National Management Team
Paul Kelsey: Chief Executive Officer
Paul joined High Resolves in 2009 as the organisation's first CEO. After more than 20 years in financial services in various senior roles covering strategy development, organisation design, operations management, project management, and project portfolio management he finally realised there were much more noble causes to focus on. With three young children and a growing concern for their future, Paul now uses his skills to ensure High Resolves is able to utilise its limited resources with super efficiency so that all our efforts can be focussed on reaching and developing high school students to become leaders of positive change in society. Paul’s extensive experience in project management is also being utilised in the development of social action and change management methodologies for high school students.
John Bush: Director, Learning and Development
Dean Delia: National Manager, Program Delivery
Dean joins High Resolves with an extensive project development and education background. After completing his Bachelor of Arts and Teaching (Secondary) in 2003, Dean began working with some of Melbourne’s most disadvantaged students with a specific focus in curriculum reform, program development and evaluation. His passion for creating entrepreneurial, socially responsible and authentic learning opportunities inspired an approach to education that places self-discovery of each learner at the forefront of the experiential learning process.
Dean has created global partnerships with schools, social enterprises, independent and philanthropic organisations. His experience in managing national and international youth-focused initiatives has enabled him to work within school systems in Australia, Canada, the USA, Kenya, China and India. Building partnerships with corporate, private, and philanthropic sectors has allowed Dean to assist in providing marginalised and non-marginalised youth with meaningful learning opportunities on a global scale.
State Management Team
Clare Abbott (nee Thompson): Program Director (New South Wales)
Clare spent eight years teaching English as a second language in Australia and abroad before moving to the community sector in 2006. She founded and developed the St Vincent de Paul Society Assisting Refugee Kids (SPARK) program for refugee children and their families in partnership with primary schools in Western Sydney. Clare holds a Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies) from Macquarie University, a Master of Social Development (Refugees and Forced Migration) from the University of New South Wales and she recently completed the Benevolent Society's Sydney Leadership Program. Clare was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2010 to conduct research overseas on education and settlement programs for refugee children.
Working for High Resolves puts into practise Clare's belief in providing access to education for all and giving young people opportunities to change the world.
Terry Robb: Program Director (Victoria)
Terry has extensive leadership experience in the youth and community sectors in Australia and internationally. Previous roles include Country Program Director for Youth Challenge Vanuatu, campaigns and events coordination at Oxfam Australia, a senior role on a Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations funded employment project, Operations Manager for Ecovantage Pty Ltd and management of youth volunteer programs in Nepal and Brazil for World Youth International. As Campaigns Coordinator for Oxfam Australia for Victoria and Tasmania, Terry played a leading role in Oxfam’s implementation of social justice campaigns: including Make Poverty History, Make Trade Fair and Close the Gap, leading their development of youth social justice and leadership initiatives.
Terry holds a Bachelor of Commence from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Social Science (International Development) from RMIT University.
Alex Mazzoni: Program Director (Queensland)
Alex started as a Program Manager for High Resolves in Sydney and is now overseeing the growth of the program into Queensland. He has worked as a high school teacher and on community development projects, in Australia and overseas. After completing his Bachelor of Arts and Diploma of Education (Secondary) at Macquarie University, he taught in disadvantaged communities in inner and western Sydney. Alex has also worked in mentor programs for indigenous youth, conducted after-school literacy programs for refugee students and developed ICT workshops for teachers on using web 2.0 technology for disengaged students.
Alex’s passion for education and working with marginalised communities’ stems from his experiences working on education projects in Thailand, Mexico and Colombia. In 2007, he volunteered in rural Thailand, teaching victims of the 2004 tsunami. While completing a Diploma in Languages (Spanish) in 2008-09, he was team leader on a volunteer project in a Mexican orphanage and worked as a teacher’s aid in Colombia for students with intellectual disabilities. Alex aims to use these experiences to promote responsible citizenship and empower young people to make a difference in their communities.
Program Managers
Emil Berglund
Emil has more than ten years experience working with young people in both Australia and abroad as a school teacher and community youth worker. Emil’s passion for building young peoples self confidence and sense of direction has been the driving force behind his choice of career.
Since moving to Australia in 2008, Emil has worked with homeless young people, teaching life skills, relationship management and working towards creating more stable futures for themselves. Prior to this, Emil spent two years in the Marshall Islands as a volunteer teacher. In his second year, he jointly coordinated the running of a remote island school. Emil has also taught in various school and classroom settings in Sweden, including teaching newly arrived immigrants and refugees in the public school system.
Emil has a Bachelor of History from the University of Gothenburg and a Master of Education from the School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University, Sweden.
Heather Hempel
Heather has experience as a high school teacher and youth worker in the Sydney region. She has volunteered with the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation working on their Refugee Action Support (RAS) Program providing basic literacy and numeracy support for refugee students in high schools. This role developed Heather’s passion for refugee advocacy. During her time with a small not for profit company, she assisted in developing a resource titled Ready, Arrive, Work (RAW) in partnership with the Department of Education and Communities. This project used models of interactive and exploratory learning. Heather has also worked with disengaged young people by seeking to inspire them and encourage them to become active in their communities. The principles of the High Resolves Initiative reflect Heather’s belief that young people can make a real difference in their communities when provided with the right tools and inspiration.
Heather has a Master of Education (Secondary) and a Bachelor of Arts (History, Politics and Philosophy) from the University of Western Sydney.
Chantelle Kohn
Heather Lynn
Heather brings a wealth of experience within the youth and community development sector. Heather is passionate about meaningfully engaging youth in grass roots community development and has Program Managed volunteer youth development projects in Vanuatu with Youth Challenge Australia and in Kenya with World Youth International.
She has also worked with a breadth of schools within Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria, working for World Vision as a Youth Relationship Representative. Heather has worked with students and school communities on a variety of campaigning, advocacy and fundraising initiatives with a focus on empowering leadership and creating sustainable development outcomes.
Heather has a Bachelor of Arts (Social Justice) and a Bachelor of Behavioural Science from The University of Notre Dame, and is currently completing her Masters of Social Science (International Development) at RMIT University, Melbourne.
Lee Martin
Lee has worked as a teacher in socially diverse areas of the UK for the past seven years. As well as being a secondary history teacher, Lee also has had responsibility as a form tutor, Head of Year and Young Enterprise Coordinator. At Lakelands School (Shropshire), Lee was promoted to Head of Department where he developed completely new schemes of work and resources and played a significant role in the development of the school’s Virtual Learning Environment. In May 2009 government inspectors reported that the history department and its management were “outstanding”.
Lee holds a Bachelor or Arts (Honours) in History/Politics from the University of Warwick and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of Sheffield. Lee is particularly interested in using popular culture as a way of engaging young people and encouraging debate in world issues.
Alex Pollitt
Alex has extensive education and pastoral care experience having taught for over 10 years in both in Alice Springs, Cape Town and Melbourne. She has also been a Head of House and Year Level Coordinator. Alex has developed student leadership and co-curricula programs and, most recently, was the Social Justice Coordinator at a school in Melbourne. This gave her an opportunity to develop a range of Social Justice programs across the Senior School. Alex has travelled extensively, and facilitated and developed community service projects both in her local contexts as well as internationally. Over the past 5 years she has led groups of students to South Africa, India and Thailand for service opportunities. Alex is passionate about education and excited about engaging and empowering young people in her role with High Resolves.
Alex has a Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma of Education and is currently studying International Community Development.
Erin Rhoades
Sophie Testart
Sophie has rich and varied experiences in the educational and not-for-profit sectors. She has taught in both primary and secondary classrooms, and has a research background in student leadership, human rights education and global citizenship. Sophie recently returned from the U.S. where she completed her Masters in Education at UC Berkeley. While overseas, she co-founded I Be, I Teach, a peer-tutoring program for International Baccalaureate students at Berkeley High School, as well as serving as a facilitator with GLAM (Girls Living Above the Mean), a self-esteem building project at Brett Hart Oakland Middle School. She also created an intensive online fundraising campaign for Purse of Hope, a Chicago based non-profit that offers holistic aftercare and micro-business training to underage survivors of the Ugandan sex-trafficking industry.
Back home, Sophie has coordinated the Youth Employment Scheme (YES), a state-wide initiative designed to offer personal and professional development programs to at-risk teenagers. She has also worked in the editorial department of The Big Issue Magazine, and as a corporate motivational speaker at the Commonwealth Bank. Sophie holds degrees in Arts and Education from the University of Melbourne.
Office Manager
Anna Jordan: National Office Manager
Anna is currently completing a Bachelor of International and Global Studies at the University of Sydney. She will graduate in June, 2012 with a double major in Political Economy and Government and International Relations, and her studies have been particularly focused upon development, economics and research design. Her passion for economic, political and social development stems from many years of travelling to some of the world’s poorest communities, where she has volunteered for various not-for-profit organisations including orphanages for children affected by Agent Orange in Vietnam, and a recent posting with the Kenyan Red Cross in Nairobi where she was involved in strategy development and HIV/AIDS education campaigns for underprivileged High School students. She is a firm believer in youth education and empowerment, and hopes that her work for High Resolves will help to build a more sustainable and equitable future.
