RISE team

Dr Virginia Mapedzahama (PhD, Sociology) is the Member Education Director at Diversity Council Australia. She is a first-generation Black African migrant woman and a critical race Black feminist scholar in the broader field of sociology of difference. Her research interest is in understanding the social construction of all categories of difference. She explores this interest in the context of subjective experiences of race, racism and ethnicity, migration, diaspora, Blackness and Black subjectivities, sexuality, hybridity, intersectionality and gendered violence. Virginia has published extensively in these areas as well as the broader fields of cross-cultural identities, African feminisms, post-colonial feminisms, the new African diaspora in Australia and African women diaspora. 

Jane O’Leary provides a range of research, advisory and consulting services to assist Australian employers to drive business improvement through successful diversity management. 

In 2008 she took on the role of Research Director to oversee DCA’s mission to work in partnership with members to generate groundbreaking diversity research that enables Australian organisations to fully leverage the benefits of a diverse talent pool. Since then, Jane has established DCA’s research function and worked with Australia’s leading diversity employers to design and deliver diversity research that is ahead of the curve, speaks to the Australian context, drives business improvement and, importantly, leads public debate. 

Jane has a PhD, undertaken through the University of Queensland Business School. Her thesis investigated how Australian managers can most effectively manage workforce diversity. Jane also has a Master of Education degree, which focuses on the area of women in leadership. 

Prior to joining DCA, Jane worked in the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) assisting employers on issues relating to D&I. She held the senior policy position in EOWA, with responsibility for developing the policy framework for interpreting and administering the amended Affirmative Action (Equal Employment Opportunity for Women) Act 1986 and overseeing the development of accompanying educational guidelines for employers. On the basis of her work in this role, she was awarded a Medal for Significant Contribution to the Australian Public Service in 2001. 

Sheetal (she/her) is passionate about leveraging platforms and privilege to connect ideas, people and opportunities that amplify and empower underrepresented experiences. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and political science from the University of the Fraser Valley (Canada) and a Juris Doctor, Master of Laws and Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from Bond University (Australia).

She is the Principal and Founder of Shakti Legal Solutions; an award winning innovative low-bono law firm designed specifically to improve access to legal assistance for everyday people through a unique ‘pay what you can’ model. She also works with the College of Law as an adjunct lecturer, and volunteers her time on various not-for-profit organisations and boards, including the Centre of Legal Innovations Emerging Leaders Advisory Board and the Queensland Law Society.  Sheetal was awarded the 2022 Multicultural Queensland Awards for her outstanding contribution as a new Queenslander.

Shalani (she/her) brings a diverse range of experiences to the RISE project management team. Her experience includes six years of crafting state-of-the-art industrial telecommunication solutions which include network design, router configuration, and data center design for global clients. Through the Teach for Australia Leadership Development Program, Shalani championed for equity in education in low-socioeconomic communities as a STEM educator for three years. She is fiercely passionate about diversity and inclusion, and in particular, initiatives that support culturally and racially marginalised (CARM) communities.

In her free time, Shalani enjoys bushwalking and gardening. She is a flower enthusiast and enjoys identifying native flowers.

Saumya (she/her) joined DCA in 2024 as a Project Assistant for the RISE Project. Currently she is a Juris Doctor (JD) candidate at the University of Sydney, in her final year, working towards the completion of her degree. Prior to pursuing her JD and commencing work at DCA, Saumya gained over six years’ experience in volunteer work at legal centers and face-to-face fundraising.

She has had the privilege to reside in multiple parts of the world and this contributes greatly to her lived experience as an Indian queer woman of colour. This experience has urged her to remain an advocate for others who are of a similar background, and she enjoys developing communities with like-minded individuals.

It is her hope to use her legal education in the future to work in spaces that allow for advocacy work around social justice, human rights, inclusivity and maximising opportunities for immigrants and people of color and creating of safe spaces for marginalised folk.

In her time outside of work and study, she loves to strength train and cook. Currently she is learning some Spanish too and accepting applications for conversation buddies!