CONVENOR

Joseph Anthony Camilleri OAM is Professor Emeritus at La Trobe University, Melbourne, where he held the Chair in International Relations (1994-2012), and was founding Director of the Centre for Dialogue 2006-2012. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences.

He has authored or edited some thirty-five books and written over 120 book chapters and journal articles, covering such areas as peace and security, geopolitics, governance, the role of culture and religion, intercultural dialogue and conflict resolution. He serves on the board of various organisations, including Melbourne University Publishing and Pearls and Irritations.

DEPUTY CONVENOR

Emma-leigh Theobald combines her background in higher education with her studies of history, international relations, and truth-telling to explore how narratives of the past influence justice, identity, and dialogue in the present.

Her work and studies reflect a commitment to open, critical, and empathetic engagement across diverse communities and experiences.

As part of Conversation at the Crossroads, she seeks to deepen collective understanding through honest conversation, the use of technology, and creative collaboration.

SECRETARY

Claire began her professional life as a Primary School Teacher in the seventies. She went on to be teaching in the community including adult English and literacy and Numeracy to migrants. Various positions gave her experience in administration and management in the community sector leading to 12 year’s work as CEO of an industry super fund. Claire also owned and operated a bookshop for 12 years.

Throughout her career Claire has been an activist in a broad range of areas both local and international, working with others to strive for a more progressive and just world.

TREASURER

Dr Eshan Arya is an accomplished academic and community leader with over two decades of experience across higher education, business, and non-profit sectors. He has taught more than 25,000 students from 120 countries and has trained academics and executives in Singapore and China in business economics and leadership. Holding an MBA in Finance, Dr Arya has previously served as Treasurer for community and educational organisations, combining strategic oversight with strong fiscal responsibility. He is a university award-winning lecturer and recipient of multiple community leadership honours, including recognition for designing a national student wellbeing programme.

COMMITTEE MEMBER

Will Abdo is the award winning CEO of Webtrade Marketing Pty Ltd, a marketing and communications consulting company focusing on promoting bi-lateral trade and investment relations between Australia and the MENA region. 

He is also the Executive Director of the Australian Arabic Council promoting human rights and community relations, Peace Ambassador and member of many organisations and civil societies here in Melbourne and internationally.  In 2025, he was announced as the winner of the “CEO of the Year – Specialty Marketing” award.

COMMITTEE MEMBER

Robiel is the co-founder of Aspiring Young Africans Foundation (ASPYA Foundation), a Not-For-Profit aimed at empowering young African-Australians to realise their potential and achieve their dreams.

Robiel has served as a Member of the Regional Advisory Council for the Victorian Multicultural Commission and is one of the pioneers of the Youth Parliament at the Victorian State Parliament. He has featured on ABC Breakfast, SBS Podcasts and is an advocate for youth across Melbourne's West. Robiel is currently completing his Doctor of Medicine at the University of Notre Dame Fremantle.

COMMITTEE MEMBER

Nail Aykan is an Australian Muslim of Turkish heritage. He is a respected community leader within multicultural and Muslim communities, with a strong record of active engagement with culturally diverse backgrounds.

Nail has over 30 years of professional experience in various roles across the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. He served as the Executive Director of the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV) for eight years and currently is the Business Manager of International Maarif Schools of Australia. He is also the recent author of a local history book on the Victorian Turkish community.

COMMITTEE MEMBER

Sai Charan is currently pursuing a Master of Information Technology at the University of Melbourne. He has a background in software development and enjoys working on projects that bring ideas into reality. Originally from India, he is interested in how technology and human perspectives intersect to create meaningful change.

Outside of work, he enjoys running, lifting, and reading about spiritual philosophy and global financial markets. These activities keep him balanced and helps him explore new perspectives beyond technology.

COMMITTEE MEMBER

I am a third-year arts student studying Politics and International Relations and the History and Philosophy of Science (HPS) at the University of Melbourne.

I work with the Robert Menzies Institute on developing resources and programs for furthering historical thinking and awareness among secondary students. As such, I have a particular interest in education and youth engagement and have been involved in the Conversation at the Crossroads youth program in 2025.

I have an interest in woodworking and handcraft (particularly furniture making) and have worked at the Vintage Tool Shop for several years restoring and selling vintage woodworking equipment.

COMMITTEE MEMBER

Sobur Dhieu works as Community Engagement Lead at national law firm Lander & Rogers while completing her Juris Doctor at the Melbourne Law School.

Sobur is Secretary and a founding member of Aspiring Young Africans Foundation (ASPYA Foundation), a leading youth-led not-for-profit organisation based in Melbourne's west committed to helping African-Australian youth overcome barriers and reach their full potential through mentoring, cultural and educational programs.

 Sobur enjoys being active in her local community in Melton, leading Girl Chat since 2019, a social group where multicultural young women regularly meet to discuss topical issues and bond over shared experiences.

COMMITTEE MEMBER

Eddie Kowalski is a civic-innovation leader focused on strengthening democratic participation. As Founder of OurVoice, he has built partnerships with several universities and developed tools for online deliberation. He has also co-authored a paper published by Australian Policy Online, recognised as one of the most influential papers of 2024: The civic health of Australia: a national portrait in 30 charts.

Eddie’s background in market, social, and policy research has focused on helping governments and organisations build feedback loops from stakeholders and enable data-driven decision-making.

COMMITTEE MEMBER

Paul is an outcome-driven leader with a history of turning early-stage or abstract concepts into practical outcomes, often in complex and challenging global environments.  

With CEO and board-level experience across Media, Finance, and Technology industries, in East and South East Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe, he brings broad expertise in strategic planning, corporate advisory, governance and start ups.

Currently focused on AI, Cooperatives, Democracy Building and Energy Transition projects.

COMMITTEE MEMBER

Ahmad is a Fellowship Facilitator for Orygen - a mental health think tank in Australia - and has founded an initiative called Changemaker that aims to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan in the domain of education, gender equality, and mental health.

He has served as as author, advisor, and speaker, for Australian government bodies and other organisations Women Deliver, Grand Challenges Canada, and the Lancet Commission. He is a recipient of the Youth Leader Award given by Global Citizen to exceptional advocates who work to alleviate poverty and achieve the SDGs across the world.

COMMITTEE MEMBER

Dr Jamel Kaur Singh is a globally respected leader in Cultural Education, Indigenous collaboration, and cross-cultural leadership.

With more than 30 years of experience, she has worked across education, policy, and community sectors to embed Cultural Intelligence (CQ) and inclusivity into systems of learning and governance. As the founder of Consultsingh, she bridges diverse worldviews to create transformative, values-based frameworks that strengthen belonging and social cohesion.

Her groundbreaking doctoral research, Cultural Education as a Framework for Policy Formation, offers practical pathways for building inclusive societies grounded in awareness, sensitivity, and shared humanity.

COMMITTEE MEMBER

Laurance gained Masters and Doctorate degrees in philosophy and mathematics at the University of Oxford, where he attended as Victorian Rhodes scholar. He is an international leader in Philosophy for Children, and former academic professor in philosophy and education.

He has published widely and conducted many workshops and related activities in areas relating to critical thinking, dialogue, and collaborative inquiry. He is the  author of many articles and several books, including, Teaching for Better Thinking: The Classroom Community of Inquiry (1995), and Identity, Reasonableness and Being One among Others: Dialogue, Community, Education (Springer, 2023).

COMMITTEE MEMBER

Luciana is the director of Manning Clark House and founder of the Kindness Kiosk worldwide.

Previous roles include President of EveryMan Australia, CEO of Om Shanti College of Natural Therapies where she was responsible for everything and everyone in the business, Managing Director of T.R.I Solutions Worldwide, and Business Manager of the Bureau of Rural Sciences.

COMMITTEE MEMBER

Shobha Varkey is an experienced counsellor and spiritual and pastoral care practitioner. She currently works with the pastoral care team with the Ainslie Church of Christ and with Uniting Care. Shobha has previously worked with Allos Australia and other organisations, as a counsellor for over 30 years, disability employment consultant and NDIA planner.

Before moving into disability support, Shobha was a public servant with the Commonwealth government in several departments and the ACT Government. Shobha has worked for UNHCR as an UN volunteer, during the Sri Lankan Civil war, managing a displaced persons camp. She was named in the Senate as of the 100 most influential women in the development of Canberra.

COMMITTEE MEMBER

Spencer is Professor of Law at Australian Catholic University. His teaching and research have focussed on public international law, constitutional law, international human rights law and international organisation. He has been a Visiting fellow at many international universities, and has authored several books, including Rethinking International Law and Justice.

He has also contributed professionally to international and national human rights law and politics. He was for ten years a Vice-President of the International Commission of Jurists (Australian Section), and has acted as an advisor to the UN and other international organisations.