The ACLF Team

The Australian Children’s Laureate Foundation relies on the skills, passion and abilities of many individuals in order to achieve its goals and meet its objectives. 

On this page you can find out more about the Laureate Patron, ACLF Board and ACLF staff.

The Laureate Patron: Noni Hazlehurst AM

“Serving as Laureate Patron since its beginning has been an honour and a privilege, and I am immensely proud to be associated with the work of the Foundation and its wonderful team. Our Laureates have done an extraordinary job – each bringing their unique talents and ideas to help us grow our impact and outreach – to a degree we couldn’t have imagined at the start. I look forward to seeing the next chapter unfold.”
– Noni Hazlehurst, ACLF Patron

About Noni

Noni is a respected and much loved performer, presenter, writer and director whose career extends across all media, theatre, film, radio and television. She has won many awards for her work including four AFI awards, Critic’s Choice, Matilda and Variety Club awards, and several  Logies, including induction into their Hall Of Fame, only the second woman to be named.

Her 23 years as a Playschool presenter and writer influenced Noni to become a passionate advocate for children’s welfare. She understands the importance and positive impact of reading and literacy for children. In 1996 she received an Order of Australia for her services to children and the performing arts, and she has been a Patron or Ambassador for several children’s welfare organisations, including Barnardo’s, the National Playgroup Association, Jannawi Family Centre, and Children’s Week.

Meet the ACLF Board

Bruce Ellis
ACLF Chair & Acting Treasurer

Bruce is a Partner at PWC in Melbourne with over 38 years’ experience in advising a broad range of clients with a focus on providing independent advice to financially successful individuals, families and business owners. Bruce is a Fellow and Accredited Financial Planning Specialist of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia. He holds a Bachelor of Business degree (with distinction) from RMIT. Bruce joined the ACLF Board in 2017.

Mandy van den Elshout
ACLF Deputy Chair

Mandy is a senior media lawyer who has worked with a number of major players including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation where she assisted program makers and journalists with defamation, contempt, contract, intellectual property, privacy and consumer law advice. Mandy has also acted as Legal Services Manager at the Australian Society of Authors and provided copyright advices for the Australian Copyright Council.  Mandy provides advice to authors and illustrators in relation to publishing through the Arts Law Centre of Australia’s pro bono service. Mandy holds a Bachelor of Arts/Law and Masters of Laws (LLM) both from the University of Sydney. Mandy joined the ACLF Board in 2016.

Megan Edwards

Megan Edwards is the CEO of the Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA), Australia’s leading professional association supporting primary educators in the teaching of English and literacy. With more than 20 years’ experience across general management, strategic leadership, stakeholder engagement, operations, marketing and communications, Megan has spent over a decade working within the not-for-profit sector, leading initiatives that strengthen professional learning and improve educational outcomes for teachers and students alike. A graduate of King’s College London with a BA in English Language & Literature, Megan is deeply passionate about literacy education, children’s literature, and the role high-quality English teaching plays in building knowledge, opportunity and lifelong learning. She is particularly interested in helping schools and systems connect reading, writing, oral language, vocabulary and knowledge-building into coherent, sustainable literacy practice. Megan joined the ACLF Board in 2026.

Ron Gorman

Ron is an educational consultant, and the former Deputy Director of the Australian Independent Schools Western Australia (AISWA) where he managed innovative programmes and university partnerships. He has extensive experience in teaching and leading schools. Ron has made outstanding contributions to the study and practice of educational leadership at state, national and international levels and has both presented widely, and edited and contributed to numerous publications. Ron was awarded the 2019 Pre-Eminent Leader of WA by the Australian Council of Educational Leadership, been awarded a National Fellowship, and is a member of the Global Educators Leaders Partnership. Ron advocates for Australian authors and illustrators, and is committed to supporting emerging authors in remote Indigenous communities. Ron joined the Board of ACLF in 2013, holding the position of Chair from 2016–2018. 

Kim Kane

Kim is the author of over 28 books for children and young adults, published in Australia and overseas. Before she commenced writing full time, Kim was an intellectual property and commercial lawyer. Kim was the Vice Chair of Express Media Inc. She also sat on the board of the Australian Teachers of Media (Vic) (ATOM). Kim completed a Law (Hons)/Arts (Hons) degree from Melbourne Uni with honours in German and Fine Arts. She also completed RMIT’s Diploma in Professional Writing and Editing. Kim is currently undertaking a PhD in children’s literature at Monash University. Kim joined the ACLF board in 2015.

Andrea Lewis

Andrea Lewis is a strategic community engagement and partnerships leader with extensive experience across the education, arts, corporate, and not-for-profit sectors. Since 2003, she has worked extensively in the development and promotion of children’s literacy initiatives, building meaningful connections between young people, authors, educators, and communities. Andrea holds a Bachelor of Business (Convention and Event Management) and as CEO/Festival Director of Somerset Storyfest, has led the transformation of the organisation into a nationally recognised cultural and literacy initiative, establishing strong partnerships across government, philanthropic, corporate, and community sectors. Andrea has held governance and advisory roles across a range of organisations, including Chair of the Gold Coast Film Festival and Co-Chair of Tugun Community Bank. She is passionate about championing young people, storytelling, and the transformative impact of literature and the arts within communities and joined the ACLF Board in 2026.

Meet the ACLF Staff

Kristin Darell 
ACLF Program Director 
Email Kristin

Kristin has been writing in some form or another for more than 25 years and is now the best-selling author of ten books for children. Since graduating from Macquarie University with a Bachelor of Laws degree and receiving a Diploma of Journalism from Macleay College, Kristin worked at the Seven Network, Australian News Channel and the ABC as a reporter, a writer and producer of news, sport and current affairs. Kristin also works as a copywriter, in a range of subject areas across digital and print mediums. Kristin is an active member of the Australian children’s literature community as an author and through the CBCA (NSW), SCWBI and DANZ Awards. The ACLF welcomed Kristin to the team in 2019.

Justine Burton
ACLF Program & Events Manager
Email Justine

Justine is an experienced marketing, administration and events manager. She has worked across a number of industry areas for organisations including Trivett. AMP, Adcorp and Air Media. She has been responsible for running large corporate events, coordinating advertising and marketing campaigns and developing social media strategies. Justine spent the past decade in the United States and is now excited to be back in Australia and bringing her skills to supporting the Laureate program. Justine joined the ACLF team in 2022.