Meet our team

Amanda Dodds

Child and Family Programs Specialist

I’m a proud Ugarapul women from the Ipswich area and I have 5 children ranging 2 – 19 years of age, with my first grandchild on the way. I’ve worked within the Justice System for over 13 years trying to prevent Aboriginal & Torres Strait people from entering the system. I’m very passionate about empowering our Mob to be the best they can be. I’m a fully qualified Circle of Security facilitator focused on getting the best outcomes for our mob.

Elissa Coleman

Child Health Nurse

I am proud Bundjalung Githabul woman and a registered nurse. I grew up on Larrikia country in Darwin. I’ve been working at ATSICHS for 4 years now, I started in our clinics in January 2019. I chose to work for ATSICHS because I wanted to work with mob to help close the gap and improve health outcomes for our people. In my role at the CFC I work with our jarjums to ensure their health and development is on the right track. Having a healthy start in life is an important step in being ready and prepared for school and gives them the best possible opportunity to succeed. I believe that improving the life outcomes of our mob starts with our babies and children which is why I am passionate about the work I do here. When I’m not working I love hiking, going to the beach and spending time with my family and friends.

Emily Mackay

Administration Support Officer

My name is Emily and I am a proud Kooma woman. I wanted a role where I could help people. I worked for many years in childcare caring for children ages 0-4 and loved it but it was such a hands on role that I felt I needed a break. I am really passionate about working with children though so I went looking for something still working alongside children but supporting them in a different way. This is when I came across ATSICHS and I immediately knew this was the place for me. I love how te team here support each and every person and we work hard to not only promote each person’s identity throughout the centre but also engage them in fun, amazing and educational programs to support all ages! I am an admin support officer so I assist everyone in the team in anyway I can. With my background in early childhood education I also have the responsibility of supporting our Deadly Kindy team with enrolments, assisting with kindy inquiries and administrative tasks. I also love to get my hands messy and enjoy getting involved in the programs too.

Lionel Cubby

Programs Practitioner

I am a Gomeroi man from Mungindi and Collarenebri. I spent most of my life in Dalby working with community before moving out to Ipswich during the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. I have been working for ATSICHS since September 2021. I started as an FPP practitioner at the Chermside office and am now working in programs at Jajumbora CFC in Waterford West. I chose to work for ATSICHS because I wanted to continue my work with our community. I also wanted to work with a community-led service and had heard positive feedback before starting. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with the support of great leaders. I am passionate about sharing my skills, knowledge and experience with anyone who wants to learn. Here at Jajumbora CFC, we run programs with the local schools in the area, and it’s great to see how eager and interested the children are to learn about our culture. We’ve run a successful detention mindfulness group where we guided the children through a meditation using the didgeridoo, and each week we have a great turnout at our Culture Club program.

Lisa Graham

Programs Practitioner

Mikjelah Hope

Programs Officer

I am a proud Dharawal woman, a wife and a mum of two beautiful children, a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter and a four-month-old son. I’m still learning a lot about my family history and the community that I come from. I am a Programs Officer, which means I plan mothers, women and children/bubs groups and run them for community. In these groups, we welcome everyone to join us in being crafty, having fun, getting messy and interacting with each other for relationships and friendships. Working with children has always been an interest of mine since school. Once I had children of my own, it became more important to me to be able to create a safe, fun, educational place for children to explore their senses and grow.