our board.

Sharon Orapeleng | President

Sharon Orapeleng is the Principal Consultant with Psyched Solutions. She is an engaging global speaker, strategic advisor, writer, trainer, and facilitator with academic degrees in Psychology and Neuroscience, as well as a Master’s degree in Behaviour Management. Sharon has been working with corporates and community organisations facilitating conversations on mental health and wellbeing, co-creating psychologically safe spaces and building connected and thriving communities and teams where no one is left behind by embedding the African philosophy of ‘Ubuntu’’ or ‘I am Because We Are’. She also provides strategic expert advice on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion, domestic and family violence in communities of culture.

Eli Moore | Board Member

With over 20 years experience in both Australia and internationally, Eli has a background in education, settlement, youth work and mental health. Eli has a dual Education/Arts Degree, a Graduate Certificate of Applied Linguistics, a Diploma of Health Science, and is currently undertaking a Graduate Diploma of Human Nutrition. Driven by a passion for integrative approaches to wellbeing, Eli currently provides independent consulting and professional practice supervision to individuals and organisations, specializing in community development and youth work, embedding a youth- led, co-creation, strengths-based model that is trauma-informed. Eli brings to her role previous board and professional experience in partnerships, strategic planning, governance and operational planning.

Emma Downham | Treasurer

Emma brings to the table a decade of experience in marketing, PR and journalism. Currently sitting as APAC Marketing Manager at Axonius - a US-based cybersecurity unicorn startup - she is responsible for working with the wider APAC team to meet the company's regional expansion goals. When she's not plotting and planning the next marketing campaign, she's

volunteering her time with Ethni and running around after a busy 4-year-old. Outside of work, volunteering and motherhood she enjoys training Muay Thai, eating, reading and catching up on sleep.

Kim Rollason-Nokes | Secretary and Ethni Representative

Kim is the founder and CEO of Ethni. She has over 16 years experience in the community services and social enterprise sectors across a broad range of roles. Her expertise is in start-up organisations and initiatives, where she thrives on drawing on her 'jack of all trades' skill set to bring a vision to life. With the addition of her tertiary studies in Health Science and International Development, she has developed a strong passion for collective leadership, community development and building authentic youth-led initiatives that see our young women empowered as knowledge holders and leaders in their own lives and communities.

Elizabeth Thomas | Youth Representative

Currently in the second year of a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) at Griffith University, Elizabeth has the intention of pursuing a career in immigration and national security. Elizabeth finished in the top of her class at Marsden State High School and was awarded the academic Dux award.

Working as a finance and marketing assistant at Ethni, and a youth representative to the young people who find a place within our organisation. Elizabeth aims to be a voice to the young people and women, just like the sisterhood she has personally gained through Ethni.