Our Team

AEIOU Board of Directors

Dr A James P Morton, BSc (Med), MBBS, FRACP, FRCPA
Chairman and Founder

Dr Morton is an accredited specialist in Haematology & Oncology. He is Medical Director, Haematology-Oncology Clinics of Australasia and Senior Specialist, Leukaemia and Bone Marrow Transplant Service, Royal Brisbane and Woman’s Hospital.

In addition to being the Chairman of AEIOU Inc, James is also a board member of Haematology-Oncology Clinics of Australasia (2000 -) and a previous board Member Leukaemia Foundation QLD (2000 – 2007).

Each AEIOU board member has their own special reason for volunteering their time and expertise...

My son Andrew was diagnosed with autism in 2001 at the age of 2 and my wife Louise and I recognised the value of early intervention to support his future.  Since there were no suitable programs available at the time in Brisbane, we founded AEIOU Inc so more Queensland families had the opportunity to receive high-quality assistance.

Peter Kelly
Director

Peter Kelly is a business communications strategist experienced in operating in high profile environments. As a consultant for Three Plus Pty Ltd he provides advice on media and government relations, community engagement, branding and marketing to a broad range of Queensland and national businesses.

Peter is a former on air reporter, presenter and Chief Of Staff with Channel Ten in Brisbane and Communications Manager for Queensland Rugby Union and the Queensland Reds. He was Queensland Public Affairs Manager for the 2003 Rugby World Cup and provided media advice to the Australian Paralympic team at the 1996 (Atlanta) and 2000 (Sydney) Paralympics.

He is a former board member of the Australian Paralympic Committee (1996-1998) and holds a Bachelor of Arts with majors in Government, Journalism and Psychology from the University of Queensland.

Each AEIOU board member has their own special reason for volunteering their time and expertise...

I have two nephews diagnosed with autism who were unable to access full time early intervention. I am proud to have helped AEIOU grow so quickly and see our centres make a difference to so many children. 

Unfortunately AEIOU is still dependent for its future on the generous donations of time and money on a relatively few number of people. The challenge is ensure the organisation continues to thrive.

Andrew John Taylor B.Th (Syd) LL.B (Hons)(UQ) MQLS
Director – legal risk management and corporate advisory

As a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland and Principal of Toogoods Solicitors, Andrew has gained a range of board experience including legal member of the Occupational Therapists Board – Queensland (current), Montserrat Day Hospitals (current), Australian Institute of Health, Law and Ethics (2000 – 2003) and as Deputy Chair of Ausbiotech Ltd (2002 – 2003). He is also former Editor of the publication Biotechnology Law and Policy Reporter (Prospect Media).

Andrew and Felicity have three daughters, one of whom was diagnosed with ASD in early 2009.  After some thorough research, Felicity and Andrew settled on AEIOU as the most appropriate deliverer of holistic intervention services.

Each AEIOU board member has their own special reason for volunteering their time and expertise...

Felicity and I intuitively believed that our daughter Eliza exhibited some unique character traits from the moment she was born. And whilst we always celebrated the way in which she approached the world differently to children of her own age, the diagnosis of ASD was immensely upsetting and challenging at the beginning. Now we have seen an absolutely enormous development in Eliza’s ability to relate to others, communicate and broaden her interests thanks to the dedicated team of AEIOU Park Ridge.

Euan Pye Morton LLB (Hons), BEcon (Hons) BComm
Director – economic policy and financial analysis

Euan is Principal of Synergies Economic Consulting where he consults on a wide range of economic and policy issues. Euan’s expertise was recognised when he was appointed by the Ministerial Council on Energy to an Expert Panel to review regulatory arrangements associated with the ongoing reforms to energy markets. He is an Independent Expert under the National Electricity Rules and a member of the Trade Practices Committee of the Law Council of Australia. He is also a Director of Ecofund (Queensland).

Each AEIOU board member has their own special reason for volunteering their time and expertise...

James Morton is my brother and his son, Andrew is my nephew. I have been impressed with the growth of AEIOU and am keen to assist where I can.

Scott Reading
Director - advocacy, lobbyist

Scott has a Master of Commerce, Master of Business (logistics management) and is currently completing his PhD.

Scott has combined retail, media, direct selling and small business into a career which has encompassed over 21 years in senior management with a breadth and depth in leadership roles. He has travelled extensively and has worked for national and international companies including Coles Myer, Gordon & Gotch, Sara Lee, Tupperware and Nutrimetics.

Each AEIOU board member has their own special reason for volunteering their time and expertise...

I first become involved with autism through my son William aged 6. William has the dual condition of autism and epilepsy and he is now part of the AEIOU alumni. I am blessed to be his father and have become a better man for knowing him he is my daily inspiration to do better and keep moving forward. AEIOU is a proactive, can-do organisation that gets things done. It has provided light, opportunity and mostly importantly hope I am proud to support such a worthy organisation.

Karen Davies
Director

Karen has a Bachelor of Physiotherapy, a Master of Science and Technology (Ergonomics) and is a mother of two sons, one of which was diagnosed with ASD at the age of 2. Karen and her family moved from New South Wales in 2008 to access the AEIOU program.

Karen has broad experience as a clinical physiotherapist in the public health system and in various large government agencies working across operational, strategic and policy roles in workplace health, safety and injury management.

Each AEIOU board member has their own special reason for volunteering their time and expertise...

Being a health professional I was attracted to the AEIOU Foundation because it offers a comprehensive, multidisciplinary service based on current best practice. This type of service was simply not available where we lived near Sydney when my son was diagnosed.  Moving to Queensland and being involved with AEIOU was a life changing experience. It was a relief to find a quality service where we could access everything he needed in one place.  I share AEIOU’s vision that all families who need this service will be able to access it. 

Donald Button PSM
Director

Donald spent 40 years as a member of the Queensland Public Service in the Dept of Housing and before retirement, was Manager of the Housing Advisory Service.

He is on the committee of the City/North Crimestoppers, a Community representative on the Police Promotion Panel and a Member of the Queensland Harness Racing Appeals Committee.

Each AEIOU board member has their own special reason for volunteering their time and expertise...

I was invited to join AEIOU due to my long-term interest in assisting organisations that support people with disabilities. My vast experience with the not-for-profit sector has been an advantage.

Staff Bio

Dr Laurie Sperry, Ph. D
Specialist Manager, Regional and Remote Autism Early Intervention Services

Dr. Laurie Sperry was a classroom teacher for children with autism and related disabilities for 8 years. After leaving the classroom, she served as a state consultant for the Autism Division in South Carolina. She received her Ph.D. in Child Development and Family Studies and did postdoctoral work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She worked with Division TEACCH for a number of years as a lead trainer, served on 2 diagnostic teams- young children and adolescents/adults, co-developed a play and social skills group for parents with young children who were newly diagnosed with autism and worked with the adult social skills group. She is a consulting editor for the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and has published numerous articles and written a book chapter related to autism spectrum disorders.

Dr. Sperry served as the State Director of Autism Services in Hawaii where she co-wrote performance standards and practice guidelines for the state and assisted the state in transitioning from a medical model to an educational model in serving students with ASD. Currently, Dr. Sperry served as a co-principal investigator on a federal grant to support the professional development of people working with children with autism which is aimed at improving services and education and building regional capacity in school districts across the United States. She is a principal investigator on a longitudinal treatment outcome study and teaches graduate level classes in child development and autism spectrum disorders at the University of Colorado Denver. She has participated in global outreach and provided services to families and agencies in Australia, Saudi Arabia, Africa, Saipan, Singapore and India. She was recently added to the Fulbright Scholarship’s Senior Specialist Roster for Autism which allowed her to work in Australia with the AEIOU Foundation and Griffith University in Brisbane.

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