heart first leadership

 

Our management team lead with empathy, humanity and authenticity. They understand and value the rights of people with a disability and know the importance of providing families with the opportunity to exercise choice. 

 

The Abacus Management Team are responsible for managing operations across the organisation. Our experienced staff include some of the most accomplished clinicians and advisors who have worked with autistic children for over 20 years.

 

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Our Management Team

 

  

 

Melissa Violani

Chief Executive Officer

 

Melissa is a seasoned leader with a background in economics and a wealth of leadership experience in the Private, Corporate, NFP and for-Profit sectors and brings a values-based approach as a visionary executive who is passionate about building a more inclusive and accessible community for people of all abilities.

With a keen eye for the bigger picture, Melissa excels in challenging environments, objectives and complex stakeholder settings and brings a perceptive approach by recognising trends. With a strengths-based approach in change management, formulating strategic, business, and operational plans, Melissa takes the lead in growth and development whilst enjoying working with others to collectively achieve confident outcomes with a successful track record in leading teams to deliver quality services in complex and margin-driven sectors.

  

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Lisa Wilson

Executive Manager – People, Risk and Safeguarding

 

Lisa is focused on child safety, human resource, risk and governance. Lisa brings over 20 years of experience in disability services and executive management across not-for-profits, local government and private sectors, with a strong track record of creating safe, inclusive and supportive environments.

Shaped by her own lived experience, Lisa brings a unique perspective and deep empathy for children, families, and staff. She will lead child-safety initiatives, oversee risk management, and strengthen governance, ensuring safety measures, staff training, and supervision are applied reliably and effectively.

 

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Georgia Lynch

Client Services Manager

 

Stepping into the role of Client Services Manager. Georgia brings a wealth of expertise and a warm, collaborative approach, and is instrumental in supporting both our Early Educator and Positive Behaviour Support teams.

Georgia is dedicated to exploring evidence-based strategies that promote meaningful inclusion and improved educational outcomes for Autistic learners. 

With a strong professional background in special education, Georgia has worked extensively in specialist school settings, supporting Autistic children with diverse needs. Her experience also includes early intervention, where she developed a deep commitment to neuro-affirming and strengths-based approaches.

 

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 Jody Grigglestone

Operations Manager

 

Jody has been a member of the Abacus team since 2011. She completed a Bachelor of Social Science at RMIT University in 2010 and volunteered with Oz Child working with vulnerable children out in the community while completing her degree. 

Jody started her Abacus journey as a therapist and moved into clinical roles such as training new therapists and case managing students before moving into operations.

Managing the day-to-day operations of our Centres, Jody schedules all therapy sessions and training in collaboration with the Clinical Manager. This also requires working with families during onboarding stages and the recruitment of new staff.