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MANAGEMENT COMMITEE

Kirstine Hand

Convenor
She/Her
Kirstine Hand is the Project Coordinator of Capability, Confidence and Diversity Initiative at True Relationships and Reproductive Health. Kirstine works to increase awareness of the important role educators and school-based staff play in supporting student wellbeing and how this can be achieved through inclusive practices that are respectful of diversity.

A qualified teacher, Kirstine also works at QUT within the Faculty of Education and is on the committee for Diverse Voices, a non-profit organisation that provides phone and online support to the Queensland LGBTIQ+ community.

Richard Bakker

Treasurer

He/Him
Richard is the publisher of QNews Magazine, Queensland’s comprehensive LGBTIQ news, entertainment and lifestyle magazine.
A business owner for most of his working life is now actively involved in reviving the LGBTIQ voice in Queensland, Northern Territory and Northern NSW through a range of print and digital media platforms.

Belinda Cox

Secretary
she/her/hers/they/them/their

Belinda Cox is the Program Coordinator for the Micah Projects regional DV Service Technology Abuse Detection & Assessment Hub.  She has worked at the regional Brisbane Domestic Violence Service (BDVS) for 15 years.

Belinda has an extensive working knowledge of complex risk factors regarding domestic violence including working with people who use violence as well as coordinating responses within the broader Brisbane Integrated System. She provides specialist case management support and advice to frontline workers, and is a regular provider of specialist training, professional development, keynote speeches and specialist DFV mentoring to human service providers, private enterprise, government departments and community groups in Brisbane.

Previously Belinda has 13 years working in the alcohol and drug sector with a focus on health promotion, trauma informed responses to women, and the specialised dual diagnosis Alcohol and Other Drugs and Mental Health issues experienced by women.

Belinda has at all times strived to include the experiences of LGBTQIA+ people in her work since the commencement of career in human services in 1999, and has been a strong proponent for LGBTQIA+  issues within the domestic violence sector initiating and co-producing the first Queer Without Fear LGBTQIA+ resource in 2018.

STAFF

Yvonne O’Callaghan

Program Manager
She/Her/They/Them

Originally from Birmingham in the UK, Yvonne emigrated to Australia in 2001. Yvonne has 18yrs experience working within the disability sector with children, young people, and adults.

Yvonne joined the Diverse Voices team back in 2012 as a volunteer peer supporter and in 2013 with the launching of QLife applied for a paid position. It has been an absolute privilege for Yvonne to witness the service grow to what it has become today.

As Project Coordinator for the QLife service here in QLD, Yvonne’s key role is to recruit, train and mentor volunteers for the helpline. She also works closely with the three other QLife partner sites across Australia and the national team in helping develop and continually improve the service.

Previously, Yvonne has been honoured to have volunteered with Wendybird for 5yrs and has recently become an accredited suicide prevention trainer (ASIST).

One of Yvonne’s biggest passions is music, and you can often hear music pumping from her office while she works.

Jason Hurst

C.O.O
He/Him

Jason holds qualifications in investigations and business, with experience in a broad range of community and business organisations. He was a Private Investigator for 21 years before changing careers 7 years ago to run a Video Production Company with his life partner of 20 years.
Jason has previously served on the Pride Business Network committee for 2 years from 2013 and was proud to see its membership grow from 35 to over 200 members during this his time on the committee. Jason has recently returned to the Pride Business Network committee in 2020.
Jason originally started as a volunteer peer supporter with Diverse Voices and remains committed to the welfare of the LGBTIQ+ community.

Mika

Project Support
She/Her

Mika is a vibrant, neurodiverse, hearing impaired, multicultural, queer person working in a project support role for Diverse Voices in Meanjin.

She is a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ Community, and her passions include Children’s Rights & Safety, Neurodiversity Education, Sexuality, Identity & Gender in queer youths. Mika has an extensive background in Operations Management, Business Development, Communications & Early Childhood Education.

“Young people are always at the centre of what I do, I speak up for our LGBTQIA+ communities so we can feel safe in all spaces & feel confident within ourselves. Creating a brighter and more inclusive future to me looks like access to health related programs and services, and research focus on LGBTQIA people.”

QLife Peer Supporters

Part Time and Casual

Names not listed for Confidentiality purposes.