Dr. Donnell Davis – National President
Donnell is currently a Director with Soroptimist International South East Asia Pacific and Programme Convenor across 13 countries. She represents Global Policy and Impact across 5 federations and is UN Representative and CHOGM delegate. She is active regionally and internationally but has great teams to work with and share the load.
Donnell has been an active member of UNAA since 2000, including Immediate Past President Queensland -2016 to 2020- and director on the UNAA Board with Senator Russell Trood, Maj Gen Rtd Mike Smith and Mario D’Elia. Donnell is on the monthly Status Of Women Network and the National Policy Committee.
After working in Government for 2 decades, she worked with industry, private consultancy, international NGOs, professional bodies and academia. As Associate Professor she uses professional accreditations in Audit, Programme Evaluation, Public Policy, Environmental Management, Coastal Planning and Urban Design – coaching Urban Climate Governance with interdisciplinary innovation and ethical design thinking techniques. She is deeply concerned about our Asia Pacific neighbours and our common futures.
Brian Gleeson – National Vice President & ACT President
Robert Dempsey – National Treasurer
Rob has had an ongoing relationship with UNAA SA for more than 40 years, initially as a Dag
Hammarskjold Memorial Interschool Conference participant and then involvement with the early days of
what is now known as UN Youth. Rob has worked his entire career within the broader health care
sector in senior management and executive roles. He holds a Bachelor of Business and a Master of
Business Administration, is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Justice of
the Peace and Special Justice for the State of South Australia. He is particularly passionate about
human rights, and the needs of those who are disadvantaged and vulnerable.
Susan McHattie – National Secretary
Susan joined the UNAA in 2020 and is passionate about the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the power of what people can achieve by working together. Susan works as an advisor and facilitator assisting clients in public, private, research and for purpose organisations to set goals and roadmaps, review governance and create partnerships, innovation and change. Susan’s prior governance experience includes elected roles in industry associations including the NSW Institute of Public Administration and the community cooperative, Reverse Garbage Truck. She has run programs and teams delivering policy, operations and whole of government change in NSW Government agencies including Justice, Education, Customer Service, Planning and the Premiers Department. Prior to NSW Government, Susan led the Inner Metropolitan Regional Organisation of Councils and Community Arts Marrickville. Susan holds and Executive Masters in Public Administration from the University of Sydney and a BA (Communications) from UTS.
Dr. Patricia Jenkings – New South Wales President
Patricia is the President of UNAA in NSW and has served in senior positions on the National Board. 
She has further participated in UN related international activities including European UNA meeting in Geneva. With the deepest respect for the power of quality education, Patricia put herself through university and was awarded her PhD and Bachelor Arts with Honours from The University of Sydney. She is an experienced Ministerial Policy and Research Analyst who has assisted disadvantaged peoples and struggling communities globally. She has served on the Nigerian Board of the Christian Fellowship and Care Foundation, Vice Chair of UN Women (Sydney) and local Multicultural Advisory Committee to develop cultural diversity strategy, She is recognised for her ability to champion the concepts of empathy and kindness in action through her grass-roots approach and in her words, to help create a better world for all in the wonderful spirit of humanitarian mateship, the embodiment of UN values.
Kate Heelan – Northern Territory President
Kate Heelan is an executive with wide-ranging leadership and diplomatic experience and cross-border collaboration skills, gained in Australia and internationally. Kate is the current President of the United Nations Association of Australia – Northern Territory Division (UNAA NT). Kate is a strong advocate for Human Rights and has a keen interest in the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Gender Equality; Quality Education; Life Below Water; and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
Since 2015, Kate has led the Northern Territory Government’s international engagement efforts as Director International Engagement at the Department of Trade, Business and Innovation. She is a strong advocate within the NT Government for the broader benefits of soft diplomatic initiatives. Kate worked as a diplomat with Customs and Border Protection at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia. Her work there focussed on increasing cooperation between Australia and Indonesia on cross-border controls. In earlier roles with the Department of Defence Kate managed a range of projects that supported the Royal Australian Navy fleet and the then Defence Science and Technology Organisation. She holds qualifications in Defence and Strategic Policy as well as a Master of Management Studies from the University of New South Wales, and studied Indonesian at Atma Jaya University in Jakarta.
John Fowler – Queensland Representative
John is a life-long educator and researcher and has been a member of UNAA since 2016. He has a PhD from the University of Queensland in International Relations. Histhesis examined the role of culture in Australia’s use of the military for disaster relief. His research interests include security studies in international relations, civil-military affairs, and cultural studies. He has been involved with UNAA’s Peace and Security Program and is currently serving as the Vice President of SDGs with the Queensland branch.
Adriana Christopoulos – South Australia Representative
Adriana Christopoulos is an experienced leader in local government, community engagement and multicultural affairs, with a strong track record in building partnerships that deliver meaningful social and economic outcomes.
She has held significant governance and leadership roles, including serving as Chair of the South Australian Multicultural Commission and Chair of the Australia Day Council (SA), where she worked closely with government and diverse communities to strengthen inclusion, representation and social cohesion. Adriana has also served as an elected member in local government for over 16 years, providing her with deep insight into governance, policy and community advocacy.
Adriana is particularly passionate about ensuring that diverse voices are heard and reflected in decision-making and has dedicated much of her career to supporting new and emerging communities to build strong foundations and meaningful connections.
Her appointment to the United Nations Association of Australia Board reflects her commitment to fostering collaboration, strengthening community engagement, and contributing to a more inclusive and globally connected Australia.
Andrew Hewett – Victoria President
Andrew is a Sessional Lecturer in the La Trobe University Masters of International Development and Masters of International Relations and the Victoria University Masters in International Community Development. Andrew worked for Oxfam Australia for nearly 22 years, including over 11 years as Executive Director. He has extensive international advocacy experience, was a member of the World Bank NGO Committee for four years and has participated in and observed numerous international conferences, including those of the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation. Andrew was formerly Deputy Chair of Diaspora Action Australia; a Vice-President of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and Chair of the Moreland Energy Foundation. He is now Chair of CERES.
Dr. Sandy Chong – Western Australia Representative
Sandy is the Immediate Past President of UNAA WA and the founder of Verity Consulting with over 15 years of experience leading international growth projects. Sandy is passionate about helping organisations grow and creating opportunities for the communities they operate in and has won numerous awards including the US 2017 Stevie Awards for Women in Business and the 2015 Singapore Management Consultant of the Year. Sandy has assisted over three hundred companies in Australia, Singapore, Europe and US in market entry strategies, global brand communication and leadership positioning for investor attraction and expansion. Sandy has served as a mentor for hundreds of businesses, including those from the AUSTRADE’s Women in Global Business, Bloom innovation incubator of the University of Western Australia (UWA), and CRIB business incubator for female entrepreneurs in Singapore. She is an accomplished keynote speaker on internationalisation, entrepreneurship and leadership, and has recently led a forum on Women in Leadership at the Harvard Business School.
Dr Joshua Karras JP – President Young Professionals
Dr Karras is the Co-Founder of the Non for profit organisation “Discover Disability” and President of the United Nations Association ofAustralia YP Network.
Joshua completed three Masters degrees in the public health sphere and his PhD focussed on improving public health communication interventions on a global scale.
Joshua has served as Executive Manager of the United Nations Association of Australia NSW and Mental Health Project Coordinator of SWSPHN. He recently saw out his term as Secretary of the Arab Council of Australia, President of the Australian Egyptian Youth Forum and the Eastern Harbour representative of the Greater Cities Commission Advisory Council. He most recently was engaged with the Australian Government’s Department of Health and Aged Care implementing the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care as a Policy Manager and is a Masters lecturer at UNSW and WSU.
Steph Archer – UN Youth Australia President
Steph is the 2026 National President of UN Youth Australia and the youngest person to hold the position on record. Through this role, she is proud to serve as the youthrepresentative on the UNAA Board to bring the perspectives of young Australians to the organisation. Based in Brisbane, she is in her fourth year of an Arts/Laws degree at the University of Queensland, working towards a career in public policy development. Steph is a passionate advocate for youth civics engagement and her work in UN Youth encourages young people to use their voices to champion UN values. She is especially focused on advocating against violations of human rights, most notably calling out violations of international child rights standards in the Queensland youth justice system. Her work beyond that has particularly focused on including the perspectives of regional young people through expanding access to leadership and development opportunities. Within the UNAA, Steph is focused on promoting the essential role of young people in furthering the mission of the United Nations. She brings a fresh perspective and open approach to fostering strong relationships between the UNAA and UN Youth Australia.