A4P welcomes the 2014 steering committee!

Introducing our 2014 steering committee, elected at our Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 20 November:

Eleanor Chapman – President
Beatriz Maturana – Vice President
Katherine Sampson – Secretary
Anthony McInneny – Public officer
Edith Wong – Treasurer
Targol Khorram – General member
Nicole Mechkaroff – General member
Akemi Traill – General member

We're delighted to welcome three new members to the team: and Targol Khorram, Nicole Mechkaroff and Akemi Traill. All three have become involved with Architects for Peace this year in various capacities, contributing to the Words talk series and pro bono team. Targol, Nicole and Akemi bring a range of skills and international experience to the team, which you can read about below. We look forward to working together next year!

Akemi Traill 
Akemi is an urban planner and designer and has worked across a range of urban planning and design projects in Melbourne and across Asia. She strongly believes that, through inspirational, challenging and rigorously tested design across both the built and natural environments, the planning and design professions can significantly contribute to the delivery of sustainable communities. She is currently working in Melbourne and completing her Masters in Landscape Architecture at RMIT University.

Nicole Mechkaroff 
Nicole is a graduate architect, researcher and tutor at RMIT University and has experience in urban design research, educational and health projects. She has held curatorial and construction roles in a number of arts and technology exhibitions, both locally and in the Netherlands. These have been instrumental in shaping her ongoing interest in understanding political agendas in public space and the importance of community engagement techniques in the development of healthy urban communities. Her travels to India have provided valuable insights into working in tribal villages with school children and leaders of women's groups and business enterprises.

Targol Khorram 
Trained in architecture, Targol has worked in professional practice since 2001. Before arriving in Melbourne in 2013, she held leadership and management positions across a number of community organisations and professional associations in the Middle East, Europe and the US. Targol has considerable experience working with people from varied backgrounds in a community based setting, including community development projects in Australia and Iran. She is active in the humanitarian sector in Melbourne, having facilitated workshops involving women from diaspora backgrounds in Sydney and Melbourne, and also has ten years experience working in an educational centre.

Thank you also to former steering committee members Peter Johns, Kamil Muhammad and Soledad Maldonado for your efforts and enthusiasm this year. Peter, Kamil and Soledad will be taking a step back from formal commitments this year, but will continue to be involved in the background.