
People
Executive Leadership Group

Associate Professor Joanne Ailwood
Associate Professor
School of Education
T: (02) 4921 6603
E: jo.ailwood@newcastle.edu.au
Dr Janet Dzator
Senior Lecturer
Director, Centre for African Research, Engagement and Partnerships
T: (02) 4921 5074

Mr Zachary Ekandi
Originating from Kenya, Mr Ekandi is a recognised leader in the African/Australian community and is currently chair of the Kenyan community in Newcastle NSW, Board Director of Northern Settlement Services, Regional Advisory Council for the Multicultural NSW, and a member of the NSW Police Multicultural Advisory Committee. As an accredited international student counsellor, Mr Ekandi has extensive experience in education and training and was recently awarded the Director-General’s Award for Excellent Service to Public Education in New South Wales.

Dr Sidsel Grimstad
Senior Lecturer
Newcastle Business School
T: (02) 4921 6271
Ms Rebecca Hazell
Director of Advancement
Office of Alumni and Philanthropy
T: (02) 4985 4546
E: rebecca.hazell@newcastle.edu.au
Mr Brendan Hall
T: (02) 4921 7351
E: brendan.hall@newcastle.edu.au
Mr Hall is a higher education professional specialising in international student recruitment and institutional partnerships with current responsibility for Africa, Middle East, and Pakistan. Mr Hall also has experience working with Aboriginal medical services and clinical specialists with the aim to enable Indigenous health workers with opportunities to drive research projects and obtain funding to bolster health services in regional and rural Indigenous Australian communities.
Dr Patricia Johnson
Senior Lecturer
Newcastle Business School
Faculty of Business and Law
T: (02) 4921 5546
Professor Jim Jose
T: (02) 4921 5026
E: jim.jose@newcastle.edu.au
Jim Jose is Professor of Politics in the Newcastle Business School at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia. He undertakes research in various areas of political theory, contemporary governance issues, public policy, and gender politics. He has published numerous articles in these areas.
Associate Professor Therese Kairuz
Associate Professor
School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy
T: (02) 4921 5691
E: therese.kairuz@newcastle.edu.au
Emeritus Professor Terry Lovat
Emeritus Professor
Faculty of Education and Arts
T: (02) 4921 6288
E: terry.lovat@newcastle.edu.au

Tilahun Mengistu
T: +61 432 886 040
E: tilahun.mengistu@uon.edu.au
Mr Mengistu originates from Ethiopia and settled in Australia as a refugee in 2009. Mr Mengistu is a leading member of the African community holding positions as Public Officer for the African Community Council in Newcastle, Settlement Officer and Bilingual Caseworker for the Northern Humanitarian Settlement Services (NAVITAS-HSS,) and Board Director for the Hunter Ethnic Community Council. Mr Mengistu provides interpreter and translation services in Amharic and Oromo Languages.
Professor Shirley Randell
Conjoint Professor
School of Education
T: (02) 4921 6603
E: shirley.randell@newcastle.edu.au
For the past 20 years, Professor Randell has provided specialist technical assistance to governments and agencies in the Asia Pacific Region and Africa as a leading expert in public sector and institutional reform, teacher education, gender mainstreaming and human rights. From 2006-2014, Professor Randell was based in Kigali, Rwanda and held several senior positions including Gender Adviser, East Central Africa Region for the Netherlands Development Agency (SNV), founder and Director of the Centre for Gender, Culture and Development at the Kigali Institute of Education (now Centre for Gender Studies at the University of Rwanda). While in Kigali, Professor Randell founded the Rwanda Association of University Women. Professor Randell is an Officer of the Oder of Australia.
Emeritus Professor Tim Roberts
Emeritus Professor
School of Enivronmental and Life Sciences (Environmental Science and Management)
Dr Megan Rollo
Post Doctoral Research Fellow
School of Health Sciences (Nutrition and Dietetics)
T: (02) 4921 5649
E: megan.rollo@newcastle.edu.au

Ndinawe Ruppert
Ms Ruppert originates from Zambia and is a graduate of the University of Newcastle. In 2011, Ms Ruppert was admitted as a solicitor in NSW after completing a Bachelor of Business and Law with a Diploma of Legal Practice. Ms Ruppert completed a Master of Laws majoring in Human Rights and International Business in 2017 and is currently working as a solicitor and Registered Migration Agent at Advocacy Hicksons Lawyers. Ms Ruppert is also a Board Member of the Hunter Community Legal Centre.
Dr Timothy Walker
Conjoint Associate Professor
School of Medicine and Public Health
T: (02) 4921 1211
E: timothy.d.walker@newcastle.edu.au
Dr Walker has significant clinical and academic leadership experience in resource poor settings, particularly in Rwanda, in addition to his current roles in Australia, where he is Clinical Dean and Senior Staff Specialist in Gastroenterology at the Calvary Mater Hospital, Newcastle and Conjoint Associate Professor at the University of Newcastle. Dr Walker has a particular interest in tropical medicine and point-of-care ultrasound as well as the use of videoconferencing and team-based learning in medical education.
Mrs Lyne Williams
Scholarship Management
Academic and Global Relations
UON Global
Global Engagement and Partnerships Division
T: (02) 4985 4490
E: lynne.williams@newcastle.edu.au
Ms Williams is the Scholarship Management Officer for UoN Global at the University of Newcastle. Ms Williams works primarily with students sponsored by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Australian Awards Scholarship including students from across Africa.
Mr David Wise
T: (02) 4921 2096
E: david.wise@newcastle.edu.au
Through senior advisory roles within the Australian Tertiary Education Sector and the Australian Agency for International Development, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Wise has over 30 years-experience working with governments and educational providers in West Africa and the member countries that constitute the East African Community (EAC), and the South African Development Community (SADAC).
Student Leadership Group

Mary Amponsah
Faculty of Business and Law
School of Business
Mary originates from Ghana West Africa and is currently completing her PhD Economics through the Newcastle Business School. Mary holds a Masters in Economics and Bachelor in Economics from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana West Africa and has also held a number of academic positions including assistant research positions at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the University of Newcastle, Australia.

Habtamu Bizuayehu
Faculty of Health and Medicine (Public Health)
E: habtamu.bizuayehu@uon.edu.au
Habtamu originates from Ethiopia and is currently completing his PhD in Public Health through the Faculty of Health and Medicine. Habtamu holds a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology, Addis Ababa University and a Bachelor of Public Health Hawassa University Ethiopia. Habtamu has published widely on public health issues and has also held an academic position at the Debre Markos University in Ethiopia.

Elliott Boateng
Faculty of Business and Law
Newcastle Law School
Elliott originates from Ghana West Africa and is currently completing his PhD in Economics through the Newcastle Business School. Elliott’s research and teaching expertise is in the area of applied economics, energy and institutional economics, macro and developmental economics, monetary economics and international trade. Elliott is currently the President of the African Postgraduate Students’ Association at the University of Newcastle, Australia. Elliott holds a Master of Economics and Bachelor of Economics from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi Ghana West Africa.

Joshua Kalemba
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Joshua is currently completing a PhD in Sociology and Anthropology through the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Joshua also holds a Bachelor of Social Science, Communication, Media Studies and Sociology from Monash University Australia and a Master of Arts in Industrial Sociology from the University of Witwatersrand and a Bachelor of Arts with Honours Industrial Sociology from the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Joshua is an active leader in the local African community.

Tonny Nyundu
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Tonny originates from South Africa and is currently completing his PhD in Sociology through the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Tonny has held teaching and research positions in sociology at the University of South Africa and University of Johannesburg as well as the National Research Foundation in Johannesburg. Tonny also holds an M. Sociology, B Sociology (Hons) and B Human Resource Management from the University of Johannesburg.

Dorcas Zuvalinyenga
School of Humanities and Social Science
E: Dorcas.Zuvalinyenga@uon.edu.au
Dorcas originates from Zimbabwe and is currently a PhD student in the School of Humanities and Social Science. Her research focuses on how provisions in language policy and ideology affect the choice and use of language and how social and political power relationships affect multilingual competence and practice. Dorcas is a lecturer in applied linguistic and cultural studies at the Bindura University of Science Education in Zimbabwe.