Our Team

Emma Bennison , Chair

Emma Bennison has over twenty years’ experience as a CEO and non-executive Director. Passionate about finding innovative solutions to challenging problems, Emma creates collegial organisational cultures that attract great people, achieve great results and nurture tomorrow’s leaders.

Currently, Emma is Chief Innovation Officer with Life Without barriers, where she provides empowering, inspiring and collaborative leadership that drives the development and implementation of strategic change and engagement initiatives in relation to disability advocacy and community services delivery across Life Without Barriers and beyond-Prior to commencing her current role, Emma completed five years as CEO of Blind Citizens Australia, revitalising the national representative organisation of Australians who are blind or vision impaired. Emma also chairs the Attitude Foundation, which is shaping a new understanding of disability through the promotion and development of media content that provides realistic portrayals of people with disability. She also serves on Tasmania’s Ministerial Arts and Cultural Advisory Council.

In 2020, Emma won the national Aspire Award for community development and advocacy and was the recipient of a full MBA scholarship for outstanding not-for-profit leaders from the Australian Scholarships Foundation and Kaplan Business School.

A singer and song-writer, in 2015, Emma released her first solo album, Fine Line, which reflects on her experiences as a person with disability and as an advocate

Matthew Field, Chief Executive Officer

Matt has a long history working within the Community Media sector, most recently as CEO of Melbourne’s Community TV Station, C31 and Secretary of the Australian Community Television Alliance.  In his time in the Community Media sector Matt worked with communities to assist them develop content for broadcast with the aim of celebrating and sharing unique cultures, increasing representation of diversity on our screens and creating opportunities for emerging screen practitioners. 

Matt led the Community TV sector’s transformation from traditional to digital broadcasting, supporting diverse communities to use online platforms to create content for their audiences.  Matt is passionate about the power of media to increase social cohesion through authentic portrayals of diversity.  He holds a Masters of Business Administration from Swinburne University.

Johanna Garvin, Director

Johanna Garvin completed a Bachelor of Communications and Media at the University of Notre Dame Australia in 2016. She majored in Film and Social Justice. 

In 2015 she completed a Diploma of Screen and Media at Metro Screen, which enhanced her understanding of telling stories though film and developed her understanding of important skills, including producing, directing, writing, editing and working collaboratively with a team. In 2016 Johanna did an intership at Screen NSW with the Production Attraction Incentives Team.  

In 2017 Johanna’s short film, The Milky Pop Kid - made with funding from Information and Cultural Exchange, Accessible Arts and Screen NSW – was selected to be screened at the Sydney Film Festival, it was Highly Commended and was shown as part of Screenability. The comedic film, made as a ‘mockumentary’ was also selected for the ReelAbilities program in New York City and the Other Film Festival in Melbourne. That same year Johanna started working as the Communications Officer at Create NSW.

Film has been a passion for Johanna since she was a small child. At an early age she discovered the black and white movies of Shirley Temple. This passion continued when she discovered the movies of Elvis Presley – her favorite star. She is still an avid film goer.

 Johanna sees filmmaking as a vehicle to share stories. Her commitment to Social Justice strongly influences the themes of her films. Johanna’s goal is to share unique and interesting stories that tell us about the human condition, the differences and similarities; the challenges and successes; the good, the bad and the ugly. With this passion she hopes to give audiences films which provide a more compassionate lens through which to see the world.

Emily Dash, Director

Emily Dash is an emerging writer, actor, producer and speaker. She graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) (Gender Studies) in 2013, achieving First Class Honours in Sociology.

Her debut short film “I Am Not A Work of Art” was part of Metro Screen’s 2015 Screenability program. An early
development of this piece was exhibited at the 2015 Adelaide Film Festival. Her second film was “The Cards I’m
Dealt” (2015), shortlisted for Tropfest Short Film Festival 2016. Emily wrote and starred in both these works. Another
film credit is Johanna Garvin’s short film “The Milky Pop Kid” (Highly Commended for Writing - Sydney Film Festival
2017), which she co-wrote and starred in.

Emily was the sole writer of “Groundhog Night” directed by Genevieve Clay-Smith for Bus Stop Films, which
premiered at Sydney Film Festival 2020 and has since been screened at numerous Australian and international film
festivals. Emily starred alongside Robyn Nevin, John Batchelor, Susan Prior, Genevieve Clay-Smith and Chris
Haywood. It is Screenability’s most successful film having had both national and international success.
Emily is Scriptwriter and Project Manager for Maitree House. She also participated in AFTRS State Talent Camp
2019 with “Pearly Gates”, participated in AFTRS National Talent Camp 2020, and Screen Australia SBS Digital
Originals 2020 with “Freewheelers”. Emily completed a writing and research internship with Matchbox Pictures in
2017, from which she was credited as a consultant on ABC drama "The Heights”.

Emily wrote the episode “Oliver” for the second season of our documentary mini-series Perspective Shift.

Meg Dalling, Director

Meg is the Head of Accessibility for ANZ Bank, responsible for senior leadership, governance and strategic direction around accessibility and inclusion for ANZ's customers, employees and the community.  A lawyer by background, Meg has more than 15 years’ experience in the financial services sector and has expertise in governance, regulatory engagement, contract law and risk management.  As well as her executive roles, Meg has been an active community volunteer all her working life, believing passionately in equality of opportunity. She has a depth of experience in pro bono legal work as well as mentoring for refugees and job seekers with a disability.  Meg is a Director of Variety Victoria – the Children’s Charity and Chair of ANZ’s Refugee Support Committee, which works alongside the Given The Chance Program, providing employment opportunities to refugees, in partnership with the Brotherhood of St Laurence.  Meg has a Bachelor of Laws/Arts from the University of Melbourne, and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Angel Dixon, Director

Angel comes to Attitude Foundation with a unique set of skills from tech to inclusion. With a personal mission to challenge societies perception of disability. Angel has showcased clothing on fashion runways and been featured in national print and television campaigns, worked with leading brands and designers, assisted small businesses and councils with accessibility and town planning, addressed countless audiences and lectured at universities in an effort to share her knowledge in the area of disability and accelerate inclusion. The two-time international Mercedes Benz Fashion Week model and 2019 Queensland Young Australian of the Year has a passion for universal design and research and is the former CEO of Attitude Foundation.