Meet the Team
Our team is small but mighty, made up of seasoned campaigners, policy enthusiasts, and passionate advocates dedicated to a safer future for all Australians.
Serena Joyner
CEO
Serena is an experienced community organiser, facilitator and project manager with deep expertise in supporting patient and carer advocates to make positive change in the health system.
Living in the Blue Mountains with her volunteer firefighter husband she has witnessed the impact of loss and threat to her community from bushfires, and seen first hand the impact of climate change on lives and communities.
Serena has been an active leader in the not-for-profit space helping to found and lead the Blue Mountains Ukulele Group and Festival, Resilient Blue Mountains, the Festival of Resilience and Macquarie Alliance for Climate.
Angela Frimberger
Government Relations Advisor
Angela has always cared deeply about the environment. That love naturally grew throughout her career as a biologist and veterinarian where she gained experience as a researcher and small business owner.
In her local area, Angela is active with the Energy Forever Community Renewable Energy Project and Business Port Macquarie (Chamber of Commerce). Angela also helped co-found and served as Deputy Chair of Veterinarians for Climate Action.
Although already a climate advocate when her home was threatened by bushfire in November 2019, the experience crystallised Angela's commitment to doing all she can to help protect the environment.
Ellen Burbidge
Communications & Digital Organiser
Ellen holds a Bachelor in Film & Television and has a background in performing arts. She has worked in presenting, filmmaking and podcast production, applying her skills to climate advocacy and environmental protection.
Working with organisations such as The Juice Media, Defend the Wild and Friends of the Earth, Ellen has produced impactful viral online content, campaigns and documentaries.
Having experienced the bushfires of 2019-20 near her hometown on the South Coast of NSW, Ellen is committed to amplifying the voices of bushfire affected community members.
Meet our Board
Jan Harris
Co-Chair & Co-Founder
A recently retired teacher, keen ocean swimmer and grandmother of three, Jan brings the raw clarity of lived experience to our team. After losing her home in the 2018 Tathra bushfires, she navigated the trauma, uncertainty, and long journey toward rebuilding - and experience that propelled her to speak out about the climate-fuelled disasters affecting her community.
Jan’s experience gives our organisation - and the broader movement - critical insight into what real, lasting support for climate-impacted communities looks like.
Jan is a fierce advocate for those on the frontlines and is particularly passionate about the impact of climate change on rural and First Nations communities.
Jo Dodds
Co-Chair & Co-Founder
Jo came to climate advocacy after many years working in community and social services including as a family counsellor and as a journalist with ABC South East. These roles and her current work as an Official Visitor with NSW Health (mental health) and previously as a councillor with Bega Valley Shire Council, mean she has a broad and very personal understanding of the strengths and vulnerabilities of her community.
Having experienced the Tathra and District Fire of March 2018 and the 2019-2020 fires of “Black Summer”, Jo is determined to use her skills as a communicator and advocate to call for climate action and to help others raise their concerns for community, homes, livelihoods and the environment.
Jack Egan
Secretary
Jack Egan lost his home in the Black Summer bushfires in Rosedale on New Year’s Eve 2019 - a devastating event that reshaped his community.
Jack is a strong public advocate for climate action, speaking across national media, community events and political forums to ensure survivor experiences are heard.
Jack is a teacher and community brings honesty, compassion and a clear survivor voice to BSCA’s work, with a focus on accountability and protecting communities from worsening climate impacts.
Monique Batterham
Board Member
A recent graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), she sought to channel her professional expertise into a not-for-profit organisation aligned with her values and lived experience.
As a long-time resident of Kurrajong, a community deeply impacted by climate-related disasters, Monique has witnessed firsthand the devastation wrought by both bushfires and floods. Her decision to join BSCA reflects a deep commitment to ethical leadership, community resilience, and meaningful stewardship in the face of escalating environmental risk.
Kate Olivieri
Board Member
Kate Olivieri is a regional policy specialist with over 20 years’ experience across Federal, State and Local Government. Her qualifications and extensive work experience across social policy, community programs, evaluation, education and international development bring a practical understanding of how policy meets real people’s lives.
Kate’s climate advocacy is shaped by lived experience, having survived the 2003 Canberra bushfires and later losing her home twice to catastrophic flooding in Lismore in 2017 and 2022. These events have driven her commitment to equitable, community-led resilience planning and stronger accountability for climate impacts.
Elly Baxter
Board Member
Elly is a senior climate campaigner on the Solutions for Climate Australia, working to drive stronger climate policies in Federal Parliament.
Elly has worked on award-winning media and communications campaigns in the arts, civil society and public health sectors. Prior to joining the climate movement she worked for more than a decade in leading theatre companies and ran a successful public relations consultancy. She volunteers with social justice organisations and enjoys participating in her community with her young family.
Elly was raised in country NSW and now lives on Gadigal land in Sydney.
Megan Kessler
Board Member
Megan was a founding member of the Parramatta Climate Action Network and has worked for numerous organisations seeking to reduce the impacts of climate change.
Megan has extensive NGO board experience including with the National Parks Association of NSW, the Nature Conservation Council of NSW and the Nature Conservation Trust of NSW.
Based on the mid north coast of NSW, Megan has seen the devastation that increasingly extreme climate disasters are having on our communities and is pleased to have joined BSCA’s efforts to ensure stronger climate action.