The Board of QPASTT today announces that Jamila Padhee has resigned as CEO of QPASTT, with Liz Gordon and Sally Stewart appointed as Co-CEOs.
Pictured above, from L-R: Sally Stewart, Liz Gordon, Jamila Padhee (QPASTT CEO) and Professor Emeritus Keithia Wilson (QPASTT Chair)
Jamila has led QPASTT as Co-CEO since 2019 and as CEO for the past 12 months. Jamila’s resignation is for personal reasons. Both professionally and personally, Jamila has demonstrated a deep commitment to creating a positive multicultural society where refugees are welcomed and supported, and we know that she will remain a key member of our QPASTT community.
Please join us in sharing our very best wishes with Jamila and our gratitude for her commitment to our vision for people from refugee backgrounds to live lives liberated from the harms of torture, trauma and human rights injustices.
A message from Jamila…
QPASTT is truly a remarkable organisation. I have valued being able to contribute to its impact for the past four years.
I am really proud of what I have been able to achieve in partnership with our incredible staff, with our Board of Directors and our sector and community leader partners. Working together we have ensured that our foundational values of dignity, human rights, and community-led practice have been embedded through our service with clients and communities.
I am proud that when others talk about QPASTT, they say that we are a listening organisation who cares.
I will miss the opportunity to continue to shape QPASTT as CEO. But our purpose, our partnerships and the people and communities we support remain so important to me and I look forward to continuing to support QPASTT’s vision into the future in different ways.
Introducing QPASTT’s new Co-CEOs
Please join the QPASTT Board in welcoming our new Co-CEOs, Liz Gordon and Sally Stewart. Liz and Sally will step into the Co-CEO model previously established by the appointment of Jamila and Ignacio in 2019.
Liz Gordon will assume the role of Co-CEO of Practice Leadership and Service Delivery and Sally Stewart will take on the role of Co-CEO of Partnerships and Opportunity Development.
Both Liz and Sally are strong leaders with extensive experience in leadership roles at QPASTT and are aligned with QPASTT’s values. We are pleased that Jamila will have a continued role in mentoring Liz and Sally in their roles as Co-CEOs.
About Liz
Liz Gordon is QPASTT’s Senior Leader for Individual and Family Recovery. She has been with QPASTT since 2005 in various counselling, clinical supervision and leadership roles.
Liz is an accredited Mental Health Social Worker and is currently completing a Masters of Child Play Therapy. Liz is passionate about trauma-informed leadership, workforce development and the application of expressive therapies for trauma recovery in children from refugee backgrounds.
About Sally
Sally Stewart has previously worked in the role of Manager Community Services at QPASTT. She will be re-joining QPASTT after tenures as Engagement Manager at Queensland University of Technology, Business Development Manager at The Hopkins Centre and Senior Leader roles at Multicultural Australia in the areas of Youth Services, Systemic Advocacy and Social Policy, and Stakeholder Management.
Sally has a Master of Public Policy and Bachelor of International Business. Sally strives to make our community more inclusive, particularly through the areas of cross-sectoral development and advocacy.
Jamila will be working with QPASTT until 16 December. Liz Gordon will commence as Co-CEO from Monday, 7 November with Sally Stewart commencing as Co-CEO from Monday, 12 December.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with Jamila through the details below.
Yours sincerely
Professor Emeritus Keithia Wilson
Chair of QPASTT
Jamila Padhee
CEO of QPASTT
