Members - CV summaries of key personnel

 This section provides brief summaries of the curriculum vitae of the Institute’s board members as well as other key personal.

Thabang Sipho Queench
Chairperson of the Institute’s Board
Current position: Community Engagement and Research Officer, Centre for the Advancement of Non-Racialism and Development, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU)
Positions held: Right to Work Campaigns Coordinator (AIDC), Youth Worker (Youth for Christ Centre), Community Development Specialist, Juvenile Programme Coordinator (Correctional Services), Offender Rehabilitation Programme Facilitator (Correctional Services).
Areas of expertise: Social and Critical Theories, Advocacy and Participatory Research Approach, Project Development and Management, Project Monitoring and Evaluation, Life-skills Training, Group Facilitation.
Qualifications: BA (Sociology, Psychology and Education), BA Honours (Psychology) completed at NMMU – South Africa, Advanced Facilitator Certificate (Race, Diversity, Social Justice and Organisational Transformation) completed at Witwatersrand University.

Michael Barry
Previous Chairperson of the Institute
Current position: Head of the Arts and Culture Department, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU)
Positions held: Director of the Institute’s Board; Outcomes Based Education Facilitator specialising in Arts and Culture; Artist and art educator;  participated in various Art exhibitions in the Eastern Cape, international (Zabalasa exhibition) and various national exhibitions; Eastern Cape Coordinator for the Sunday times 100 year heritage project;  past member of a Jazz Band ( Bass Player); past board member of EPSAC – Eastern Province Society of Arts and Craft; advisor to the developer of the Red location Cultural precinct;  Board Member and trustee of the South End Museum Deputy Chief Education Specialist at the Department of Arts & Culture – Provincial Government Eastern Cape;  Curriculum 2005 Arts & Culture Facilitator for the Dept of Education – Provincial Government – INSET training for teachers from Grades 4-7 in arts and culture learning area;  regional co-ordinator for Create South Africa.  Northern Cape, Eastern Cape,  Free State & Western Cape. (A special project of the Media, Advertising, Publishing, Printing & Packaging Sector, Education & Training Authority) - MAPPP SETA; SEDA trainer Craft entrepreneurial project – entrepreneurial development for Craft Practitioners in Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Free State and the Northern Cape; SETA SGB member for arts and arts education - member of a SGB team developing various Unit Standards for Art related qualifications.; Regional coordinator for Business and Arts South Africa (BASA)
Qualifications: BA Fine Art (Honours) - University Of Cape Town, Post Graduate studies, Higher Diploma of Education HDE – University of Cape Town, Master’s Degree in Education at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU).

 Gerhard Lück
Current position: Managing Director of the Institute
Positions held:  community development and income generation specialist, social worker for mentally ill and mentally handicapped youth, street children and delinquents in South Africa, Guatemala, Turkey and Germany; social development programme practitioner; programme coordinator of the current integrated youth development programme and assisting young entrepreneurs to become successful business women/men, active member of Northern Areas People Development Initiative (NAPDI) from 2008 – 2016,
Areas of expertise: Project development and management, Project monitoring and evaluation, Financial Administration, Social research, Life-skills training, teambuilding and leadership training, organisation design and development, Facilitation and train-the-trainer skills, Social Compact Facilitation and Management, HIV and AIDS Management, Street law trainer, Conflict Management and Violence Prevention, SAFA Level 1 soccer coach for U 12 - U 18 teams, Alternative to Violence Project Facilitator, History and Heritage Researcher.
Qualifications: Diploma in Social Work completed in Germany, BA (Psychology Honours) completed at NMMU – South Africa, Certificate Insurance Salesperson completed in Germany, Management of HIV/AIDS Programmes by InWEnt, Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung GmbH (Capacity Development International) in co-operation with the NMMU.

Shena Lamb-du Plessis
Present Chairperson of the Institute
Current position: Research Associate, Social Development Professions, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
Positions held: Coordinator of the NMMU Writing Centres, established an English Language Skills Programme for NMMU’s International Office, coordinator of a community development project in Spain, editor for the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations in Rome;  co-author of book (The Parrot’s Egg, 1985)  on migrant labour conditions in pre-1994 South Africa;
Areas of expertise: conflict management, English language development; project coordination; non-violent communication; accredited facilitator for the Alternative to Violence Project
Qualifications: MA Conflict Management (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University), BA English and Communications (University of South Africa).

Mfundo Mbashe
Member of the Institute
Current position: Assistant Director: Research and Policy Development: Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, Monitoring and Evaluation officer at USAID/PEPFAR (Seconded to Child Welfare South Africa: Free State)
Positions held: Member of the institute;  independent researcher for CASE (Community Agency for Social Enquiry) conducting research on social and economic issues related projects:  qualitative and quantitative researcher;  worked on several large scale surveys including the Barriers to the Child Support Grant for the Alliance for Children’s Entitlement to Social Security; evaluation of IECD program Nkandla for (UNICEF) United Nations Children's Fund;  investigation of the private and public sector skills needs in the Eastern Cape Labour Market for the Eastern Cape Socio-economic Consultative Council (ECSECC).
Areas of expertise: Research and Policy analysis, data collection tools design; monitoring and evaluation, project planning, research methodology; data collection techniques (moderating/facilitating focus groups, in depth interviews and household surveys); project management and planning and research report writing.
Qualifications:  B.Admin (Public Administration), BA Honours and Masters in Development Studies at NMMU.

Dr Brian Walter
Member of the Institute
Current position: Consultant
Positions held: member of the institute, language teacher (Chapman Senior Secondary), Lecturer (Fort Hare), Project Administrator, NPDE (NMMU, then UPE), language consultant and language education mentor.
Areas of expertise: Project Management, Project Evaluations, Editor, Publications, Facilitation, Language, Communication, Literature, Poet, Creative Writing mentoring
Qualifications: PhD English Literature (Rhodes), MA (NMMU previously UPE)

Alvené Appollis 
Member of the Institute
Current position: Journalist at the Burger, a local Afrikaans newspaper
Positions held: freelance journalist; poet and poet mentor; co-editor of poetry anthology (Uitsig 2011) as end product of the SADRAT driven Bay Creative Writing Project: Helenvale; Public Relations and Concert Assistant at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s Department of Music, presently also a free-lance journalist for local Afrikaans newspaper
Areas of expertise: Language; media; research in language on a literary, linguistic and sociolinguistic level; communication; journalism; events organizing; cultural studies; education and training.
Qualification: BA (Language, Literature, Media and Communication) at NMMU; Short Course Dip (German and Cultural Studies) at the University of Tübingen.

Dr Veonna Goliath  
Director of the Institute’s Board
Current position: Senior Lecturer and student supervisor at the Department of Social Development Professions at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU),
Positions held: Social Worker, Clinical Psychologist, Lecturer and student/intern supervisor/clinical psychologist, Clinical Psychologist to Medical students and staff.
Areas of expertise: Debriefing and Trauma support, conflict management and violence prevention, substance abuse counselling; positive youth development; youth leadership development
Qualifications: DPhil (Social Work) BA Social Work, Masters in Clinical Psychology from NMMU and Diploma Human Resource Management & Training,

Afrika Mhlophe 
Previous Chairperson of the Institute
Current position: Senior Pastor of Good News Community Church, Port Elizabeth
Positions held: former president of Youth of the Nation (Community Youth Network based in Motherwell, Port Elizabeth.
Areas of expertise: Leadership and teambuilding; life skills training; organisational planning; spiritual guidance and counseling; networking and relationship building with strategic partners; mentoring and coaching; specialising in youth development and advancement; communication and business management and administration.

Qualifications: Presently studying towards a bachelor of theology degree.

Abdia Naidoo
Member of the Institute
Positions held: Member of the Institute; trained community nurse and project manager; HIV/AIDS specialists; HIV/AIDS advisor;  trainer and facilitator of HIV/AIDS workshops.
Areas of expertise: HIV/AIDS peer educational programmes;   focuses on HIV/AIDS and skills development in schools; networking with professionals nationally and international to discuss best practices in HIV/AIDS and Reproductive Health.

Patricia Modicane
Member of the Institute
Positions held: Member of the Institute, trained HIV and AIDS facilitator, Rape councillor, Child Care worker and Life skills trainer presently involved in a community project in Nieu Bethesda.