IofC Australia Team

Laurence Gray

Laurence leads a community development team at Wyndham City Council in Melbourne’s West. His work includes overseeing a community grants program, supporting multicultural and interfaith engagement, promoting community safety and building social cohesion in one of Australia’s most diverse and fast-growing municipalities. Laurence has a Master’s degree in politics and policy from Deakin University and a Graduate Diploma in management from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). He has served on the Board since 2019 and leads its Risk, Legal and Audit committee.

Elisse Higginbotham

Elisse is a practising optometrist and lecturer at the University of Western Australia’s School of Allied Health. She serves on the organising team of the Initiatives of Change Leadership in Practice community, and volunteers on the Life Matters team, organising workshops for life skills. Elisse was elected to the Board in June 2021, having been earlier appointed to fill a vacancy in April that year.

Paul Wilkins

Paul worked for Telstra and IBM as an information technology professional for more than 30 years. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Adelaide. Paul became acquainted with Initiatives of Change (Moral Re-Armament) in 1977 through his service for the Commonwealth Public Service Union and the Uniting Church on social justice issues. He joined the Board in 2016 to contribute his financial analysis, budgeting and reporting skills.

Maurice Clisby

Maurice is a management professional at the Nous Group, where he provides organisational consulting and program evaluation services. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Melbourne Business School at the University of Melbourne, and a Bachelor of Engineering and Arts degree from Monash University. Maurice has been a business owner, management consultant, project engineer and theatre producer. He serves on the Finance, Assets and Investments Committee.

Jonathan Lancaster

Jonathan worked with Initiatives of Change (Moral Re-Armament) in India, Europe, and South-East Asia as a full-time volunteer from 1965, following his sense of calling to devote his life to the movement. Educated at Carey Baptist Grammar School in Melbourne, he returned to the city in 1981 to support the IofC Australia’s national administration, serving as Secretary and Treasurer for extended periods. He attends to matters relating to organisational transparency, accountability, compliance and sustainability as a registered charity.

Sudarshan Suresh

Sudarshan is an Internal Audit Manager at Westpac. A qualified Chartered Accountant and Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he has gained experience in the banking, asset management, private equity and superannuation sectors through his prior consultant role with PwC. In 2023 he established Migrant Mindset, a voluntary mentoring initiative to help migrant professionals in Australia land their target roles and thrive in their chosen careers. He joined the Board in 2020.

Sarah Mayor Cox

Sarah Mayor Cox has worked as a primary school teacher, librarian, literacy coach and university lecturer. In 2016 she founded the educational consultancy Ecology of Learning=MC2 and is its lead consultant on literacy, educational technology and instructional design. Her qualifications include a Diploma of Teaching, a Master’s degree in Education from LaTrobe University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Melbourne. She is currently a PhD candidate at RMIT University. She leads the Nominations and Performance Committee.

Lan Diep

Lan Diep is a change management professional and first-generation Vietnamese migrant to Australia. She has served as a regional advisory member of the Victorian Multicultural Commission. Lan’s journey with IofC began in 2018 when she participated in a Life Matters workshop, Creators of Peace circle, and the Sprout! Program, an initiative for mentoring in spiritual ecology. She joined the Board in 2024.

Daya Bhagwandas

Daya is an educator in the field of neuroscience-based personal development. Her educational program, Achieving Brain Competency (ABC), which began in Australian schools, has been rolled out in many countries. Daya’s work experience includes working with child soldiers in Sri Lanka and at-risk youths in Malaysia, and a previous role at Gymbaroo where she was responsible for staff professional development. She is the founding director of Neuro Network, a wellbeing program to support individuals to achieve their fullest potential.

Elizabeth Lee

Elizabeth has over 20 years of experience as a company secretary, offering services in preparation of board papers, minute taking, corporate registers and administration. She has held company secretary positions for Phosphate Resources, Macmahon Holdings, Lend Lease Primelife, Macquarie Bank, and Austock Group. She holds a Bachelor of Business with majors in finance and business law from Edith Cowan University and a Graduate Diploma in corporate governance from the Governance Institute of Australia.

Mike Lowe

Sarah Naarden

Sarah Naarden is an architect, speaker, curriculum designer and facilitator passionate about creating social and ecological impact with First Peoples. Sarah co-facilitates Turruk, a learning program for trust building, truth telling, and deep listening. Sarah combines 25 years of experience leading teams on architectural projects with 15 years of community engagement supporting First Peoples’ self-determination. She is an alumnus of the Williamson Community Leadership Program.

Kylie Barrow

Kylie has over 10 years’ experience of working in administration, and as a personal assistant and team assistant. After recognising a disconnect between her corporate role and her personal attitudes and aspirations, Kylie begun her career journey in the not-for-profit sector. She has a BA in sociology and is currently working towards a Masters degree in human rights. She is passionate about animal welfare and environmental responsibility, and is a proud mother, wife and dog owner.

Wendy Vanderleest

Wendy has worked in local government and university environments, as well as for her family building company.  Wendy joined the not-for-profit sector about 10 years ago and specialises in office and facilities management. Time away from work is spent with family or visiting friends all around the globe.

Parveen Muhammed

Parveen came into contact with IofCA at a time when she was looking for work after having been at home as a full-time mum for a few years. The people and the work captivated her and have kept her hooked since 2016. Starting as a volunteer Web Writer, which let her put her writing skills into practice, she moved on to a paid role as a Communications Assistant and as IofCA expanded a permanent role as a Communications Officer. The compilation of newsletters, website maintenance, the marketing of events, and database management keep her on her toes while letting her learn new skills and enjoy the company and views of the diverse people that make up IofCA.

Tanya Fox

John Mills

Liz Weeks

Prior to working with Initiatives of Change (IofC), Liz trained as a nurse.  She and her husband spent 3½ years in Papua New Guinea in the 70’s, including Independence and had an ongoing association with that country.  In recent years she has been involved in the IofC programme Creators of Peace Circles and has, with others, taken training sessions in Solomon Islands and Bougainville.  She is a proud mother of two and grandmother of five.

Cheryl Wood

Cheryl is a trained teacher who has worked full-time with IofC for the past 45 years. She previously managed Grosvenor Books, IofCA’s publishing arm, as well as living in community at IofC’s Australia-Pacific Centre for 35 years, working with partner Rob to host the centre for 28 of those years. Her work is built around a lifelong sense of calling to build bridges between people in Australia and other countries in the region. She served on the IofCA Board for 21 years.

Rob Wood

Rob has worked with IofCA for many years, developing and conducting its life direction and leadership programs. He has also engaged in a variety of community building and strengthening initiatives in Australia and in different parts of the Asia-Pacific region. With his partner Cheryl, he helped host the Australia-Pacific Centre for IofC in Melbourne for 28 years.