Kerry Arabena
Managing Director
A descendant of the Meriam people from the Torres Strait, Kerry’s work has brought her to the forefront of Indigenous affairs in Australia. A former social worker with a Doctorate in Environmental Science, Kerry has worked in not for profit, community controlled and academic institutions, holding senior positions such as the inaugural Co-Chair of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, Executive Director of Apunipima Cape York Health Council, Chair of Indigenous Health at the University of Melbourne, lead researcher of First 1000 Days Australia, CEO of the Lowitja Institute and Director of Indigenous Health Research at Monash University. Internationally, Kerry was President of Ecohealth International, consulted for the World Health Organisation, was a Scientific Commissioner on the Lancet Pathfinder project and completed a Fellows program with the Rockefeller Foundation in Italy.
With an extensive background in public health, administration, community development and research, Kerry has led a wide range of organisations and committees and consulted across Oceania, Norway and Indonesia.
Currently, Kerry holds honorary professorial positions with the University of Melbourne and Federation University, is an Interim Director of Victoria’s Self-Determination Fund, a Trustee at Arts Centre Melbourne, manages her burgeoning consulting, publishing and coaching and education and training companies, and has several entrepreneurial programs in development including the most recent launch of her new business, Ilan Style.
Kate Kloeber
Executive Manager, Digital and Marketing
Kate is the Digital Manager at First 1000 Days Australia who manages all things digital. Kate has almost a decade of experience in digital marketing working across several industries including information technology and services, franchising, consulting and within digital agencies. Kate is skilled and experienced in Digital Marketing Strategy, Account Management, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Lead Generation, Google Products, Social Media, CRM management and Email Marketing. Kate holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management and Business Marketing from Monash University.
In her free time you will find Kate in the garden, walking her sausage dog at the beach or in the kitchen baking.
Tess McArthur-Dowty
Digital Marketing Manager
Tess has worked in Digital Marketing for seven years and is passionate about the power of media to impact change. All her work has been politically engaged, and she has been lucky enough to work across the world, from Melbourne to Buenos Aires. She always strives to align her work to her values, having worked across in environmental, LGBTQI+, women’s rights and Indigenous rights spaces. Tess holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from The University of Melbourne and a Master of Film and Television from the Victorian College of The Arts.
Outside of work Tess’ main passion is all things film, whether it’s attending local film festivals or creating her own short documentaries. She also loves learning languages and spending time with her cat.
Kim Reid
Operations Officer
Kim is a descendant of the Awabakal people of the Newcastle area. She has worked at the First 1000 Days Australia for approximately 18 months where she holds the position of Operations Officer. She looks after Kerry’s diary as well as ensuring the operations of First 1000 Days Australia run smoothly.
Kim holds a Bachelor of Business and has more than a decade of administration and support experience mainly across the tourism/hotel sector, where she worked in reservations, sales support and administration at a large hotel chain.
Kim is very keen on upskilling and has recently completed a Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping which has allowed her to take on some new challenges within the First 1000 Days Australia over the last few months.
Outside of work, Kim is a mum of a 4-year-old and enjoys travel, the outdoors and plays basketball and netball.
Peter Jay Imboy
Digital Marketing Coordinator
Jay is a Digital Marketing Coordinator at First 1000 Days Australia who is responsible for setting up and troubleshooting our backend systems as well as the team's technical support. Jay also edits all our video content, sets up integrations and contributes to graphic designs.
In his free time Jay enjoys the outdoors including bike riding and playing Ultimate Frisbee, he also enjoys attending social events such as sports fests and concerts.
Camille Gonzal
Digital Marketing Coordinator
Camille is a Digital Marketing Coordinator at First 1000 Days Australia who is responsible for integrations between systems, troubleshooting any technical issues, scheduling social media content, crafting an designing digital collateral (social media posts, worksheets, imagery for online courses, etc), optimizing web and landing pages and any digital marketing related tasks.
In her free time, you will find Camille on her tablet drawing cartoon characters, developing her art style, lying in a swing while listening to music or playing with her niece.