Autism CRC welcomes Katharine Annear to the Board

Autism CRC is delighted to welcome Katharine Annear to our Board of Directors.

Katharine is a registered Developmental Educator, a Casual Academic at Flinders University, and has served on local and national not-for-profit boards for over 20 years. These include incorporated associations and companies limited by guarantee, in the Disability and Arts industries, and National Disabled People’s Organisations.

Katharine is a founding member of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network of Australia and New Zealand and has spent more than 15 years in the autism advocacy space, in both grassroots and high-level policy settings.

Katharine also sits on the ministerially appointed Autism Advisory Group for the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), and the Children, Young People and Families Reference Group for the NDIA’s Independent Advisory Council.

‘I welcome the opportunity to serve the Autism CRC in this important transitional phase. I look forward to adding my lived and professional experience to the board as it shapes the future for Autism research and translation’, Katharine said.

Katharine is a passionate advocate for co-design in research and public policy and the translation of research and policy into meaningful practice for disabled people; with a particular emphasis on including the most marginalised people.

Autism CRC Chair, Professor Robert van Barneveld, said he is looking forward to Katharine’s contribution to the Board. 

‘I am very pleased to welcome Katharine to the Autism CRC Board, and I have no doubt their experience and expertise will bring immense value to the organisation,’ Robert said.

Katharine brings lived experience as an Autistic person who also has numerous Autistic family members. This is complemented by almost 20 years as a practicing Developmental Educator working predominantly with Autistic individuals who have complex support needs and their families.