Mel Spencer OAM is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Different Journeys, a Victorian-based organisation that has supported over 10,000 autistic people, their families, and carers through safe, empowering and inclusive peer-led events.
Mel and fellow Co-founder, Merrin Ayton, established Different Journeys in 2016 to combat the loneliness and isolation their autistic children faced and to encourage them to explore life beyond the confines of their bedrooms. Drawing on her own lived experience as an autistic person and parent to three autistic youth, Mel is a passionate and fearless advocate who works tirelessly in the community to break down barriers and foster understanding.
With 18 years of service in the Victoria Police, Mel’s career focused on investigations and supporting victims of sexual, physical and domestic violence. She holds qualifications in disability and small business management and has participated in the prestigious Victorian Government Women’s Boards Leadership Program, which connected her to the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Her dedication has earned her significant recognition, including induction into the Victorian Women’s Honour Roll in 2020 and the awarding of the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the King’s Birthday 2023 Honours list.
Under Mel’s leadership, Different Journeys has evolved into a transformative organisation that creates supportive, neuroaffirming environments where the broader autistic community can connect, grow and thrive. Mel believes in the power of collective effort and creative problem-solving, both of which underpin her vision: to empower autistic people and their families to lead fulfilling lives, ensuring every individual has access to the opportunities they deserve. In her own words, “If we all do a little bit, together, we can create incredible change.”
Different Journeys would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the different lands on which we meet today. We respect all Aboriginal Elders past and present We aim to collaborate with our Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander friends in the autistic community to connect, empower and support each other and exchange isolation, prejudice and ignorance with connections, hope and community. We acknowledge that the connection to autism and lived experience is our common ground. We acknowledge, respect and maintain that our custodians have cultivated these lands and we continue to learn together.
