Open Parachute

Meet Our Team

We’re a team of educators, clinicians, filmmakers, designers, and technologists united by one goal: helping young people build the skills, language, and confidence to support their mental health and well-being. Our work is shaped by evidence, lived experience, and deep partnerships with schools and communities.
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Dr. Hayley Watson
Dr. Hayley Watson
Chief Executive Officer, Founder

Hayley leads Open Parachute's vision and impact, drawing on her background in psychology and youth mental health to ensure programs are evidence-informed, ethical, and student-centred.

Thomas Pastro
Thomas Pastro
Chief Operating Officer, Founder

Tom leads company operations and cross-functional strategy, aligning product, platform, and partnerships to ensure Open Parachute's vision is executed effectively at scale.

Bridget Kamp
Bridget Kamp
Head of Product (Curriculum & Learning)

Bridget owns the vision and direction of Open Parachute's learning product, integrating pedagogy, research, and lived experience into an engaging, school-ready curriculum.

Christina Lawson
Christina Lawson
Senior Product Manager

Christina leads product delivery and implementation, translating product vision into clear priorities and coordinating execution across curriculum, design, and engineering.

Robert Huber
Robert Huber
Chief Technology Officer

Robert leads platform development, architecture, and security, ensuring Open Parachute is reliable, scalable, and compliant with data privacy and security standards.

Cara Russell
Cara Russell
Lead Curriculum Developer

Cara develops and refines curriculum content under the product vision, ensuring learning materials are accurate, engaging, and aligned to educational standards.

Rikki Waller
Rikki Waller
National Partnerships Manager, Australia

Rikki leads partnerships across Australia, working with schools and organisations to support adoption and effective implementation of Open Parachute programs.

Emily Seymour
Emily Seymour
Account Manager

Emily supports school partners through implementation and ongoing use of Open Parachute, ensuring a positive and responsive customer experience.

Nadia Berezansky
Nadia Berezansky
National Implementation Lead (Australia)

Nadia supports schools across Australia to implement our school-wide approach, helping school leaders embed Open Parachute effectively across their school communities.

Joanne DiGiuseppe
Joanne DiGiuseppe
Provincial Implementation Lead, BC

Joanne supports schools across British Columbia with implementation, helping district leaders integrate Open Parachute effectively across their school communities.

James Lin
James Lin
Lead Frontend Developer

James leads frontend development, building accessible and intuitive user experiences that bring the Open Parachute platform to life.

Alex Wu
Alex Wu
Lead Backend Developer

Alex leads backend development, ensuring the platform is robust, secure, and scalable to support reliable program delivery.

Narae Hwang
Narae Hwang
Senior Visual & Product Designer

Narae designs both the platform experience and brand assets, ensuring Open Parachute's products and communications are clear, cohesive, and visually engaging.

Emre Ceyhan
Emre Ceyhan
Principal Platform Engineer

Emre owns platform infrastructure and security tooling, supporting reliability, performance, and compliance across Open Parachute's technology stack.

Chase Villamor
Chase Villamor
Account Manager, Australia

Chase works closely with school partners to support implementation, engagement, and ongoing success with the Open Parachute platform.

Discover Open Parachute

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Student Programs

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Professional Learning

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Caregiver Resources