Our Committee

Seeds of Affinity members, including our patrons, board and volunteers, as well as participants and supporters are all part of a dedicated movement for basic human rights of criminalised women and their children.

The executive committee meets once a month to formally record and steer the activities of Seeds of Affinity. We are a rag tag mix of women and non-binary folks from many walks of life and we want it this way. We have women with lived experience, people from criminalised groups, unionists, community & support workers, lawyers and academics to name a few.

If you are interested in becoming a patron or board member, please contact us directly by clicking here.

Patrons

Our Board.

Once a month a core group of Seeds members meet to formally guide and record the activities of Seeds. Please contact us if you are interested joining the Seeds board.

Linda Fisk
Linda Fisk is the CEO and Co-founder of Seeds of Affinity. Her teenage years were marked by criminalisation and drug use. Born in Sydney NSW she was first imprisoned at the age of 16. After serving time in South Australia on numerous occasions, she wanted to improve outcomes for other women facing the same issues. Seeds was established in 2006, and she gained her Diploma in Community Services Co-ordination in 2009 and then went on to complete a Bachelor in Psychological Science in 2018. She is passionate about the rights of women in prison and works tirelessly in supporting and advocating for them.

Anna Kemp
Anna is a founding member of Seeds of Affinity and has worked with criminalised women for the last 38 years. Anna is a qualified psychologist and works for the Department of Corrections as a Community Corrections Officer. Anna’s work in establishing Seeds of Affinity has been widely recognised.   In 2012 she was placed on on the South Australian Womens’ Honour Roll and in 2013 recognised as one of South Australia’s Local Heroes in the Australia Day Awards.

Michele Jarldorn
Co-Chairperson
Michele is currently employed as a Lecturer in Social Work at The University of South Australia. Michele’s research to date has focused on the experiences of women leaving prison, the connection between gendered violence and substance use and the experiences of women who are studying in the social sciences who are first in family to study at university. Michele’s PhD thesis, titled ‘Radically rethinking imprisonment: A Photovoice exploration of life in and after prison in South Australia’ was conferred in 2018. Michele was awarded the Flinders University Vice Chancellors Prize for Thesis Excellence. When Michele is not teaching, researching or writing, she is gardening and volunteering with Seeds of Affinity.

Fiona Woolard
Co-Chairperson
Fiona is a criminalised woman, social work graduate and advocate for women impacted by the criminal justice system. She has completed a Bachelor of Social Work (Honours), with thesis titled “What formerly imprisoned women understand as the supports and barriers to staying out of prison”. Her work centres around the lived experiences and knowledge of women who have navigated the prison system and re-entry into community. Drawing from both lived experience and academic research, Fiona has presented at conferences addressing the social issues criminalised women face, and has worked alongside Linda Fisk in the Adelaide Women’s Prison facilitating the ‘Nearest Exit’ program to support women to navigate the realities of imprisonment and prepare for life beyond prison walls. Her work advocates for systemic change and greater recognition of the voices and expertise of women who have experienced the prison system.

Isabelle Hermes
Treasurer
Isabelle is a qualified social worker, registered psychologist, and post-doctoral researcher. After working as a social worker for a decade in community development and alcohol and other drug counselling, she completed a combined masters and PhD in clinical psychology. She now works part-time as a clinical psychology registrar in SA Health, and part-time as a post-doctoral researcher in the Psychology of Justice, Emotions, and Morality (PsychJEM) lab at Flinders University. Isabelle first volunteered at Seeds in 2019 and joined the board in 2024 after seeing how much of a transformative impact Seeds has on criminalised women’s lives, as a grassroots, peer led organisation that is imbedded within the community they serve – something that she believes most mainstream services are unable to achieve. When she’s not at work or helping out at Seeds, Isabelle is playing roller derby or playing the bass in local bands.

Mary Wellington
Alison Hunter
Leanne Davis

Past Board Members