Management committee

Abdul Jarrah

President

Abdul is a senior executive with extensive experience in leading performance driven teams, both nationally and internationally, and ensuring strong and accountable governance for projects and organisations. 

He currently is Group Executive of Growth and Strategy at Thiess, a global mining services provider, responsible for the business' strategic agenda. 

Abdul holds a Bachelor of Science (Civil Engineering) from the University of Maryland. He also holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Law from the University of Queensland. Abdul is admitted as Attorney-at-Law to the Bars of Maryland and Washington DC in the US. He is also admitted as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland. 

Abdul has previously sat on the Board of Queensland Resources Council and NSW Minerals Council Executive Committee. Abdul joined RAILS' Management Committee in November 2021 and became President in November 2022.  

Nitra Kidson

Secretary

Nitra is a barrister in private practice and specialises in public law, particularly administrative law and native title. Nitra first joined RAILS, then known as the South Brisbane Immigration and Community Legal Service
as a solicitor/caseworker in 1995. Nitra advocated on behalf of clients and represented the organisation on the Board of the Refugee Council and at many other forums.

Kate McKeon

Treasurer

Kate has a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) degree and Post Graduate qualifications in Information Technology. She was a qualified Chartered Accountant and has over 25 years of experience covering all aspects of finance and administration, project management and business analysis. She has previously worked in finance roles for KPMG, Australian Red Cross and International Red Cross (Central Asia and Micronesia). 

Kate has more recently operated her own consulting company focusing on financial feasibility and business transformation. Her clients have been diverse across multiple sectors including Government, Higher Education, Social Impact Organisations, ASX and Global companies. She joined RAILS Management Committee as Treasurer in June 2022.

Matt Black

Member

Matt is a barrister in private practice. He has a particular focus on Administrative law, which includes migration and citizenship proceedings. Since about 2013, Matt has regularly provided pro bono representation in judicial review proceedings involving protection visas and related issues. In 2015, he was awarded the Australian Lawyers Alliance Civil Justice Award for pro bono work on a significant migration law case.

Matt has been a member of RAILS' Management Committee since November 2018.

Hiwa Zandi

Member

Hiwa is a practicing lawyer specialising in commercial litigation and migration matters. Hiwa has worked for the International Organisation for Migration in a consultancy position to coordinate the asylum seeker Voluntary Return Program in Manus and Nauru. He is currently the Managing Director of a Brisbane based boutique law firm, Madina Lawyers, and its associated migration firm Migrating to Australia Consultancy.

Hiwa’s association with RAILS goes back more than 10 years, when he initially worked as a voluntary legal clerk between 2004 and 2006. He has been a member of our Management Committee since 2016.

Kelly Morrow

Member

Kelly is a solicitor practicing in personal injuries law and has practiced in both state and federal jurisdictions. Kelly has a long history at one of the largest social justice firms in Australia, before moving into defendant insurance. Kelly has previously volunteered with LawRight (formerly QPILCH),  VoRTCS, the Indooroopilly Uniting Church Visa Application Program, and at RAILS as a law student as as a volunteer lawyer.

Narelle Sutherland

Member

Narelle is an experienced grant and policy program manager. She has more than 30 years of experience in community legal centres, domestic violence and housing support organisations and state govenment agencies. Narelle currently coordinates grant programs for First Nations land management. She has volunteered on a number of non-government management boards and as a settlement support worker with recently arrived refugees. She has qualifications in Social Work, Arts (Sociology) and policy analysis. Narelle joined RAILS Management Committee in November 2020. 

Peter See

Member

Peter has a wide background across the not-for-profit sector, government and private industry. He was one of the founding members of Tenants Queensland, a convenor of QAILS (now Community Legal Centres Queensland) and the first CLC representative on the then Legal Aid Commission Queensland. 

For the past 14 years, he has been working with Indigenous organisations on developing Indigenous land and sea management programs. He currently works on strategy and projects at Country Needs People, an environmental charity that works across Australia. 

Peter joined RAILS' Management Committee in November 2021. 

Lorraine Hill

Member