Staff

Fr Aloysius Mowe SJ
Director of JRS

Malaysian-born Aloysius came to JRS Australia from the Malaysia-Singapore Jesuit Region at the end of 2010. After running the Jesuit candidate program in his home country, Fr Mowe spent two years undertaking Arabic studies in Egypt. His theological studies took place in London and Oxford, and he stayed on in Oxford to pursue research in Islamic history and law. He has worked in the fields of interfaith dialogue, public policy and Islam, and spent a year as a Woodstock visiting fellow at Georgetown University before coming to Australia. Aloysius joined JRS on 1 February 2011.

Dr Maryanne Loughry RSM
Associate Director

Maryanne is a Sister of Mercy and has been associated with JRS since 1986, working as a psychologist and trainer in Indochinese refugee camps in the Philippines and Vietnamese Detention Centres in Hong Kong. She has conducted research, programme evaluations and humanitarian training in the Middle East, Africa, the Balkans, South East Asia and the UK. Dr Loughry is a visiting research scholar at the Centre for Human Rights and International Justice, Boston College and the Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford. Prior to this she was the Pedro Arrupe tutor at the University of Oxford Refugee Studies Centre. She is a member of the Australian Government's advisory council for Immigration Services and Status Resolution and serves on several international boards, including the academic board of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP) and the Governing Committee of the International Catholic Migration Committee (ICMC). She is currently researching the psychosocial effects of climate-induced displacement in the Pacific, and was made a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia in 2010.

Chris Gration Executive Officer

Chris has come to work at JRS for a fixed term following successful careers in government, public affairs and financial services. He's had a long involvement with non-profit organisations, but JRS is the first at which he has worked full-time. At JRS he supports the director, and works with project directors on team planning and development. He's also responsible for helping operations to run smoothly, including volunteer support, pay and HR issues and work health and safety.

Louise Stack
Project Co-Ordinator

Louise assists in the development and management of a JRS-run housing project for asylum seekers. She is a lawyer who has practised in Australia and the United Kingdom and has a Masters of Social Development in Refugees and Forced Migration from UNSW. She has previously been a volunteer for the JRS and for Austcare, and has also spent time in Tanzania as a volunteer for a local orphanage.

Suma Pillai Project Co-Ordinator

Suma manages the day to day operations and development of JRS' Residence Determination Project.She is Indian-born and brings with her extensive community work experience from New Zealand in the field of family, refugee and migrant issues, domestic violence, and child protection. In Australia , she initially worked as a caseworker providing community detention and community assistance services to asylum seekers before joining JRS. Suma has a PhD in the field of Development Studies (Political Studies) from Auckland University.

Kim Mandelik Office Manager

Originally from New Zealand, Kim is now an Australian citizen. The mother-of-three has worked in administrative positions for several businesses, and joined JRS in February 2009. 'I have have found it to be very rewarding, and met the most wonderful people who continue to inspire me with what they have been through and how they face adversity.'