indigenous people for climate justice and the protection of land, water, culture and our future.