Staff Profiles

Chris Lacey, Executive Director

Having lived in as part of the residential community in 2001 Chris has continued to work in a variety of   roles for Urban Seed including co-ordinating Urban Seed's Schools work, forming the Victorian Praxis Youth & Community Work Training Team and founding Edge, a youth community development project run throughout Victoria. He is passionate about connecting young people with the issues of the street and resourcing local people to engage the needs of their community. He is married to Katherine and they live in Footscray with their two sons.

 

Samara Pitt, Operations Manager

Samara joined Urban Seed in 2003 after three years teaching in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. She worked with the Youth and Schools Team until late 2010 when she accepted the role of Operations Manager. She is also involved in a number of other vibrant communities including Gembrook Retreat, and the Indigenous Hospitality House in Wurundjeri country (North Carlton) where she lives and hosts Indigenous guests who are in town on hospital business. She finds life and energy in growing the connections between groups of people seeking to live well on this land.

Jason Sing, Philanthropic and Corporate Engagement Coordinator

Jason joined Urban Seed in late 2010, after working with the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, the United Nations Association of Australia (Victorian Division), Y-Generation Against Poverty, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Australian Institute of International Affairs in a variety of Project Coordinator, Liaison, Service Provision and Research roles.

He has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons, Politics) from Monash University, and will continue his studies at Monash University (Bourke St) later this year with the Juris Doctor of Law. During his studies, Jason lived abroad in Malaysia, which sparked a passion in him to work with social-economic disadvantaged communities. In this role with Urban Seed, he meets and speaks with Corporate Partners and Philanthropic Trusts and Foundations to ensure that Urban Seed obtains the support it needs to continue its integral community development projects.

Christopher Booth, Church Engagement Co-ordinator 

In 2004 Christop spent some time hanging out with some artists who were painting a mural in Baptist Place. They introduced him to the Credo community. He was an Urban Seed resident from 2006-2009 (and holds the record for the longest stint!) and now lives at the Indigenous Hospitality House in Carlton with his wife Mehrin. He has recently been doing a lot of drawing, photography, mixed media, animation and installation art, particularly for use in church spaces. Christop also shows church groups around his neighbourhood, sharing the story of Urban Seed and inviting them to think about what's going on in their own neighbourhoods. Christop has a blog.

Simon Moyle, Public Engagement Co-ordinator 

Simon loves to tell stories that inspire imagination and action. He has spoken to and run workshops for churches, schools, nonprofits and community groups.  His own embodied imaginings have seen him play frisbee with soldiers on a military base during war games, invite police and anti-globalisation protesters to sit down to a freegan meal together at the G20 meetings, and lead 120 young Christians on a march around the offices of the world’s 3rd largest weapons manufacturer. He is a Baptist minister and leader and founding member of inspiral, a small community in the inner north of Melbourne trying to find ways to live simply, lovingly and joyfully together. He is Public Engagement Coordinator at Urban Seed.  Simon is husband to Julie and Dad to three amazing kids.

Stephen Said, Residential & Community Engagement Co-ordinator

Stephen is a husband, a dad, and a foundation member of the Melbourne Heart Football Club. He works in the area of activism and social change as an educator, activist, speaker, writer and community development worker.  Stephen is particularly interested in radical spirituality, incarnational community and the dynamics of personal and social transformation and you can read more about this on his blog. He has helped many think about the nexus between the issues of justice, poverty, consumerism and discipleship in the context of popular global culture.

 

Blythe Toll, Creative Curriculum Co-ordinator

Blythe Toll joined Urban Seed in 2009.  As well running walks and seminars, she develops creative content for the Youth and Schools team. She is an artist, and enjoys creatively engaging faith, culture and art. She has lived and worked in Europe, where she was part of a small missional charity called ‘the bless network’ that serves small local churches and communities in Europe. She is married to Dave and lives in Preston.

Evan Morgan, Educator

Evan is a born and bred Melburnian who loves spending time in the city. During a Diploma of Ministry at Tabor College, Evan was encouraged to participate in the Mission Exposure week with Urban Seed, and followed up with a two year stint busking on Swanston Street, meeting locals and participating in the rhythms of the street. He developed a love of learning about different subcultures in Melbourne, and has contributed to a few of these through music production, performance and event management. Evan loves that Urban Seed has a healthy cricket culture and, on another note, needs studio space in the north, preferably a room 5x5 metres, and will be very satisfied in life when he finds one.

Bianca Villella, Bookings Co-ordinator and Educator

Bianca has jumped on board the Youth and Schools team as bookings co-ordinator and youth educator after completing a social work placement with Urban Seed. Bianca has lots of energy for both education and social justice issues and loves story telling. Bianca is interested in community living and has visions of streets sharing lawn mowers (or goats!), people swapping apples for tomatoes and every one having a supportive mate. She lives in Coburg with her lovely housemates, two chooks and one velvet rabbit and keeps trying to turn the backyard into a farm by adopting more animals. Bianca loves cooking/eating feasts with friends, having craftanoons, reading stories set in foreign places, adventures of all kinds and meeting the neighbours.  

Tony Venz, Urban Bean Co-ordinator

Tony studied journalism at uni but since sprending a year as an Urban Seed resident in 2002, he has been  passionate about engaging with marginalised communities. He moved to Geeong in 2005 with his wife Sarah to be a part of the Urban Seed project in Norlane. With  little experience in hospitality, managing Urban Bean for the last year has been a fairly intense learning experience, but Tony very much appreciates the strong relationships he has been able to build, and the opportunities the cafe has provided for practical community development.