Our People

Dan is passionate about accessibility in all forms and brings extensive experience with both the broadcast industry and the disability sector in Aotearoa. Previously CEO at Attitude Pictures Limited, Dan's career in the media has included presenting in a range of places, from the rainforests of Papua New Guinea to the stadiums of Rio as the lead presenter for TVNZ's coverage of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Dan reports to the Media Access Charitable Trust board, and he oversees everything that happens at Able.

With a background in TV and video production, Sheldene leads communications at Able by cultivating strong relationships and using her passion for storytelling to amplify Able’s work. Passionate about audiovisual media, she's excited to be part of the team and to raise awareness of the importance of media accessibility.

With a background in linguistics and transcription, Kristin loves words, people and using words with people (communicating!), which helps her immensely in the Team Leader — Captions Editors role. Kristin is passionate about media accessibility, having been part of the Able crew since 2019. She now looks after our team of Caption Editors and manages other day-to-day mahi at Able, like our commercial work. And speaking of words and people: Kristin is also currently studying psychotherapy.

Tracey was drawn to the world of captioning in the '90s, when she began her career as a Caption Producer at TVNZ. Tracey has been with the service for two decades, and now looks after Able’s media co-ordination. She’s proud to be part of such a dedicated team that works to provide access to film, TV and media for the community.

With over a decade of experience in financial administration, Christa coordinates all administration procedures to ensure that Able functions efficiently. Originally from Samoa, Christa is passionate about Able’s vision, and believes that everyone should have equal access to news, entertainment and culture.

Lewis Grant played a crucial role in supporting Able’s journey to become an independent charitable trust, and has continued to serve as Chair of the Media Access Charitable Trust Board since then. A nationally recognised expert in his field of private client, trusts and estates law, Lewis brings a wealth of experience to Able. He is a Partner at Martelli McKegg, and also serves on the board of the Auckland City Mission Foundation and on a number of other charitable trusts, and is a trustee of several hundred trusts.

David is a retired rural banking manager, having spent almost 50 years working in the rural industry in Canterbury. Since 2005 he has chaired the Southern Hearing Charitable Trust in Christchurch, which holds the Cochlear Implant Program contract with the Ministry of Health for the lower North Island and South Island. David has been on the Council of The National Foundation for the Deaf since 2012.

Karen Thompson is an experienced professional in the not-for-profit education and sporting sectors in both operational and governance roles. Karen is the Associate Director, Communications and Alumni Relations at the University of Auckland and is responsible for engaging with the University’s over 200,000 alumni and donors. Prior to joining the University, Karen worked in the events and publishing industries. She was Chair of Netball North for three years and is currently a member of the University of Auckland Society executive committee and a member of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand.