Chief Executive
Niall Fay
Our Chief Executive, Niall, stewards aligning our strategy with our purpose. With a diverse background in innovation and Research and Development across sectors, he brings a fresh perspective to the Foundation. At the heart of Niall's approach lies a deep belief in the power of community partnerships to address complex social challenges. He champions innovative and collaborative approaches, and embraces the potential of interdisciplinary collectives. Niall's engagement spans every facet of our work, fostering a culture of learning and iteration. He ensures that our values resonate not only through our partnerships but within our team. With a deep passion for creating sustainable pathways of change, Niall supports our partners to make lasting impact with and for communities. He envisions a future where collaboration with those most impacted and possessing valuable insights takes precedence, and where our Foundation plays a role in positive and transformative change in how we partner with community.
Executive Assistant
Megan Maxfield
As Executive Assistant to the CEO, Megan plays a central role in the Foundation – balancing high-level executive support with behind-the-scenes coordination that keeps the team moving. Her role spans complex scheduling, project oversight, and helping translate strategic intent into action. Megan draws on a strong foundation of cross-sector experience and a deep understanding of our focus areas, combined with a solutions-oriented approach to everything she does. She works closely with Niall and the team to create the infrastructure that supports how the work happens, enabling the team to focus on what matters while, in the background, things run smoothly, thoughtfully, and in line with the Foundation’s values. Reach out to Megan if you’re interested in how we shape internal practice to reflect our external purpose – or want to learn more about building operational support for a values-led organisation.
Community Partnerships and practice
Kate Arnold
As our Community Partnerships and Practice Manager, Kate ensures our mental health and wellbeing grants support communities and individuals to explore their big ideas. Kate is the Foundation’s lead support on the Our Town initiative and leads the design and implementation of our mental health grants: Spark, Discovery, and Strategic Partnerships. Through her role she ensures alignment of the Foundations strategy and operations. Kate joined Fay Fuller from the Don Dunstan Foundation with a background in community development and community services, and an educational background in Management and International relations. This experience informs and grounds Kate’s understanding of the challenges within the charity and non-profit sector when it comes to sourcing ongoing funding that is fit for purpose. In our current partnerships Kate supports strategic planning; balancing different needs, lenses, and priorities and bringing together the small details and the big picture. Kate is great to chat to if you have questions about our approach or practice, partnering with the Foundation, or have a general enquiry or support request.
Grants and Engagement
Marla Briscoe
Marla is a proud Warlpiri woman who has been living and working on Kaurna Country for over 20 years. As Grants and Engagement Manager, Marla leads the Foundation’s First Nations-led Health & Wellbeing Focus Area. Marla leads with building relationships with community members and organisations to understand ways to support social and emotional wellbeing for Community. Her work has included supporting the establishment of Spinifex Foundation SA, a First Nations-led philanthropic fund for South Australia. Marla’s experience spans managerial and coordination roles across the corporate, health and arts sectors. She brings this experience to her work at the Foundation, with a strong belief in the strength of community and the value of relationships weaving connections between people, organisations and opportunities, and supporting First Nations people and communities to lead the things that matter to them. Marla is always happy to connect with peers, communities and organisations to have conversations to build relationships, share ideas and explore partnerships that could support community priorities.
Strategic Impact and Learning
Alicia Smith
As our Strategic Impact and Learning Lead, Alicia holds the ongoing design, implementation and evolution of the Foundation’s social impact measurement and learning framework. Her role brings our team and partners together to uncover learnings, explore insights and share the strength and impact of our collective work to promote conditions for better mental health and wellbeing. Alicia’s career has focused on systems change and advocacy across government, independent oversight and academic roles, with a particular focus on children’s rights, equity and First Nations justice. She believes that real, generational change must be led by communities - and everyone has a role to play in mobilising and supporting collective advocacy efforts. You can reach out to Alicia if you would like to understand more about the Foundation's social impact measurement and learning framework.
grants and impact
Ameena Ansari
As our Grants and Impact Officer, Ameena supports the Foundation's grant making, impact measurement and learning activities, working across the breadth of the team to help surface and share the evidence and stories of our collective work with our partners. Ameena is a public policy and research professional with a career spanning gender studies and social justice, community development, and public health policy. She brings this grounding to our belief that communities hold the expertise to lead their own change. Her work draws on qualitative and quantitative research, including ethnographic fieldwork, participatory methods, and critical policy analysis, at the intersections of gender, public health, and social justice. For Ameena, evidence is strongest when it's built with community, not just about it, and she's passionate about ensuring the people closest to an issue are central to shaping the response. Get in touch with Ameena if you'd like to talk grants processes, share about social impact and learnings, or explore how community voice can shape stronger evidence.
Chair
David Minns
The Founder and Consultant of Chartered Accounting and Advisory firm Jaquillard Minns, and founder and director of a number of other businesses in the finance and investment sector, David brings invaluable business and governance experience and insights to his role as Chair of the Fay Fuller Foundation Board. David loves to assist others in formalising their charitable giving and founded JM Philanthropy to provide a bespoke service that helps people to identify and achieve their goals for giving. Aside from the Fay Fuller Foundation, David also gives his time to a number of Private Philanthropic entities.
Director
Nick Ross
Nick’s career has focused on investment and wealth management and running parallel has been a strong interest in philanthropy. He is a founding partner and managing director of Adelaide based Knightsbridge Wealth Management, which he helped establish in 2012. He also chairs the James and Diana Ramsay Foundation and serves as director of the Klein Family Foundation. He believes in taking a long-term view and focus on supporting what government is unwilling or unable to, or where there is the opportunity to collaborate for a stronger outcome. Nick also wants to see more activism in philanthropy and for foundations to step up and take ownership of projects, in order to make a difference.
Director
Carolyn Curtis
An experienced CEO and Non-Executive Director, Carolyn is currently the Chief Impact Officer with the Paul Ramsay Foundation. Prior to her recent appointment, Carolyn spent the past 11 years leading one of the world’s longest standing social innovation enterprises, The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI). Historically, Carolyn had a long career in State Government with her first role being a frontline social worker supporting vulnerable children, families and communities. For over a decade she moved between a number of practice, policy and leadership roles with the Department of Child Protection. Alongside a number of influential leadership roles, Carolyn has also put her 25 years of social policy and innovation experience to use as a Non-Executive Director, coach and mentor, supporting a number of NFP’s and social policy leaders across Australia. Carolyn is currently on the boards of Junction Australia and the Fay Fuller Foundation.
Director
Tanya McGregor
Tanya is a proud Yawaru woman with strong family connections to Broome, deeply guided by the values of culture, respect, and collective responsibility. Her purpose has always been to be an agent of change – to help shape systems that honour Aboriginal knowledge, strengthen communities, and deliver better outcomes for First Nations people. As CEO of the Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia (AHCSA), Tanya leads with the belief that real change happens when Aboriginal voices are centred in decision-making. She works alongside Member Services, partners, and governments to reform policy, build leadership, and grow community-controlled systems that reflect who and what First Nations’ communities value. With more than a decade of senior and executive experience across South Australia and the Northern Territory, including as South Australia’s Chief Aboriginal Health Officer, Tanya as seen the impact that collaboration, courage, and cultural integrity can create. Change doesn’t happen by chance – it happens when people listen deeply, lead boldly, and stay grounded in community. That’s the work that continues to inspire Tanya every day.
Get in touch
While we don't award grants outside of our open grant rounds we are always interested in hearing from people and organisations working in the mental health and wellbeing space.