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About Us
Experienced social policy and communications specialists, with a proven track record of delivering social outcomes for high profile projects and clients such as University of New South Wales, Aboriginal Affairs NSW and Department of Planning, Industry and Environment and Transport for NSW
WHO WE ARE
Impact Policy is a 100% Aboriginal owned business, launched to provide social policy and digital communication services, embedding every project we deliver in a critical First Nations lens.
​We launched Impact Policy to partner with clients to navigate complex social policy, we are highly experienced and passionate about Aboriginal Affairs, Planning, Industry and Environment, Health, Justice and Youth and Community services.
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Impact Policy is underpinned by four key principles;
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Access
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Equity
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Inclusion
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Justice ​​
We partner with clients and associates when projects we collaborate on share these principles and together navigate strategic solutions to complex and exciting social projects.
Founder and Managing Director
Sam Johnson is a proud First Nations man raised within the strong Aboriginal community of Glebe, Sydney. Sam’s cultural ties are to the Djaara/Yuin nation and is actively raising his family in Maroubra with close connections to the staunch Aboriginal communities within South Sydney.
​Experienced leader coordinating high profile projects and operating as a trusted advisor for Government Secretaries and Senior leaders, coordinating whole of Government complex social policy projects. Including but not limited to coordinating Bowraville Solution Brokerage, the establishment of the Aboriginal Languages Trust and the establishment of the Roads to Home program. All of which are sensitive, high profile state wide projects.
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Before moving into the Public sector I spent over ten years in the Not for Profit sector. Managing local and state-wide projects for NGO’s such as PCYC NSW where I received employee of the year and the Australian Red Cross where I led the NSW Pilot into Post Release Mentoring for men exiting prison, following this then went on to lead the Dual Diagnosis team for a community not for profit in Waterloo, Sydney. leading our team to an excellence in treatment award for programs and services for Aboriginal young people.
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I share my lived experience around childhood trauma, social disadvantage, homelessness, out of home care and impacts of forced child removal policies. These perspectives are also informed by years of academic education and years of professional experience and success at the most senior and complex of projects.
Graduating from UNSW with honours in Social Science, majoring in Criminology and completed Masters of Teaching studies.
​Outside of Impact Policy, As a father of five i live my values through Spark Impact, reinvesting funding and resources into the provision of sport and recreation programs that are accessible for all young people in the Redfern and Wooloomooloo community.
​I am passionate about values based leadership, survivors as practitioners, lived experience and story telling.
I am passionate about co-design with communities and stakeholders when the core principles are present to inform the development of service, policy and project design.
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Sam Alderton-Johnson
Sean McCarthy
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Director of Research & Policy
Sean is the Director of Research and Policy at Impact Policy. Sean is a proud Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung man currently living on Gadigal land in Sydney.
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Prior to joining Impact Policy, Sean had a career spanning 12 years in the Commonwealth and State Public sectors. Sean is experienced in project management, program management, evaluations, policy analysis, development and design, research, community engagement and governance.
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Sean is passionate and experienced in co-design, implementing this approach when working on policy, community engagement, evaluation and research projects
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Jessie Robinson
Senior Consultant - Co-Design and Engagement
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Jessie (he/him) is a proud Wiradjuri man connected to Bogan River Country in Peak Hill, where he spent his formative years. Jessie now resides, works and raises his family in Dubbo, also on Wiradjuri Country.
With 15 years of professional experience, Jessie serves as a Specialist Consultant at Impact Policy, specialising in Co-design and Strategic Engagement Practices. He is committed to guiding stakeholders in safely engaging with First Nations people and communities to foster social and systemic change.
Throughout his career in the Not-for-Profit Sector, Jessie has focused on community service, taking on roles in Operations, Management, Strategy, and Advocacy. A Systems Thinker at heart, he is passionate about empowering self-determination for his people by incorporating lived experiences and expertise into the design process.
As a skilled Co-designer mentored by internationally recognised trainer KA McKercher, Jessie uses his personal and professional values alongside a relationship-centered approach to drive meaningful systemic change through collaborative processes.
Jessie is a strong advocate for his people and works in strategic ways for long term sustainable change. Jessie also brings skills to Impact Policy as a skilled Faciltator and Advisor with a unique ability to adapt communication styles and create engaging workshop experiences for stakeholders.
Holly West
Project Officer
Holly joins Impact Policy as an experienced Project Manager with a professional background encompassing youth and community, Indigenous and Allied Health services. Holly is committed to improving outcomes through researching and facilitating more effective ways of working, that empower community, create greater equity and inspire systemic change for the benefit of all
Holly is a committed ally and is an advocate for positive change and innovation through challenging outdated and limited belief systems through learning and inrtegrating First Nations approaches.
Kakira Brennan
Associate Consultant
Maddie Rose
Project Support Officer
Kakira is a proud descendant of Dunghutti and Kamilaroi.
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She is a dynamic professional with over 5 years experience in the public sector. An experienced practitioner with strong community engagement, consultation and project management skills.
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Adept in making key decisions and working with multiple stakeholders to achieve goals and solve problems. Experienced with Impact Policy in managing Co-Design and community projects with a particular focus on regional communities and youth engagement.
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Maddie is a Gamilaroi woman from the community of Walgett in Western NSW, but growing up in the strong Aboriginal community of Glebe on Gadigal Country in Sydney.
Maddie brings extensive lived and professional experience, particularly from the community sector working for well known organisations such as Tranby and Kari prior to Impact Policy. Since joining the Impact Policy team Maddie has been a core leader in communication and engagement, highlighting her work around storytelling and working with survivors of Stolen Generation Organisations of which she is a descendant of herself as some of her biggest professional highlights.'
Scott Hawkins
Associate Consultant
Scott is a proud Ngemba man who was born in Bourke in far north West NSW and grew up in Dubbo in Central West NSW. Scott has over 35 years experience working in the criminal justice and legal representation systems having started his professional career in the Aboriginal Community Controlled sector (with the Western Aboriginal Legal Service in Dubbo), the NSW State Government (NSW Departments of Fair Trading, Attorney General's, Justice and Legal Aid NSW, all in Sydney) and Non-government sector (with just Reinvest NSW in Sydney).
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Scott has an Arts/ Law Degree and Graduate Diploma in Public Administration, all from the University of Sydney. Scott,s life work has been improving the operation of the criminal justice system and legal representation for Aboriginal people in NSW with a particular focus on deep community engagement, research, policy, program and organizational development with a long passion for self-determination.
Joel Makin
Project Manager of Communication and Training
Joel has come on board as the Project Manager of Communication and Training at Impact Policy.
Joel has a back ground in running businesses, Regional Management, General Management and large facility management,
With 10 years experience in Project Management, Digital Marketing and product development.