Our Staff

Olga Havnen AM

Chief Executive Officer

Olga Havnen is the Chief Executive Officer of Our Ways Strong Together. A respected leader across the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO) sector, Olga brings extensive experience in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, advocacy and community leadership.

Olga previously served as CEO of Danila Dilba Health Service, where she led significant initiatives to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Olga has also been a strong advocate for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. She has spoken both nationally and internationally, including at the United Nations, calling for reforms to laws that disproportionately impact and incarcerate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people.

Olga also played a key role in the successful campaign that prevented a proposed Woolworths Group alcohol superstore from being built near a dry Aboriginal community in Darwin, a five-year effort that highlighted the power of community-led advocacy.

Brendan Egan

Chief Operating Officer

Brendan Egan is the Chief Operating Officer of Our Ways Strong Together. Brendan is an experienced executive leader in For Purpose (NFP) organisations, working across a range of sectors and with extensive experience working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander led organisations.

Brendan has worked extensively in CFO and COO roles in the For Purpose sector over more than 20 years. Most recently he was the COO of CareerTrackers Indigenous Internship Program Limited and has previously held similar roles with Capital Health Network Limited, Goodwin Aged Care Services Limited, Aboriginal Hostels Limited, and Reconciliation Australia Limited. Brendan is also an experienced Company Secretary, having held that position with each of those organisations, as well as Healthdirect Australia Limited, and Plant Health Australia. Brendan is a Fellow of CPA Australia and the Governance Institute of Australia, and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Brendan has been engaged as a consultant in the For Purpose sector, providing governance, strategy, financial management, and broader management services to a diverse range of organisations, delivering governance training, strategic planning, and other business improvement services. At Parbery Consulting, Brendan led the establishment of a For Purpose consulting capability.

Brendan is currently the Chair of the Indigenous Reading Project and previously was a member of the ACT Reconciliation Council.

Zachariah Matysek

Director, Policy, Research and Data

Zachariah Matysek is a Kemer Kemer Meriam man from Zenadth Kes, the Torres Strait, and a nationally recognised leader with a strong record of driving systems and structural reform at the highest levels of government.

His leadership has focused on shifting national systems, so they are more accountable, culturally grounded and led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Zachariah has helped shape major national reforms across housing, homelessness, infrastructure, Closing the Gap, community control and Indigenous governance, with a consistent focus on embedding self-determination into policy design, investment decisions and implementation frameworks.

Zachariah has led and influenced reform that has strengthened Indigenous decision-making, improved national accountability mechanisms, and created clearer pathways for governments to partner with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. His work has contributed to dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander outcomes frameworks, nationally led assurance processes, stronger oversight arrangements, and policy architecture that better reflects the priorities, rights and lived realities of First Nations peoples.

He is recognised for his ability to work across communities, governments, national peaks and industry to turn complex reform agendas into practical systems change. His leadership is grounded in deep cultural knowledge, trusted relationships, strategic discipline and a clear commitment to nation-building.

Zachariah’s work is driven by a vision for a stronger Australia — one where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-determination is embedded in national systems, not treated as an aspiration, and where reform delivers measurable change for communities across generations.

Tom Nightingale

Director, Communications and Engagement

Tom Nightingale is Director of Communications and Engagement, leading the team responsible for membership onboarding, communications and stakeholder management.

He previously worked at Carers Australia, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ageing and Aged Care Council, Red Cross, and Victorian Treaty Advancement Commission. He also spent 11 years as a journalist with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Dr Suzanne O’Neill

Senior Manager, Policy, Research and Data

Dr Suzanne O’Neill is the Senior Manager for Policy Research and Data at Our Ways Strong Together.

Suzanne comes with extensive experience in policy and program development, delivery and evaluation at local, regional and national levels across Australia, as well as across the Pacific region. She has worked on the ground with First Nations communities and organisations to develop and evaluate community-led strategies to redress the impact of alcohol use and family violence across the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. Most recently, Suzanne worked as Director of Research, Policy and Evidence at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Association (NATSIHA), the national peak community-controlled body established to advocate for better housing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across the country. In NATSIHA, Suzanne’s work supported the Housing Policy Partnership to reach agreement on priorities to drive change on policy – and improve housing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across the country.

Suzanne’s doctoral research explored the politics of aid in the Pacific – examining the influence of power relations on the effectiveness of Australia’s aid in Samoa and Kiribati.

Stacy Swanton

Communications and Engagement Advisor

Stacy Swanton is a proud Gamilaraay woman and the Communications and Engagement Advisor at Our Ways Strong Together.

Stacy is building a career grounded in Country and Culture, with a strong commitment to creating positive change and removing barriers for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Deeply connected to her culture from a young age, her experience working at Bandalang Studios at the Australian National University reinforced her passion for supporting and empowering Indigenous communities through meaningful and impactful work.

With experience across the Australian Public Service and Higher Education sectors, Stacy is an expert in communications, stakeholder engagement, project coordination, and event management. She brings a collaborative and culturally informed approach to her work, helping foster strong relationships, amplify Indigenous voices, and drive engagement that delivers lasting outcomes.

Biljana Catanzariti

Secretariat

Biljana Catanzariti is an experienced administration, governance, and secretariat professional with more than nine years of experience supporting Australian Government agencies. Throughout her career, she has developed extensive expertise in governance coordination, committee and board support, executive administration, stakeholder engagement, records management, and business operations.

Biljana has worked across a range of Commonwealth departments and agencies, including the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, National Emergency Management Agency, Department of Health and Aged Care, Department of Veterans’ Affairs, National Museum of Australia, and the Department of Education and Training. Her experience encompasses providing high-level secretariat support to advisory committees, boards, and evaluation panels, coordinating meetings and governance activities, preparing briefing materials, managing records and correspondence, and supporting procurement and administrative processes.

She is recognised for her strong organisational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage competing priorities in fast-paced environments. Biljana has consistently demonstrated the ability to build productive relationships with stakeholders at all levels, deliver high-quality administrative and governance services, and contribute to continuous business improvement initiatives.

With a professional, collaborative, and solutions-focused approach, Biljana is committed to supporting effective decision-making and organisational success through the delivery of efficient governance, administration, and secretariat services. Her broad public sector experience, combined with excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, enables her to consistently deliver positive outcomes in complex and demanding environments.

Jessica Fox

Senior Project Officer, Member Support

Jessica is a qualified social worker with ten years’ experience in the domestic, family and sexual violence sector across research, advocacy, and direct practice. Over the past five years, she has worked in academic teaching and research, completing doctoral research focused on improving domestic, family and sexual violence support services for people with disabilities.

Before moving into academia, Jessica worked in frontline domestic, family and sexual violence services, disability support and youth work. More recently, she has worked in the Aboriginal community-controlled domestic, family and sexual violence policy and research sector.

Jessica is a proud neurodivergent woman and disability advocate who brings a strong commitment to human rights, social justice, and relationship-building to her work.