The Board of QPASTT today announces that Liz Gordon has resigned as Co-CEO to take up an opportunity to return to direct practice and post-graduate study.
2025 marks Liz’s 20th year with QPASTT – an incredible tenure, during which she has been a counsellor, supervisor and senior leader, before stepping into the role of Co-CEO for Practice Leadership, Service Innovation and Quality in 2023.
As an accredited Mental Health Social Worker, Liz has brought extensive practice experience and insights to her strategic co-leadership of QPASTT, ensuring that our torture and trauma recovery programs and direct services remain consistently of the highest quality for the clients and communities we serve. Liz has steered QPASTT through many achievements including:
- Developing QPASTT’s Strategic Plan to 2029, focused on enhancing our service integration and impact.
- Ensuring responsive and quality service in response to complex trauma needs exacerbated by COVID-19, the housing crisis, escalating overseas conflicts and further denigration of human rights and support for asylum seekers in Australia.
- Expansion of QPASTT’s services by 22% across Queensland.
- Service innovation focused on the early years, suicide prevention and postvention as well as targeted support for LGBTIQA survivors.
Liz has also contributed significantly to the national FASSTT network’s advocacy, sector development, and quality improvement processes ensuring best practice evidence underpins the investments and actions of our services.
Within this extraordinary legacy, one of the most valued contributions Liz has made is to QPASTT’s culture that is rich in collective care, continuous learning and justice. We know that our staff, stakeholders and community colleagues will miss Liz’s passion for healing for survivors of trauma and the mentorship she has provided to so many practitioners over the last two decades.
Liz will always hold a special place in our community as she embarks on a journey of further learning and study in Perinatal and Infant Mental Health. We are excited about the insights Liz will be able to bring to the trauma-recovery and mental health sector as she deepens her knowledge in this field.
A message from Liz
I have felt enormously privileged to be part of QPASTT over so many years. It has been a workplace that has provided immeasurable professional and personal learnings, unexpected opportunities and a community of incomparable colleagues. I am so proud of the QPASTT team, including staff past and present, who have skillfully furthered the recovery and healing of people from refugee and asylum-seeking communities.
It has been truly humbling to work alongside communities who – despite their experiences of persecution, grief and cultural dislocation – have shown such generosity and trust in connecting with QPASTT. The Australian community is enriched by multicultural communities and by providing a place of safe haven for those fleeing conflict and persecution. It feels like the right time to say farewell due to the unwavering commitment of the Board, leadership and staff to the QPASTT values of kindness, optimism, perseverance, fairness and honesty. I especially thank the QPASTT Board and my Co-CEO, Sally Stewart, for their support while in the Co-CEO role but also as I navigate this professional transition. I express my gratitude also to the many dedicated people across the sector for their efforts to uphold the rights and dignity of all community members.
Liz will be working with QPASTT until 28 March 2025, with the Board commencing a recruitment process in February. Tanya Van Bael (Senior Leader for Individual and Family Recovery) will be joining Sally Stewart as Co-CEO from 28 March until we announce a permanent appointee.
Enquiries: communications@qpastt.org.au
