John Kamara - President

FOUNDING MEMBER

John Kamara is originally from Sierra Leone, West Africa and settled in Tasmania in 2004. He is a Team Leader at Department of Communities Tasmania and the Vice Chairman of the African Community Council in Tasmania, General Secretary of the Tasmania Sierra Leone Committee, Project Manager of the Tasmania African Community Forum, and a consultative multicultural volunteer between Government Departments and the migrant community. John continues to contribute to Tasmanian community life and has formed many long term, stable and reliable community connections in business, the arts, local and state government, and community organizations. John is also the founder of a community choir (Celebrating Nations). John formed this choir to share and explore music of different cultures and to celebrate diversity by fostering respect and open-mindedness through music, and to share a joyful understanding of people and their backgrounds.  

Raj Chopra - Vice President

FOUNDING MEMBER

Raj Chopra is a passionate community leader who has been living in Hobart for the past 7 years. He has extensive experience working with diverse groups of people and is the Founder of the Intercultural Sports League and the Diverse Tassie news bulletin. He holds a Bachelor and Masters in Business and is a Business Development Officer in the disability sector.

Reshma Dutta - Secretary

FOUNDING MEMBER

Reshma is originally from Fiji. She is the Secretary and one of the Founding Member s of CDAT. She has a Master of Taxation, Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Education with Professional Honours (TESOL), Graduate Certificate in Education (TESOL), Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and is a registered Marriage Celebrant. She has also served on various Boards and is keen to see women realise their full potential in their field of interest - free to raise questions and enter into dialogues without feeling intimidated or unworthy. Reshma is a strong advocate against domestic violence which she says is not always physical but also verbal, emotional torture, abuse and 'mind games'. Reshma does not shy away from her firm stance against inequality, unfairness, bullying, discrimination and racism. She has a passion for promoting justice, mental health awareness, cultural diversity, mentoring and a voice for the vulnerable in our community.

Dr Charles Makoundi - Treasurer

FOUNDING MEMBER

Dr Charles Makoundi was born in Congo Brazzaville. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology (University Marien Ngouabi), Master of Geoscience (University Marien Ngouabi), Master of Sedimentology (University of Malaya), and Master of Economic Geology (University of Tasmania), and a PhD in Economic Geology (University of Tasmania). He currently works as a postdoctoral researcher and Geoscience Data Officer at the University of Tasmania and the Department of State Growth, respectively. On the global stage, he is an author, reviewer, and editor for five high-impact international journals. He is the national leader of the Australian Congolese Association, the Chairman of the Tasmanian African Community Forum, and an advisor for the African Communities Council of Tasmania. Joining CDAT as a board member gives him the opportunity to be a team player in fostering social integration, promoting fairness, and advocating for the rights of community members in our State.

Mavis Quansah-Kamara

FOUNDING MEMBER

Mavis Quansah-Kamara is originally from Ghana, West Africa. Mavis came to Australia in 2009 and has lived in Tasmania since that time. Mavis is the president of the newly formed Ghana Association Tasmania (GhaTas). Mavis is an executive member of the Tasmanian African Community Forum Inc. Mavis is an Early Childhood Educator and a Disability Support Worker. She is highly influential and respected within the African community and has a passion to mentor young migrant women to become role models and good citizens.  Mavis has wide ranging multicultural skills and experiences and a very strong motivation to advocate for multicultural communities and social justice. She is a an outstanding listener and understands the importance of positive community relationships. 

Michelle Claire Makoundi

FOUNDING MEMBER

Michelle Claire Makoundi originally from Congo Brazzaville has been living in Tasmania since May 2010. She graduated with a Bachelor of Accounting, a Diploma of General studies, a Certificate in Reflective and Critical Thinking, a Certificate in Liberal Arts, a Certificate in Introduction to Sociology, a Certificate in MYOB (Accounting) Setup and Operational Training. She currently works as a Laboratory Officer at the Centre for Ore Deposits and Earth Sciences, University of Tasmania. In a leadership capacity, she is an executive member of Tasmanian African Community Forum Inc. and the Australian Congolese Association (Bana Brazza). 

Michelle has been getting along well with community members regardless of their origins or religion. She has also been instrumental in mentoring and advisory capacity. She is committed to contributing to the wellbeing of our multicultural society by making sure the voice of all community groups are heard.

Erfan Daliri

BOARD MEMBER

Erfan Daliri is an author, educator and social change consultant with a passion for empowering individuals and organisations to create positive change and contribute to the betterment of the world in their own unique way. With a Master’s degree in Communication for Social Change, three published books and 20 years of experience working with NGOs, community groups, corporate and government sectors, Erfan has become one of Australia’s most highly sought after trainers and social change consultants. His experiences include participatory development with remote Indigenous and migrant communities, social impact consulting, cross-cultural communication and anti-racism training, youth engagement and education design, sustainable festival design, mental health research and resilience training, and systems thinking for social change consulting. As a skilled communicator, educator and performance poet, Erfan has built a reputation for creating 'Aha' moments for CEOs and school students alike, with an innate ability to captivate and inspire audiences from all backgrounds, settings, and walks of life. He is also the founding director of Newkind Social Justice Conference, Refugee Advisory Group member for Amnesty International Australia and programme coordinator of the National Unity in Diversity Conference.

Kris Schaffer

BOARD MEMBER

Kris is proud of her Aboriginal heritage and culture. She has been living on this beautiful island of Troweena since 1960. Most of those years have been spent on kununyi. For Kris, to grow up at a time when the true history of her people were hidden or misrepresented has been very painful. Kris brings with her a great depth of lived experience and knowledge. Currently she is actively engaged in teaching, training and mentoring young Aboriginal people in horticulture and land management.  She has taught in both public and private schools, through theatre, art and environment. Kris looks forward to working together with her indigenous community and with all diverse cultures who call Tasmania home.

Professor Khin Zaw

BOARD MEMBER

Prof Khin Zaw is Professor of Economic Geology, CODES Centre of Ore Deposits and Earth Sciences, School of Natural Sciences at the University of Tasmania. He received BSc from Yangon University in 1968, FGA Diploma (Fellowships of Gemmological Association of Great Britain) in 1969, MSc from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, CANADA in 1976 and PhD from University of Tasmania in 1990 and joined CODES Centre.

He has well over 40 years’ experience working in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan and SE Asian countries. He is Fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and Fellow of Society of Economic Geologists and recently bestowed with an Honorary Life Fellowship from Geological Society of London recognizing for his global contribution to the Geoscience to join in the list of other pre-eminent scientists in the world. He is also a Board of Directors of Australia-Myanmar Institute (AMI).

Annia Baron

BOARD MEMBER

Annia Baron, founder of ReMind Yourself, is a Mindset Coach & Clinical Psychologist, Yoga Teacher, and Musician. She alchemizes her love of neuroscience, holistic health practices, and creative arts to help others elevate their inner wellbeing. Annia has lectured in Psychology for the University of Tasmania, her psychology articles feature in The Hobart Magazine, and she enjoys collaborating with local Tasmanians to share their stories via her podcast. At the heart of it all, Annia is devoted to educating and empowering others to embrace compassionate living, deepen connection to community and nature, and celebrate the diversity and oneness in us all.  

Nathaniel Lau

BOARD MEMBER

Nathaniel Lau is a law graduate from the University of Tasmania. He is from Borneo Island, specifically Sarawak in Malaysia. Growing up in a land with close to thirty different ethnic groups in Sarawak, he believes that through diversity, we can grow as a community. He has seen that the acceptance and the promotion of diversity, allows the community to flourish by creating a cooperative and caring space - and wants to promote this in Tasmania. Nathaniel was also a previous volunteer and Student Engagement Leader at the University of Tasmania and assisted other students to feel welcome at UTAS. By taking up this responsibility as a Board Member, he hopes to make an impact through CDAT and contribute to Tasmania's strength.

Sushmita Nepal

BOARD MEMBER

Sushmita Nepal comes from the beautiful country of Nepal but has been living in Tasmania for approximately two years. She graduated with a Bachelor of Accounting and currently works at Wrest Point as a food and beverage attendant. She is a passionate about working for community welfare issues and welfare solutions because of her desire to help people. She believes, that by being a board member, she can raise her voice to the upper levels of the decision making process that supports the goals of wanting to help others in need. She is delighted to be a part of CDAT and looks forward to the constructive contributions she can make.

Eri Mullooly-Hill Konishi

BOARD MEMBER

Eri Mullooly-Hill Konishi was born in Nara Prefecture, Japan. As a young child, Eri was always curious about cultural differences, which later encouraged her to travel extensively. She lived in Germany, UK, Australia, and stayed long-term in India. Her love of dance and belief in the power of dance led her to move to London in 2010 to study a MA in Dance Movement Psychotherapy (DMP) at Goldsmiths, University of London. Since graduating in 2012, Eri has offered DMP to various groups of people in Japan and Australia. Currently she is working for The Parkside Foundation as a dance tutor and for Second Echo Ensemble as a dance/movement artist, as well as offering DMP workshops and individual sessions. Embracing body as a central focus, Eri brings authenticity and joy into working with people.

Dr Zelinda Sherlock - Honorary Advisor

FOUNDING MEMBER

Dr Zelinda Sherlock was born in Fiji and immigrated to Tasmania in the mid-1980s. She is a mother of two, holds a Bachelor of Arts/Law degree, a Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and a Ph.D.

Dr Sherlock lived and worked in Japan for nearly 14 years and has been an educator for over 17 years. Her roles and responsibilities range from the education, not-for-profit, and government sector, with involvement in high-quality scholarly and professional activities.

Dr Sherlock is a very passionate communitarian and contributes to the community in various ways. She is the recipient of the 2019 Victoria College Foundation Scholarship and the 2020 National (Tasmanian) Award Winner for Excellence in Women's Leadership. She has been appointed Honorary Advisor for her knowledge of processes, experience in leadership and commitment to issues of social justice and equity.