Meet our team

(pronounced ‘Farlert’)  

One of Australia’s pioneering social entrepreneurs, Matt is helping to shape regional and rural Australia through igniting entrepreneurship in young people and their communities.

Matt started his first social enterprise in 1993 at the age of 23, working with ‘at risk’ young people in wilderness settings. His passion and drive for positive social outcomes saw him receive the prestigious Young Australian of the Year Award in 1996.

Motivated by a desire to create prosperous, healthy, thriving communities, in 2016 as co-founder and CEO of the Australian Centre for Rural Entrepreneurship (ACRE), Matt led a $2.5M community buy-back of the Old Beechworth Gaol. A neglected Australian heritage icon famed for its connection to Ned Kelly and the Kelly Gang and located in Matt’s hometown. The site is being re-purposed as an exemplar of social enterprise, impact investment and rural rejuvenation through community-owned assets.

In partnership with Scotland’s world-leading Social Enterprise Academy, ACRE operates the Social Enterprise Academy Australia, centred on training young people and communities to build sustainable enterprises and achieve greater social impact.

In July 2018, Matt co-founded The Social Enterprise Network of Victoria (SENVIC), the state’s first practitioner network for social entrepreneurs.

Matt was a speaker and expert panel presenter at the Social Enterprise World Forum in 2018 in Scotland and was one of only four co-convenors of the inaugural Social Enterprise Rural Symposium to coincide with the world forum last year.

As our Social Enterprise Schools Learning Coordinator, Tom is supporting young change makers by ensuring high quality delivery and ongoing expansion of the program nationally, and tapping into professional links and resources available across the global Social Enterprise Academy network. The role is a perfect fit for Tom who is passionate about young people being empowered in their learning and believing in their ability to make the changes to the world that they see as important.

“I like working at the Academy because I love how dynamic the team is, always full of ideas and inspiration. I think the people who gravitate to a place like SEA are very energetic and motivated to make a difference!”

Sarah has over 25 years experience in the Community Services, Arts, Allied Health, Local Government and Education sectors developing and coordinating a diverse range of community based programs.

As ACRE’s Program Manager – Learning and Development, Sarah supports the delivery of learning and development programs offered by Social Enterprise Academy Australia.

Sheree has spent the majority of her career in outdoor and experiential education, program coordinating and facilitating across multiple sectors. Sheree’s experience spans multiple countries, fields and audience groups including recreation, not-for-profit, higher education, schools, military, volunteer, disabilities, refugees, all age groups and many different cultures. Sheree has a strong passion for creating positive learning and development opportunities for others.

As Program Coordinator, Sheree helps support the team and participants to create a great user experience for both Social Enterprise Academy Australia and ACRE.

Rebecca is proud to support the delivery of the Social Enterprise Academy and ACRE’s first larger scale Social Enterprise Schools program in NSW.  ACRE is a recipient of a NSW Department of Education Student Wellbeing Innovation Fund which will see many more schools take part, extending the Social Enterprise Schools program in NSW.  In 2024, 20 primary and secondary schools across NSW will receive a fully funded and facilitated place, helping build a strong network of young enterprising people.

Rebecca is the founder of her own social enterprise, an experienced educator and secondary teacher, project manager, and an Associate Facilitator with the Social Enterprise Academy.

Samm has collected over 25 years’ experience in the Disability, Arts, Health and Community Services sectors developing, facilitating and coordinating a diverse range of community based programs and workshops.

Throughout her career, in her capacity as a facilitating artist Samm has worked alongside youth and adults at risk, and with adults with diverse intellectual and physical needs.  In addition to her Artist qualifications, Samm is a qualified Counsellor and has, in her past been a Registered Nurse, and in both capacities, being drawn to working with ageing adults both in clinical and community settings.  Samm has also worked in both mainstream and specialist education settings, as a project based Artist and in her capacity as Counsellor.

Behind the scenes, Samm manages her nature based Creative Residencies business, which invites people to spend time in and around the great outdoors, to work on their own creative endeavours while all the “other things” are taken care of.  The endless beauty of the North East of Victoria has been a lifelong inspiration and is the place that most deeply resonates with Samm. She feels so lucky to be able to share her “home” with others.

Working creatively, listening intentionally and with consideration to others and their stories, and finding “outside of the box” solutions to life’s puzzles are the motivations that drive Samm.   In her role as a Facilitator for ACRE, Samm is excited to use her passion for communicating and sharing knowledge in an inspiring, meaningful and inclusive way.