Management Team

Ben Rogers

Chief Executive Officer

Having honed his policy and advocacy skills in the health and wellbeing sector in both the UK and Australia, Ben brings extensive experience in one of the major policy areas that impacts older people.

Beginning his career with a pharmaceutical company in the UK during a period of legislative upheaval, Ben later joined Victoria’s public health peak body. These roles gave him key experiences across a range of policy issues, including delivering a state election campaign to support community health, developing a range of submissions and reports and supporting the organisation’s responses to the aged care and mental health Royal Commissions.

Ben has been a strong advocate on the need for reform to ensure that people receive the care and support they deserve – and is keen to bring this focus and energy to advance the interests of COTA Victoria, its members and all older Victorians.

Janet Zhang

Finance Manager

Janet is an experienced certified practicing accountant with extensive experience in both the private and public sector in fiscal forecasting, budgeting, cash management and financial reporting. She excels at delivering on-time, accurate financial reports, tailored to the needs of a broad spectrum of audiences.

Janet is committed to fiscal sustainability, best business practices and process improvement. She has successfully contributed to securing new and additional funding for various government initiatives at both the Magistrates Court and Victorian Legal Aid as well as streamlining financial processes by automating repetitive functions and simplifying procedures internally for the team she led.

Janet holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Software)(Honor) from The University of Melbourne, a Master of Practicing Accounting from Monash University and is a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) for over 10 years.

Steve Wright

Communications & Membership Manager

Steve Wright is currently responsible for communications, PR, and marketing. Steve brings his skills in journalism, copy editing, social media, audio and video editing, and all things digital to this role.

He formerly held the position of Senior Communications Advisor at the Australia-Indonesia Centre, a collaborative research centre that focused on the integral work of universities from both countries.

Since his arrival in Australia, Steve has also served as Editor-in-Chief at Stevivor, the country’s most-read independent video games website. A curated portfolio of his writing is also available at SWright.au.

Originally from Saskatchewan, Canada, Steve moved to Melbourne in 2001. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (English) from the University of Saskatchewan.

Jessie Kolthoff

Policy & Advocacy Manager

Jessie brings expertise in strategic, legislative, and budgetary policy development across the emergency management, online safety, and security sectors. With a people-first approach, she specialises in leading policy initiatives and advocacy efforts to drive meaningful outcomes for communities.

Her experience in developing and implementing responsive policies underscores her commitment to building safer, more inclusive environments for at-risk and historically vulnerable populations facing challenging circumstances.

In addition to a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Development and Environmental Studies from Victoria University of Wellington, Jessie holds a Master of International Security (Distinction) from Massey University, and multiple policy and emergency management leadership qualifications.

Frankie Freeman

Education & Engagement Manager