Our people
Board of Directors
Berenice Ferguson
Berenice Ferguson is a mother of 2 children, with another on the way. Her journey to motherhood took an unexpected detour when her firstborn was diagnosed with a hearing loss through the SWISH program. Berenice believes strongly in supporting parents and enabling them to become their child's best advocate. This journey has taken her to meet federal politicians and work with the NSW Government with the aim of improving services for all deaf and hearing impaired children. She is a member of North Shore Deaf Children's Association and has met some wonderful parents, who are great role models. She was the President for Parent Council for Deaf Education in 2006. In her spare time, she works as a Psychologist in a private practice in Beecroft, NSW.
Nicole Lawder
Nicole Lawder became the CEO of Deafness Forum of Australia in April 2006. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and a Masters of Business (eBusiness and Communication). Prior to taking up her position with Deafness Forum, Nicole was working with a range of public sector and private sector organisations, including the Australian Department of Families, Community Services, and Indigenous Affairs, Medicare Australia, Deloitte Consulting, the Australian Department of Workplace Relations and Small Business, and the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex.
Nicole has undertaken community work for the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and the Cancer Council, and was on the Board of Management of ACT Volunteering for two years. Nicole has immediate family members who are hearing impaired including her mother, who lost the hearing in one ear in her forties after an illness, her father who has military service-induced hearing loss and tinnitus, a stepson with industrial noise induced tinnitus, and her sister-in-law who has sensorineural deafness. Nicole lives in Canberra with her partner, where between the two of them there are five grown children, multiple grandchildren and owners of two enormous and energetic dogs.
Bruce Porter
Bruce Porter is an economist and valuer who has worked as an investment banker with Babcock & Brown Limited for 12 years. Bruce has a Bachelor of Economics (Business Finance major) and a Diploma of Business (Real Estate Valuation). He is an Associate of the Australian Institute of Valuers and a member of the Australian Property Institute as both a valuer and land economist. Bruce has a particular interest in ecologically sustainable development projects and in his spare time can be found road cycling or surfing at Manly beach. He is married to Ann Porter, the founder of Aussie Deaf Kids. Bruce and Ann have three daughters. Their youngest daughter has an acquired hearing loss. Bruce was Treasurer of Parent Council for Deaf Education in 2006/2007 and has been a proud supporter of Aussie Deaf Kids since its inception.
John Oliver
John Oliver is a retired investment banker and during his career held senior executive roles with Babcock & Brown Limited, NZI Securities Limited and Armco Financial Corporation. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia. John has been actively involved as a volunteer with a number of not for profit organisations both in Australia and overseas and is honorary Director /Treasurer of KOTO International Limited, which provides vocational training and assistance to disadvantaged and homeless youth in Vietnam.
Talal Yassine
Talal Yassine is a senior Investment Banker at Babcock & Brown. Prior to joining Babcock & Brown, Talal was a Director at PwC specialising in corporate and strategic advisory work. He commenced his career as a solicitor at national law firm, Dunhill Madden Butler.
Talal holds a Master of Business Administration, Master of Laws, and is currently working on his Doctorate in Business Administration, focusing on successful business strategy and leadership models in the APAC region.
Talal is the Deputy Chairman of the NSW Casino Control Authority, a member of the Health Care Advisory Council, has served on the Boards of Macquarie University and the Western Sydney Area Health Service and chairs several private companies.
Talal has been involved in numerous community and welfare organisations and has a special interest in the health care sector.
Staff
Ann Porter – Chief Executive Officer
Ann Porter is the founder of Aussie Deaf Kids and has taken on the position of Chief Executive Officer to achieve her vision of creating a leading website for families which is easy to use and provides families with the information they need to make both big and day-to-day decisions about raising their deaf child.
Ann is married with three daughters. Her youngest daughter was diagnosed with a profound unilateral hearing loss when she was 4 and lost the hearing in her other ear when she was 7.
Ann was born in Brisbane but grew up in South Africa where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy in 1980. She returned to Australia in 1981 and worked as an OT in Queensland and NSW before becoming a full-time mother. In 2005, she completed a Masters in eHealthcare through the University of Queensland.
Since the diagnosis of her daughter’s hearing loss in 1996, Ann has had various roles on the Management Committee of both North Shore Deaf Children’s Association and Parent Council for Deaf Education and the board of Deaf Children Australia. She was a member of the National Working Party on Captioning, Deafness Forum's Parents Access to Information Advocacy Campaign Committee and the Family Support Working Group of the NSW Ministerial Standing Committee on Hearing. Ann has spoken at a number of conferences regarding online support and information for parents raising a deaf child. She is now taking time out from committees and boards to do the thing she loves best – empowering families by providing them with reliable and meaningful information.