Refugee Education Australia (REA) is a national charity that works to enhance educational opportunities and outcomes for students with lived experience of forced migration. Established in 2024, REA is a Public Benevolent Institution and not-for-profit public company limited by guarantee.
Our vision is an education system that is inclusive and promotes refugee students to thrive and achieve their potential.
The aim of REA is to work with refugee communities, government department, settlement agencies, and education providers to support people with lived experience of forced migration to access, participate, and succeed in education, from early childhood to higher education.
To this end, REA’s mission is:
Rana is National Manager of MYAN, championing voices for refugee and migrant youth rights. As the first Iranian woman to lead UNHCR’s Iran office, she brings deep expertise in social inclusion and policy reform. She advises SBS, Welcoming Australia, and the National Youth Employment Body, and has been recognized with the 2024 Multicultural Award of Excellence and as a Rotary Champion of Change.
Margaret Piper (AM) is a consultant who has worked in the refugee sector since 1986. Her current work involves research, training and capacity building, as well as policy and program planning through her membership of various government and non-government committees and boards. She was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2011 and in 2018 was awarded the Red Cross’ Distinguished Service Medal.
Steph Cousins is the Director of REA, as well as a nonprofit leader and founder of Skill Path Australia, an organisation that supports refugees to access higher education, training, and professional recognition in Australia. Skill Path administers the Refugee Student Settlement Pathway. Prior to founding Skill Path, Steph was the Global CEO of Talent Beyond Boundaries.
Elizabeth Collett is a migration policy expert with more than twenty years of experience working with senior politicians and policymakers at the UN, EU, and national level.
From 2018 to 2023, she served as Special Adviser to the Director General of IOM, overseeing policy and strategy, and previously established the Migration Policy Institute Europe in Brussels.
James Delaney brings over 12 years’ experience in financial audit, assurance, and advisory services. As a Consultant at Callida and former Senior Manager at Deloitte, he’s worked extensively with CFOs, Boards, and Audit Committees across public and private sectors. He has served previously as a Non-executive Director with AYAC and brings governance expertise and strategic leadership capabilities
Andrea Morris is a seasoned nonprofit executive working in the human services and university sectors, primarily in philanthropy and engagement roles. Currently the Executive Manager of the Emmy Monash Foundation, she is the former Head of Advancement at the Australian National University, College of Arts and Social Sciences. Before moving to Australia, Andrea was CEO of two nonprofits, one a multi-service crisis centre and one a homelessness / housing services organisation.
John Tran has worked in various roles supporting students in the higher education sector and is a strong advocate for refugees and asylum seekers, drawing from his own lived experience as a former refugee. John is passionate about creating opportunities for refugee resettlement.
Dr Lisa Hartley is an academic, researcher, educator, and advocate committed to advancing human rights, equity, and inclusion through collaborative initiatives, including partnerships with refugee and migrant communities to drive systemic change.
Phoebe Burgess is a legally qualified professional living in North Queensland. Phoebe is a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland, examining refugee labour market integration in Australian regulatory frameworks.
Dr Rachel Burke is an Associate Professor of Education at the University of Newcastle. Rachel’s research, teaching and practice focus on language rights, English language learning, and supporting refugees into meaningful work.
Dr Sally Morgan is a Lecturer in education at Monash University. Educational equity for people of refugee and asylum-seeking background is central to her work,
Jal David is the Manager of Settlement and Youth Services at Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania (MRC Tas). He holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Tasmania. Jal brings extensive experience supporting people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.
Dr Tebeje Molla is an ARC Future Fellow and Senior Lecturer at Deakin University, Australia. His research centres on educational disadvantage and policy responses at systemic, sectoral, and institutional levels.
Dr Tori Wilson has been teaching English to speakers of other languages for 20 years and holds a PhD in trauma-informed second language education. She publishes and presents on inclusive education.
Dr Snjezana Bilic is a sociologist and a Senior Lecturer at the University of South Australia. Snjezana’s lived experience as a refugee informs her work making the perspectives of refugees and asylum seekers in universities and wider society more visible .
William Mude (South Australia) is a Lecturer and Researcher with over a decade of diverse experience in public health across government and non-government sectors in Australia and Canada.
Dr Sally Baker is Founder and CEO of Refugee Education Australia, and a co-lead of the new Refugee Student Settlement Pathway to Australia. Sally is also a Research Affiliate with the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at UNSW.
Her research centres on policy and practice related to equity in higher education, particularly with students with forced migration backgrounds.
Carla has over a decade of experience working alongside people seeking asylum and refugees in the not-for-profit sector, including at the Australian Red Cross and the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. Her work spans direct casework, program management, and leadership, giving her a deep, practice-informed understanding of the systemic barriers faced by refugee communities.
With a background in anthropology and a Masters of Social Work and Social Policy, Carla brings a collaborative and participatory lens to policy and program design. She is committed to systems reform that centres the voices of lived experience, and strengthening access to education as a pathway to equity and inclusion.