Silvana is one of the founders of Autism West (now Spectrum Space), which was developed out of the parent run group FOCAS (Focus on Children on the Autism Spectrum), established in 2001. A parent of a child with autism, she is a passionate autism advocate, working tirelessly to improve services for individuals and their families. Silvana was one of the winners in the Impact 25 awards 2016.
Jacinta joined the board at the end of 2018. She is currently the ambassador for the Curtin Specialist Mentoring Program and works as the Neurodiversity and Inclusion Cultivator at idoba. She graduated in 2016 from Curtin University with a Bachelor of Science Majoring in Physics in the Astrophysics Stream. Jacinta is an autistic woman who is passionate about educating others about autism and the strengths of people with autism. She has presented at a number of events for Spectrum Space and Curtin University and is also a mentor to young people on the spectrum.
Mark is a CPA qualified finance professional with over 25 years’ resources industry experience, having operated in an executive CFO capacity for mining organisations both locally and overseas for a number of years. Mark holds a Bachelor of Business degree and an MBA from the University of Western Australia. Mark is a parent of a child with autism.
Peta, an organisational development facilitator and coach, is driven by a fervour for empowering individuals to realise their full potential. With a commitment to community impact, she holds an MBA in Leadership from the University of Western Australia. Since joining the board in December 2022, Peta actively contributes to fostering effective change within the community.
Steve joined the Board in February 2016, and has worked extensively within the non-government sector, holding policy positions in mental health and primary health care sectors early in his career. Steve is now working as a management consultant across the health, ageing and disability sectors. He holds Science and Arts degrees from the Australian National University.
Ursula is an Associate Lawyer specialising in family law at Leach Legal. She is especially passionate about advocating for parents of autistic children and joined Spectrum Space as a board member in May 2021. Ursula also volunteers for two of our social groups and has presented at our Symposium in the past. When she is not busy working and volunteering, she loves getting stuck into Stephen King novels – she highly recommends The Stand – and spending time with her beloved cat, Walter.
