Executive Director, National Disability and Carer Alliance.

Kirsten Deane is currently the Executive Director of the National Disability and Carer Alliance. Until recently, Kirsten was the National Manager of Communications and Engagement at the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations and was a Director in the Information Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) team at the National Disability Insurance Agency.

Before joining the NDIA, she served as the inaugural Executive Director of the National Disability and Carer Alliance and the Deputy Campaign Director of the Every Australian Counts campaign for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. She also served as Co-Chair and Deputy Chair of the National People with Disability and Carer Council.

She has been a long term board member of both Down Syndrome Australia and Down Syndrome Victoria. A former journalist turned academic, Kirsten has three children and, as a result, has excellent conflict mediation skills.