our team

Phoebe van Bentum

Board Chair

SSocSci | LLB | MInt&CommDev | MAICD

Phoebe van Bentum is an executive leader with extensive experience in governance, policy development, financial management, and organisational transformation. She has held senior leadership roles, including Chief Operating Officer at Studio Schools of Australia and CEO of NT Christian Schools; and has served on various boards and councils, including Baptist Care NT, the NT Non-Government Schools Ministerial Advisory Council, and the NT Block Grant Authority Board.

Phoebe first engaged with PeaceWise training in 2010 and has since been deeply committed to biblical peacemaking in her home, workplace, church, and broader community. She has played a key role in developing peacemaking teams, mediating conflicts—including marriage and organisational disputes—and delivering biblical peacemaking training.

Married to Joel, and now with three adult children, Phoebe is passionate about fostering communities of peace. She brings her faith and deep reliance on God, strategic leadership, governance expertise, and a heart for reconciliation to her role as Board Chair of PeaceWise.

“Peacemaking is so beautiful and complex because it reflects the heart of God. I have seen how conflict, when approached with humility and grace, can become an opportunity for healing, growth, and deeper relationships. But more than that, I have witnessed its power to transform! Peacemaking changes hearts, restores trust, and brings freedom. My commitment to biblical peacemaking is deeply personal because I know the profound impact it can have on individuals, communities, organisations, families, friendships, and everyday interactions, and I am passionate about helping others experience the life-changing power of the gospel of peace.“

Wayne Forward

Chief Executive Officer

BNur, Grad Dip Nur (Mental Health), BMin, Cert Min, Cert IV Leadership Coaching, Cert IV Workplace Training and Assessment

Wayne is the CEO of PeaceWise. He is married to Amy and has three children. He comes to these roles from a diverse background in mental health nursing, pastoral ministry and para-church organisations where he has held a variety of senior leadership and training roles.

“In western, post-Christendom culture now more than ever people  want to know that Jesus makes a difference. What better way can there be than to show the difference that Jesus makes than in the very area that nearly everybody I speak to struggles with and often lacks hope in – conflict. PeaceWise present a practical theology of the gospel of reconciliation for everyday relationships. A practical theology that when embraced has the capacity to transform relationships in families, between friends, across school communities and in churches. A transformation that directs attention to the one who makes it all possible – Jesus. For this reason alone I am convinced PeaceWise offers a critical voice that needs to be heard amongst the Christian community and in the world today.”  

Bruce Burgess

Board Member

BA(Hons), LLB(Hons), Grad. Dip. (Christ. Stud.), MA(Christ. Stud.) MTh

Bruce Burgess is married to Helen and they have two adult children.

Bruce is the Founding Director of PeaceWise and is Australia’s first Certified Christian Conciliator™. He holds degrees in Arts, Law, Christian Studies and Theology. Bruce has extensive legal, risk and governance expertise, advising in these areas professionally on the day’s that he is not working for PeaceWise. 

Bruce’s peacemaking work has led him to become involved in teaching and working with schools, workplace disputes as well as church and para-church based conflict cases. He is a sought after international speaker and his two particular areas of passion are working with organisations to build cultures of peace and teaching children and young people peacemaking so that they become peacemakers for life.  

“I believe serving PeaceWise is the most strategic thing I personally can do to serve the church and bring honour to God, with all the hope and health that the ministry of reconciliation brings.   It’s not just about being the flying doctor service when things go wrong – it’s about helping ordinary Christians learn how to deal redemptively with conflict in their own lives and in the lives of others, with all the potential witness to Christ and glory to God that this entails.”

Jeroen Bruins

Board Member

Drs. Geology, Free University Amsterdam Cert Spiritual Direction

Jeroen has a professional background in the oil and gas industry. Originally from Holland, but calling Australia home for many years, he has also lived and worked in the U.K., Oman and Nigeria.  Jeroen served as the Chair of the PeaceWise Board from 2013 to March 2025, and having recently handed over the leadership to Phoebe van Bentum, continues to serve as a member of the board. In December 2019 he also joined the Esther Foundation board.

Jeroen has been a follower of Jesus since he was 18. His passions and giftings are in the area of prayer, spiritual direction and biblical peacemaking. This has caused him to be involved in a variety of ministries, including his current involvement with PeaceWise. His deepest desire is to see the Christian faith transform people’s lives and share the good news of Jesus.

Jeroen has been married to Eva for over 40 years. They enjoy three adult children, their spouses and six grandchildren. Jeroen and Eva are actively involved in Providence City Church. The more recreational passions of Jeroen are running, cycling, hiking, bird watching, reading and more recently sculpting or just spending time with family and friends around a good meal.

I am honoured to serve on the Board of PeaceWise, because through the PeaceWise ministry of peacemaking and reconciliation the heart of the Gospel of Jesus is being tangibly expressed in a world of increasing polarisation and conflict. How good is it to journey with people discovering a redemptive, restorative and God-honouring way of dealing with conflict or difficult relationships. And I pray that biblical peacemaking will lodge into the DNA of the next generations through PeaceWiseKids and PeaceWiseYouth, so that they may impact the world for the Kingdom of God. 

Li Ai Oh

Board Member

LLB, BJuris, BCom 

Li Ai holds law and commerce degrees and practiced as a lawyer in both the private and government sectors for over a decade.  She is one of the foundation PeaceWise Board members and currently is also the PeaceWise Training and Conciliation Manager.  Li Ai has provided PeaceWise training and mediated church based conflicts. Her greatest passions are spending time with and learning more about Jesus, and sharing her love of him with others through practical helps and conversations over a cup of tea (or coffee!). She attends Providence City Church.

“I have seen how we hurt each other in conflicts and it saddens me to see families and friendships fall apart.  I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ provides both the motivation and the power for us to live peaceably with each other.  PeaceWise equips, encourages and supports ordinary people “do relationships better”. I love being  involved in the ministry of PeaceWise because there really is no higher privilege (or challenge!) than to personally live and spend time serving others become gospel-centred peacemakers.”

Lucy Dessington

Board Member

BSc (Medical Imaging Science), Grad. Cert. Business (Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies)

Lucy is married to Ryan and lives in the Perth Hills. Lucy first came to know PeaceWise through ‘The Board Internship’ (CMA Korus Connect) where she was hosted by the PeaceWise board and mentored by Bruce Burgess. Lucy is passionate about sharing Jesus with young people and equipping local churches to be thriving, Jesus-centred communities for all generations. She is an experienced allied health professional and has also worked in the area of youth engagement for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Lucy has a growing interest in governance and has completed studies with the Australian Centre for Philanthropy and NonProfit Studies (QUT). 

Sian Green

Board Secretary

BA, LLB (Hons), GDLP, LLM, A.Mus.A

Sian is a senior solicitor at Horizons Family Law Centre, a legal charity and an expression of Christian faith working with local churches and like-hearted non-government organisations to provide free and low-cost legal help to people with no other access to a lawyer. Sian has completed extensive training in the dynamics of domestic violence, high conflict families, and trauma-informed practice.

Sian and her family attend Dayspring Church in Castle Hill, NSW, where she serves as Chair of the Dayspring Board, as well as on the worship and women’s ministry teams.

Wayne Forward

Chief Executive Officer

BNur, Grad Dip Nur (Mental Health), BMin, Cert Min, Cert IV Leadership Coaching, Cert IV Workplace Training and Assessment

Wayne is the CEO of PeaceWise. He is married to Amy and has three children. He comes to these roles from a diverse background in mental health nursing, pastoral ministry and para-church organisations where he has held a variety of senior leadership and training roles.

“In western, post-Christendom culture now more than ever people  want to know that Jesus makes a difference. What better way can there be than to show the difference that Jesus makes than in the very area that nearly everybody I speak to struggles with and often lakes hope in – conflict. PeaceWise present a practical theology of the gospel of reconciliation for everyday relationships. A practical theology that when embraced has the capacity to transform relationships in families, between friends, across school communities and in churches. A transformation that directs attention to the one who makes it all possible – Jesus. For this reason alone I am convinced PeaceWise offers a critical voice that needs to be heard amongst the Christian community and in the world today.”  

Bruce Burgess

Founding Director

BA(Hons), LLB(Hons), Grad. Dip. (Christ. Stud.), MA (Christ. Stud.) MTh

Bruce Burgess is married to Helen and they have two adult children.

Bruce is the Founding Director of PeaceWise and is Australia’s first Certified Christian Conciliator™. He holds degrees in Arts, Law, Christian Studies and Theology. Bruce has extensive legal, risk and governance expertise, advising in these areas professionally on the day’s that he is not working for PeaceWise. 

Bruce’s peacemaking work has led him to become involved in teaching and working with schools, workplace disputes, church and para-church based conflict and victim-offender cases. He is a sought after international speaker and his two particular areas of passion are working with organisations to build cultures of peace and teaching children and young people peacemaking so that they become peacemakers for life.  

“I believe serving PeaceWise is the most strategic thing I personally can do to serve the church and bring honour to God, with all the hope and health that the ministry of reconciliation brings.   It’s not just about being the flying doctor service when things go wrong – it’s about helping ordinary Christians learn how to deal redemptively with conflict in their own lives and in the lives of others, with all the potential witness to Christ and glory to God that this entails.”

Allen Sibley

Chief Operations Officer

Dip. Teach (UTS), MBA (Macquarie Graduate School of Management) and GAICD (Australian Institute of Company Directors).

Allen is married to Jenny, and they have 6 children, and they live in the north-western suburbs of Sydney.

Allen has been a Christian since he was 15, and has been worshipping at Parramatta Baptist Church since 1991, being actively involved as a Deacon, Men’s Ministry leader, worship team member, and property committee chairman. He also serves in ministry as Board Chairman of IntegriCare Pty Ltd, a Christian not-for-profit early learning organisation.

Most recently, Allen has been doing consulting work in the areas of governance, management and leadership development.

Prior to that, Allen was employed by BaptistCare NSW & ACT in a range of General Management roles for 11 years, and served as Company Secretary of Baptist Care Australia. Before BaptistCare he worked for multinational companies in the Information Technology and Telecommunications industries for over 20 years, having originally trained as a Teacher.

Mark Bagley

IT Administration Officer

BEd (Bachelor of Education, Primary), currently completing Master of Ministry

Mark is an enthusiastic IT advocate with extensive experience in designing infrastructure and application solutions for the corporate and government sectors. He holds an Open Group certification as a Solution Architect and loves to use his IT skills to help solve problems and support an organisation’s aims and objectives. Mark is married to Fiona and together they have 3 children and 4 energetic grandsons. 

Jenny Metcalfe

Finance & Administration Officer

Business Dip, Cert Theology

Jenny joined PeaceWise in 2013 after working for over twenty years with her husband, John, managing a small retail business. Seeking a change that aligned more closely with her Christian faith, she wanted to use her skills in a Christian or not-for-profit organization. PeaceWise offered her that opportunity, and she has effectively utilized her financial and administrative experience to support various ministry areas.

Jenny, John, and their youngest daughter, Heather, currently live on the Central Coast and attend Thrive Church in Forresters Beach. Jenny spends her free time keeping up with their 4 adult children (including being carer for Heather) and six grandchildren, helping her elderly mum, renovating the house, enjoying beach walks, and playing games.

“I am really excited that God is moving in this space where there has been such a gap in Christian thinking.   As a previous leader in the local church I understand that conflict is so often the cause of multiple other problems and while we know that it needs to be reconciled quickly, this is not always possible.  People often need help to work through their problems and the question then is, who do they turn to?When the church turns to secular sources for its answers to life’s problems it is missing out on the vast wealth of knowledge contained in the scriptures, and the power of Christ to bring about real change in His people.  PeaceWise provides the training and resources necessary to help Christians support each other in times of conflict and also to understand what it means to bring God-given peace into personal relationships.“

Angela Niejalke

South Australia Ministry Coordinator

LLB/LP, BA, Grad Cert Mediation (Family), Grad Cert Counselling

Angela lives in Adelaide with her husband and two boys. She has had a heart for peacemaking for over 20 years. Having previously worked as a lawyer, mediator  (NMAS) and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner (FDRP), Angela has seen first hand the consequences of poorly managed relational conflict, as well as the life-giving power of forgiveness. A long term supporter of PeaceWise, her heart is to see every believer equipped and encouraged to be a peacemaker, bringing the hope of the gospel to all relationships.

Li Ai Oh

Conciliations Manager and Training Support / Western Australia Ministry Coordinator

LLB, BJuris, BCom

Li Ai holds law and commerce degrees and practiced as a lawyer in both the private and government sectors for over a decade.  She is one of the foundation PeaceWise Board members and currently is also the PeaceWise Conciliations Manager.  Li Ai has provided PeaceWise training and mediated church based conflicts. Her greatest passions are spending time with and learning more about Jesus, and sharing her love of him with others through practical helps and conversations over a cup of tea (or coffee!). She attends Providence City Church.

“I have seen how we hurt each other in conflicts and it saddens me to see families and friendships fall apart.  I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ provides both the motivation and the power for us to live peaceably with each other.  PeaceWise equips, encourages and supports ordinary people “do relationships better”. I love being  involved in the ministry of PeaceWise because there really is no higher privilege (or challenge!) than to personally live and spend time serving others become gospel-centred peacemakers.”

Ginny Png

Administration and Communications Officer

BAComm (Bachelor of Arts in Communication, Public Communication)

Ginny is our Administration and Communications Officer who brings over a decade of strategic marketing communications experience, in both corporate and not-for-profit organisations, to the PeaceWise team. Ginny and her husband Reuben spent ten years in Singapore, where she built a successful small business whilst staying home with her two young children, before moving back to Australia in 2021. She now lives in the Hills area of Sydney and worships at Parramatta Baptist Church with her family.

Ginny is passionate about marriage and family and seeing unity in the body of Christ. She has a heart for prayer and encouragement and is excited to support the unique and crucial ministry of PeaceWise in building peacemakers for life.

Jodie Sharpe

Relationships and Content Manager

BMusStud, MTeach(Pri)

Jodie lives on the Central Coast with her husband, Johnny, and their three young children. Jodie is a super-experienced Christian educator, having obtained her Masters in Teaching (Primary) from ACU.  She has worked as a primary school teacher in both Sydney and the Central Coast and currently worships at Narara Valley Baptist Church.

Rachel Sharp

Relationships and Content Manager

BAJournalism (Bachelor of Journalism)

After working half a decade in government relations and lobbying, the Lord called Rachel to use her skills in grant writing at a cross-denominational parachurch organisation. During this time, she also focused on cultural engagement with Christian schools across Australia. Rachel lives in Melbourne with her husband and three children. Together, they worship at Canterbury Gardens Community Church.