Say hello to the passionate and dedicated people that bring MDA’s work to life, translating MDA’s mission and values into practice. We pride ourselves on walking the walk when it comes to employment, and have insights and reach into the communities we seek to elevate.
Mariam Veiszadeh is an award winning human rights advocate, lawyer, diversity and inclusion practitioner, contributing author and media commentator.
Mariam was most recently in a management position at the Diversity Council of Australia, founded the Islamophobia Register Australia, and has held multiple board positions.
She has delivered a TEDxSydney talk advocating for greater cultural diversity, was featured as an Anti-Racism Champion by the Australian Human Rights Commission and currently sits on the Commission’s Expert Advisory Group for the Workplace Cultural Diversity Tool as well their Multicultural Advisory Group. Mariam has worked as radio commentator for the ABC radio and as a columnist for Fairfax media.
With many accolades to her name including the Fairfax Daily Life 2016 Woman of the year, the 2015 Westpac Woman of Influence and Welcoming Australia Life Member Award in 2021, Mariam is renowned for influencing positive change both in the workplace and in society more broadly.
Mariam was born in Afghanistan and came to Australia in 1990 with her family as a refugee.
Simone Amelia Jordan is an award-winning writer, journalist, and host, who works as Director Of Special Projects for Media Diversity Australia. She is the recipient of the 2021 Richell Prize, for her upcoming memoir Tell Her She’s Dreamin’. Simone holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from the University of Technology, Sydney. Jordan was appointed the first international Content Director of The Source magazine in 2015 and was selected one of five women in the world to design her own shoe with Reebok Classics in 2012. Jordan’s work has appeared in SBS Voices, ABC Everyday, Channel 10, VIBE Magazine, The Industry Observer, and Diversity Arts Australia.
Twitter Handle: @SimoneAJordan
Madlen is a dynamic leader, strategist, storyteller, and project manager in the not-for-profit sector.
With a background in Psychology, Business Development, and Operations Management, Madlen’s breadth of experience includes supporting individuals on their mental health recovery journey, to building thriving team culture, to management of national tenders. She’s also an award-winning chef.
She's known for bringing diverse stakeholders together to tackle complex challenges, and using structure to help enliven solution-focussed thinking.
Lina Ali is a Muslim Indian-Australian emerging writer from Parramatta, NSW who has a love for all things written and media. Currently she is studying a double degree, majoring in English Literature and Politics, alongside completing a Bachelor of Islamic Studies part-time. In March, 2022 Lina was awarded as a Highly Commended recipient of the All About Women of Colour Mentorship Program. As a part of this program, she received editorial guidance and mentorship from Randa Abdel-Fattah and Sweatshop's Winnie Dunn. Lina's short story 'Shaking Hands Suffocate' was published on the Sydney Opera House Website.
Lina also received an internship to work as an SBS Diversity and Inclusion Research Assistant and as a Voices writer through the 2022 Createability Internship program, which is a partnership between Create NSW and Accessible Arts and a range of NSW-based arts, screen and cultural organisations, to develop strong career pathways for people with disability.
You can find Lina's by-lines across a range of reputable platforms such as the ABC, SBS Voices and Meanjin Quarterly. Most recently she published 'As a neurodiverse woman, small talk and networking are a nightmare' with SBS Voices.
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to support the important work we do please click here. We are a not-for-profit organisation run predominantly by volunteers. With your support, we can continue to run programs to support CALD journalists, conduct agenda-setting research, run networking events, provide practical solutions for the media industry, and much more.