Meet the Team

Our Team

From our Board to our committed team, meet the people behind the work we do. Together, we ensure we are effective and efficient as we strive toward creating just and sustainable change with women, children and communities. 

Hannah George
Hannah George
Executive Officer

I joined MWIA in 2020 after over ten years of leadership roles at Amnesty International Australia; the majority spent heading its international and women’s rights campaigns.

I have extensive hands-on experience in international development and human rights, having lived and worked in South East Asia, the Pacific and the US. I now live on the land of the Boon Wurrung people.

I am a passionate advocate for social justice and equity, both in Australia and overseas, and currently chair the Council for Single Mothers and Their Children Board.

Kirstin Del Beato
Projects and Partnerships Manager

With broad experience working in the not-for-profit sector, my background includes roles in international development, education and employment services programming. I joined MWIA as the Programs Manager in 2015, having worked in Loreto Education since early 2011.

My current role as the Project and Partnerships Manager sees me supporting the diverse work of MWIA’s in-country partners across nine countries to create just and sustainable change with women, children and communities.

Fiza Khosla
Community Engagement Coordinator

Having recently finished my master’s degree from the University of Melbourne, I became a part of the MWIA family in September 2021 as the Community Engagement Coordinator.

Originally from India, I moved to Melbourne in 2019 to pursue my Marketing degree and have since fallen in love with the city and its rich culture.

Passionate about nurturing the community, I have actively engaged in volunteer social work in both India and Melbourne and participated in several projects centred around the development and growth of children.

Stepping into this role with MWIA, I truly get to make a difference and contribute to society’s development alongside my personal growth. I am delighted to have begun my career journey with the incredible MWIA!

Kaithlyn McNab
Administration Officer

I am thrilled to have joined the MWIA team in 2022, allowing me to contribute to sustainable change. After travelling the globe, living overseas, and working in the travel industry for a decade, I decided to change career trajectories to not-for-profit international development to follow my passions; to make a difference by pursuing equal opportunities for all and gender equity. My time abroad has allowed me to experience first-hand the global diversity and injustices of the world. I am currently completing a Bachelor of International Studies at Deakin University.

Board of Directors

Dr Leoni Degenhardt AM PhD MEd BA Dip Ed FACE FACEL GAICD
Chair

I was the first lay Principal of Loreto Normanhurst, and remain committed to the mission and values of Mary Ward.

For me, being part of MWIA is a privilege: I am drawn to the focus on women, children and education, and working in partnership with local communities and the Loreto sisters who live among and work with them.

My background and qualifications are in educational leadership. Now semi-retired, I consult in areas related to learning, leadership, strategy and organisational change.

My previous Board experience includes membership of the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC), the Loreto National Education Board, and the National Council of Caritas Australia.

Nicole Gibson BA (Hons), LLB, M.Teach
Deputy Chair

I am a parent of three young women, and I teach secondary school humanities on the lands of the Kulin nation. I have many years of experience in legal practice and in the financial advisory sector.

I am drawn to the work of MWIA because “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (Martin Luther King Jr), and I firmly believe we need to strive to be “seekers of truth and doers of justice” (Mary Ward).

Sr Libby Rogerson IBVM B.Ed, B.A (Hons) Dip.KTC (Syd.)
Director

Having been involved with MWIA almost from its very beginning, I officially joined the board in 2017.

As a member of the Loreto Provincial Council and the Loreto Justice Network, with a long involvement in social justice, I am delighted to be part of an organisation that cares deeply for people pushed to the margins.

I also serve on two not-for-profit Boards – Jesuit Social Services and St Francis Social Services (which has oversight of the House of Welcome), both of which work for disadvantaged people in Australia.

Kelly Morrison BEHons(Civil) (Syd), MBA (AGSM, UNSW)
Director

I was honoured to join the Board and the Audit Risk and Finance Committee of MWIA in 2018. I believe in the mission of MWIA and the work it does with communities to empower women and children through education, development initiatives, sanitation and medical care.

I have a background in engineering and finance, which I am glad to utilise in assisting MWIA and their project partners in their efforts to help improve outcomes for people living in disadvantaged communities.

I have previous board experience with Stella Maris College Manly, where I was also Chair of the Building and Resources Committee.

Mary Cook
Director

I am the Director of Advancement and Community at Kincoppal-Rose Bay School, focusing on raising funds in major gifts, bequests and annual giving for the school’s Bursary Fund and capital developments.

I have worked in fundraising and community relations for over 20 years, initially as Director of Development at Loreto Normanhurst, then at the University of Sydney and finally at Kincoppal-Rose Bay.

I have also been a member of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Fundraising Committee, the Catholic Health Care Committee and the Joan Sutherland Richard Bonynge Foundation.

Chris Dureau
Director

I live on the traditional lands of the Wadawurrun people in Ballarat. I am an adult educator, community development worker and cross-cultural social psychologist.

I have managed international development programs in many countries in Asia, Africa and the Pacific. With a conviction that everyone has insights and gifts to enhance our collective lives, I nurture and celebrate biodiversity, gender equity and social inclusion.

I have board experience with similar international agencies to MWIA, including Jesuit Mission. I enjoy lecturing and communicating about the importance of taking a strengths-based approach in all that we do and how we live our lives.

Emma Lawler
Director

I am a senior governance professional working as Group Company Secretary for an ASX50 company. I joined the Audit Risk and Finance Committee and the Governance and Management Working Party of MWIA in 2021 and was appointed to the Board in 2022.

I attended Loreto Normanhurst for all of my schooling and the mission and values of Mary Ward have been an integral part of my development. I believe strongly in the long term benefits that the work MWIA does in focussing on improving education for women and children and providing ongoing support in partnership with the Loreto sisters and local communities and am honoured to be part of the mission.

My governance background and experience working with boards are skills which can assist MWIA to meet its strategic aims.

Rebecca Walker
Director

I have had a diverse career and am passionate about working at the grassroots, spending my career working with communities to ensure their voices are heard.

My working and volunteer career has spanned theatre and the arts for 20 years, then moved into international development, working largely with communities across Papua New Guinea. I have also worked in State Government with bushfire impacted communities.

I am passionate about advocacy and ensuring that the right voices are heard. My management style is a strengths-based approach, allowing teams and communities to thrive. In my downtime, I love a road trip! 

David Ballhausen
Director