Elenie has a PhD in politics and researches and writes about religion, politics and society.

An Adjunct Fellow at Macquarie University in Politics and International Relations in the School of Social Sciences, Elenie is a past Visiting Fellow at Harris Manchester College at Oxford University. She is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal for the Academic Study of Religion.

Elenie has significant research, policy and advocacy expertise across a wide range of areas including human rights, social and economic justice, community services and climate change. She is a well-known public commentator on religion and politics, religion and society, social justice and human rights in Australia.

Elenie has a deep understanding of not-for-profit, non-government and community organisations, and significant experience working with complex national and international member-based organisations and within diverse civil society coalitions.

Elenie is an ordained minister in the Uniting Church in Australia and has held numerous national and international leadership roles. She served as the national director of the Uniting Church’s social justice program for 15 years, was a Commissioner on the World Council of Churches’ advisory body on international affairs for 11 years, served for many years in leadership positions and on committees of the National Council of Churches in Australia, and served as a school chaplain. In 2023, she was invited to deliver the University Sermon at the University of Oxford.

Elenie is a non-executive director of the Board of Uniting (NSW and ACT), one of the country's largest providers of social services, and chairs the Board's Mission Governance and Collaboration Committee. She is a past chair of the international aid and development agency Act for Peace, and a previous board member of the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), Australia’s peak body for community services. She has particular expertise in the areas of mission and strategy, organisational culture and ethics, public policy and government relations, social justice and environmental responsibility, stakeholder relations, and risk and compliance in complex regulatory environments. Elenie is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Elenie also consults for not-for-profit organisations and civil society groups, specialising in culture and mission, policy and advocacy, government relations, and strategic planning and review.