The Survivor Service Board of Directors
We are proud to introduce our Board of Directors, a dynamic team that embodies a strong blend of professional, academic, and lived experience. Each member brings a wealth of diverse expertise, enriched by their unique journeys and backgrounds, which collectively guide our organisation toward meaningful change. Their extensive professional accomplishments, coupled with their personal experiences, empower our mission and amplify our efforts to support those impacted by domestic, family and sexual violence. Collectively, they bring over 28 years' experience working across the social services sector.
Together, they are steering our organisation with insight and compassion.
Samantha Schulte (she/her)
Founder / CEO
Samantha Schulte is a mother, passionate advocate, ally, and public speaker with lived expertise in mental health, domestic, family, and sexual violence, and the complex systems survivors must navigate.
A victim-survivor of domestic, family, and sexual violence, Samantha was involved in a high-profile domestic violence-related Coronial Inquest in Queensland. It is not lost on her that in many such cases, the victim has not survived to share their story. Her lived experience informs every aspect of her advocacy, lending authenticity and urgency to her work.
Academically and professionally accomplished, she holds a Bachelor of Laws from James Cook University, a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from the Australian National University, and a Graduate Certificate in Domestic Violence Responses from Queensland University of Technology. With extensive experience across community services and leadership, Samantha continues to walk alongside individuals impacted by violence, using her voice and insight to support and advocate for lasting change.
She partners with the charity Broken to Brilliant to deliver lived expertise training to Queensland Police, as part of implementing Recommendation 14 of the Hear Her Voice – Call for Change report. Samantha has also supported a number of national campaigns, including backing Community Legal Centres Australia's call for increased Commonwealth Government funding for legal assistance services—critical supports overwhelmingly accessed by those affected by domestic, family, and sexual violence.
A proud member of Full Stop Australia’s National Survivor Advocate Advisory Group, Samantha brings a collaborative, survivor-centered lens to every space she enters. In recognition of her contributions to the community, she was awarded the 2022 Townsville Business Women’s Circle Telstra Education Bursary and, in 2025, received a Certificate of Appreciation from Assistant Minister for Community Safety, Defence Industry, Veterans and North Queensland, Janelle Poole APM MP, State Member for Mundingburra.
Samantha’s lived expertise and advocacy underscore her deep commitment to elevating the voices of others who have experienced violence and to creating a future where everyone can live free from abuse.
Tahlia Isaac (she/her)
Director
Tahlia is the founder of Project:herSELF, a mother of two boys, and a formerly incarcerated criminologist and social justice advocate.
She holds a Graduate Certificate in Criminology and Criminal Justice and a Bachelor of Business (HR), from Griffith University. Her area of interest and lived experience expertise is post release reintegration, focusing on the particular needs of women.
Tahlia's journey through the criminal justice system has fuelled her advocacy for social justice, shaping her into a formidable voice for an often overlooked population.
Having spent 10 years in drug addiction, being incarcerated and navigating life after release, Tahlia intimately understands the consequences that impact the lives of those trapped in the criminal justice system.
Her lived experience serves as a catalyst for her work, driving her commitment to shedding light on the systemic challenges faced by women re-entering society after incarceration.
Nicole Prudames (she/her)
Director
Nicole Prudames is a values-based leader with over two decades of experience spanning executive leadership, operational oversight, cultural safety, and trauma-informed service delivery—particularly in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander contexts. Her career is distinguished by a commitment to social justice, community empowerment, and inclusive systems transformation.
Most recently, Nicole served as the Northern Region Operations Manager for SERO4’s MARA Project. In this role, she established the newly awarded women’s integration contract in the Northern Queensland region and led operations across a vast and complex region—including Townsville, Cairns, Mt Isa, and Weipa—delivering reintegration support to women in and out of correctional centres. She supervised multidisciplinary teams, built new local partnerships, and implemented culturally safe, region-specific processes to ensure continuity of care and community engagement. Nicole's contribution to service delivery, her commitment to both clients and staff, and her ability to navigate complex systems with compassion and professionalism.
Nicole’s leadership ethos is deeply shaped by her study and practice of Buddhism, particularly Humanistic Buddhism, which she formalised through a Graduate Certificate and is working towards her Graduate Diploma. Grounded in values such as compassion, non-harm, mindfulness, and right speech, she brings a reflective and ethically attuned approach to leadership. Her Buddhist studies have enhanced her ability to listen deeply, manage conflict constructively, and foster environments of psychological safety and inclusion—qualities she consistently applies in high-stakes, cross-cultural settings. Nicole sees leadership as service, and her guiding principle is to contribute meaningfully to the wellbeing of others.
Previously, Nicole served as CEO of Anindilyakwa Services Aboriginal Corporation (ASAC) on Groote Eylandt, where she led an all-women team across five sites. She restructured the organisation to support local Indigenous leadership, implemented a Deputy CEO pipeline, and secured long-term funding partnerships. Her work led to increased employment for Indigenous women and the creation of culturally grounded, safe spaces for healing and community building.
Her diverse background also includes roles in the disability sector, small business development, financial literacy advocacy, and cultural heritage consultancy. She has successfully led remote and regionally based teams, built high-trust partnerships with Indigenous communities, and operationalised strategic plans across diverse settings.
In addition to her Buddhist studies, Nicole holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Indigenous Cultural Heritage Management, a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and a Graduate Certificate in Business Administration. She has also undertaken executive leadership training through Your CEO Mentor. Her career continues to reflect an integration of operational rigour, ethical leadership, and spiritual awareness, enabling her to lead with clarity, courage, and care.
