Our people
Our dedicated and diverse team, alongside our committed Board, bring a wealth of expertise and passion to our mission. Together, we work to support and advocate for the safety, wellbeing, and rights of women and their children across South Australia.
Mary Leaker
General Manager
Mary Leaker commenced as General Manager of Embolden in July 2023 and is a Board member of WESNET, the national peak body for specialist women’s domestic and family violence services. With a background in social work and social policy, Mary has diverse experience across delivery and management of non-government services and strategic policy and projects for government. She has a longstanding commitment to social justice, gender equality and women’s safety and wellbeing, and has published peer-reviewed research on gendered violence against street-based sex workers in Adelaide.
Between 2018 and 2021, she led a whole-of-government project to improve how SA public sector agencies prevent, identify and respond to violence against women, in partnership with Our Watch and White Ribbon Australia. Over 2022-23, she undertook a Churchill Fellowship in the UK to gain insights into how coercive control laws are operating on the ground and emerging impacts for victim-survivors. She is a mother of three teenagers, keen hiker, grammar nerd and lover of obscure alt-country.
Bindy Taylor
Engagement and Operations Officer – Part time
Bindy joined Embolden on a part-time basis in February 2024, having previously worked in community engagement, communications, event management and various leadership roles in the not-for-profit sector.
She is excited to be part of Embolden at such a critical time and is passionate about people living fulfilling lives that are free from violence. Bindy holds qualifications in leadership, communications, disabilities, community engagement and is an internationally accredited life coach.
Elsa Reuter
Senior Policy Officer – Part-time
Elsa Reuter joined Embolden in July 2024, having previously worked as a project officer across several State Government agencies.
She is passionate about inclusion and equitable access to effective and appropriate services for all South Australians. Elsa holds qualifications in science, history, and teaching.
Roshni Thattengat
Senior Policy Officer – Part-time
Roshni joined Embolden as a staff member in July 2024 after completing a social work placement focussed on strengthening lived experience engagement practices across the specialist DFSV service sector.
Roshni has previously worked in student engagement roles in the higher education sector, specialising in the strategies for meaningful learning at university.
She is excited to be joining Embolden at a pivotal time for addressing the injustice of domestic, family and sexual violence in South Australia, and will be supporting the specialist DFSV service sector’s collective response to the Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence.
Roshni holds qualifications in social work, medical science and biotechnology.
Liz Somers
Communications Officer – Part-time
Embolden is grateful to have Liz join us for a few hours per week. Liz joined Embolden in early 2024, bringing with her the knowledge and experience she has developed in her ongoing role as Fundraising, Sponsorship & Communications Officer with Embolden member organisation Women’s Safety Services SA.
Liz is a communications and stakeholder management professional with extensive experience across the not-for-profit sector and is thrilled to have the opportunity to put her skills to use with Embolden during this critical time for the domestic, family and sexual violence sector.