Your Officers

Women’s Officer

The Women’s Officer is the official representative of the Department and is available to provide support, referrals and advocacy within the ANU and wider community. Phoebe Denham is the Women’s Officer in 2023. She will represent your interests at ANU and ANUSA meetings, provide support and referrals to professional services you may need, and facilitate events and campaigns throughout the year. You can reach Phoebe at sa.womens@anu.edu.au.

Phoebe Denham

Hi there!

My name is Phoebe and I’m Women’s Officer for 2023! Woo hoo!

I’m a fifth-year (wowza) studying applied data analytics and law, with a background on the Fenner Residents’ Committee and as a College Representative at ANUSA. I’ve spent the last two-ish years loving the Women’s Department and slowly becoming more and more involved. I had a lovely year in 2022 as Secretary, and am really excited to continue working with the Department.

The Women’s Department has always been a welcoming, comfortable and engaging place for me, and I endeavour to make sure that as many people as possible share that experience. The Department has also challenged me to think more critically about my feminism, and has facilitated much of my involvement in activism on campus. I am eternally grateful for what the Department has done for me, and the leaders (particularly Avan Daruwalla) who have come before me ❤

My vision for this year is to bring the Women’s Department to even more ANU students than ever before. I also strongly believe that we must be anti-racist, anti-transphobic, anti-capitalist and abolitionist as a Department, and that these values must be at the forefront of all of our work and events. We must understand the intersectional aspects of oppression because we believe in genuine equality and liberation for all, and because otherwise we will only further divide those that are oppressed. We all have different experiences of patriarchal oppression, and these experiences and trauma can and do co-exist without invalidating each other.

I receive a stipend for my work as Women’s Officer, so it is critically important to me that I am honest and upfront about my work, my time and my commitments. I will maintain a detailed timesheet throughout my term, and provide updates at Women’s Collective Meetings and in ANUSA SRC reports. If you ever wish for more information about what I’ve been up to, please feel welcome to ask me. You also may of course reach out to the Deputy Officers or a member of the ANUSA executive if you are concerned that I am not fulfilling my role, or are not comfortable speaking with me about my work.

All in all, I am extremely excited for the events, discussions, campaigns and more that we have in store for the year ahead ❤

Image description: a smiling Phoebe wearing a blue dress stands with their arms behind their back in front of a wall of green leaves.

Deputy Women’s Officers

The Deputy Women’s Officers provide support to the Women’s Officer and advocate for the members of the Department. Selena Wania and Maya Johnson are the Deputies in 2023. They will take leadership and responsibility of the development and running of the Collective (the active members of the Department). You can contact them at anu.womens.dept@gmail.com.

Maya Johnson (she/they)

Hi! My name is Maya, I use she/they pronouns and I am so lucky to be a deputy officer of the Women’s Department at ANU for 2023! I am a second year, studying a Bachelor of Arts/IR and I am very passionate about participating in grassroots activism at the university. Although it is great to be a student at this university, it isn’t always easy & my aim for this year is to help make the Women’s Department a safer, more inclusive space for all of those who need it. In my spare time I like to read, talk about my lesbian identity (especially on my podcast) & crotchet.

Image Description: a smiling Maya wearing sunglasses, a light gingham shirt and denim shorts, sits on a stool in a field of sunflowers, next to a wooden barrel.

Selena Wania

Deputy Officer description

Committee

The WD Committee consists of the three Officers and the Secretary, Treasurer, Social Media Officer and Website/Design Editor. Our wonderful committee helps look after the Department and create a positive collective community through social events, collective meetings and our online space. They will be elected in a Collective Meeting early in 2023. Please reach out to Phoebe, the Women’s Officer at sa.womens@anu.edu.au if you are interested in any of the roles, or for any more information.

Secretary – Anna Denishensky (she/her)

Hi there!! My name is Anna Denishensky and I am your 2023 secretary!!! I’m currently in my third year studying Bachelor of Arts/Science (Psychology). I am really looking forward to this year and all of the amazing events and support that we can give our members and the wider ANU community! Feminism has always been an important part of my life and I’m so excited to share this passion! When I’m not slaying uni I’m either reading, sitting in the sun (whenever possible in cloudy Canberra) or watching Succession with my housemate!!! Can’t wait to create the best minutes this department has ever seen and continue to add to our amazing constitution!!!!

Image description: a pouting Anna wearing a black outfit and pink cowboy hat is posing in a vibrant room.

Treasurer – Phoebe Staats (any pronouns)

Hiya! I’m this Department’s second Phoebe and I’m excited to be the new treasurer! I’m in my fourth year of my Languages/Arts Bachelor, and am looking forward to spending more time and energy on the work this Department does. I enjoy procrastinating by doing things that spark joy such as: ANU Women’s Revue, reading as much as physically possible, and playing boardgames! I’m super hyped for Treasurer-ing to also become one of my joy-sparking hobbies!

Image description: a smiling Phoebe wearing a dotted dark blue shirt under a navy suit jacket is standing in front of some plants.

Social Media Officer description

Web and Design Editor – Angel Du (any pronouns)

Hello hello, I’m Angel, the Web & Design editor for this year. I’m doing a Bachelor of Arts degree but despite being a third year, I still haven’t decided on what I’m studying yet. What I have decided on however, is to make the most of my time at uni and do what I can to contribute to the activism present on campus. When I’m not studying feverishly or working feverishly (capitalism boo), I enjoy rollerblading (very badly) and acting (very badly), and I also love reading novels. Of course, I’m passionate about art having been a bit of an art kid my entire life, and I mostly focus on drawing, painting and digital art. Lastly, I’m keen to hone my designing skills as well and excited to learn how to operate our groovy website.

Image description: a smiling Angel wearing a white shirt and dark green jumper standing in front of a white background.

Online Space Moderators

We will be seeking volunteers to help moderate our online spaces throughout the year. Please reach out to Phoebe, the Women’s Officer at sa.womens@anu.edu.au if you are interested in helping out!