Governance Committee Members

About Us

CRCC Board Members

Canberra Rape Crisis Centre

(The information on this page is in the process of being updated)

Lessli Strong – Chair

Lessli has been a practicing Solicitor since 1984, although she is now semi retired. During her career she specialised in family law, domestic violence and child welfare. She has been a researcher, instructor, lecturer, mentor and examiner in family law. Lessli established and managed a sole practice legal firm, specialising in family law, domestic violence and child welfare matters. She represented children in the Family Court, the Federal Circuit Court and in the ACT Children’s Court. Lessli has been the Vice President and founding member of the Canberra and Region Family Law Professionals Association. She was a member of the advisory panel for the introduction of Working with vulnerable people legislation in ACT and also a member of the advisory panel for introduction of Sexual and Violent Offences Legislation Amendment legislation in ACT. 

Rossana Carr – Deputy Chair

Rossana has a Bachelor of Arts (Management) from the University of Canberra and a strong focus on stakeholder engagement. She is a Director within the Commonwealth Public Service with extensive management experience gained through her 20 plus year tenure. Rossana specialises in the management of remote operational teams and outreach programs. During her career she has managed programs responsible for human resources, finances, business and risk management, training and assessment and industry engagement. One of Rossana’s major achievements is the implementation of an outreach program for plant product exporters worth more than $13 million over 4 years covering all states and territories within Australia. 

Valerie Papin – Treasurer

Valerie is a Director at ACT NoWaste, part of the Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate, where she works on major projects, data intelligence and internal business processes. She is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and has completed most of the training required by CPA Australia as she spent most of her career acting as a Business Analyst and a Management Accountant in her home country of Canada. Valerie holds a dual MBA from Cornell University and Queens University and has previous experience volunteering with non-for-profit organisations.

Carolyn Brassil – Secretary

Carolyn is a Partner of Callida Consulting, a mid-tier Canberra based consulting firm where she leads the strategy, operations, workforce and change capabilities. Prior to consulting, Carolyn worked for nearly 20 years across the Australian Government including over eight years in the senior executive service leading compliance strategy and corporate services. Carolyn has a Bachelor of Business Administration, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a certified Organisational Coach (Level 1, IECL) and a certified professional member of the Australian Human Rights Institute. Carolyn joined the Board in May 2021.

Juliet Moody

Juliet Moody is a comedian, musician and writer, best known for her role as the short-half of musical comedy duo Sparrow-Folk. In 2016, she founded the Fearless Initiative – a charity organisation using comedy as a platform to raise funds and awareness for victims of Family Violence. The organisation has raised over $100,000 for charities supporting survivors in the ACT community. The initiative was created to mark 10 years free from her own experience of Family Violence and to provide hope for other victims. Juliet was recently recognised for her work in violence prevention in the community as a finalist in the 2018 ACT Australian of the Year Awards.

Melinda Tarrant 

Melinda has worked as a financial services senior executive and business leader, contributing to strategy development and driving business results. She has a Bachelor of Commerce (UNSW). She has served on the Board of Bicycle NSW since 2014 to create a better environment for bicycle riders and currently holds the role of President. She has contributed to several other Boards and not for profits in both Director and management roles. She recently retired and is transitioning to Canberra where she is keen to be an active volunteer supporting the local community. Melinda joined the Board in February 2022.