STARTTS’ Senior Management Team
Jorge Aroche
Chief Executive Officer
Jorge Aroche is a clinical psychologist and STARTTS’ Chief Executive Officer. Jorge was born in Uruguay and has worked with migrants and refugee survivors of torture and organized violence since before 1989, when he joined STARTTS. He has led the organization since March 1997, through some of the most challenging times for refugee services in Australia, helping STARTTS grow from a dozen staff to more than 200, assuming a truly state-wide role and becoming a world leader in this field in the process, while continuing to learn from its clients, its culturally diverse staff and the latest scientific advances. Jorge has also held a number of honorary positions in international humanitarian organizations, Australia government advisory bodies and NGO boards. He was the President of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) from 2016 until November 2020. Email Jorge Aroche.
Lachlan Murdoch
Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Lachlan Murdoch is STARTTS’ Deputy Chief Executive Officer. Lachlan has worked with refugees and asylum seekers for twenty five years in a variety of capacities. Since joining STARTTS Lachlan has held several management positions delivering programmes to refugee survivors of torture and trauma including within early intervention and rural and regional services. Overseas, Lachlan worked with organisations assisting repatriated refugees and displaced people in Central America in the 1990s. He is presently a Management Committee member of the Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS Australia) and was previously a long standing Board member of the Asylum Seekers Centre of NSW. Email Lachlan Murdoch.
Mirjana Askovic
Neurofeedback Program Coordinator
Mirjana Askovic is a senior psychologist and BCIA-A certified QEEG Diplomate and neurofeedback practitioner who uses an integrated, neuroscience-based approach to psychotherapy. She has been a clinician at STARTTS since 2001. Mirjana is currently the Neurofeedback Program Coordinator and a Director for the Australian Neurofeedback Institute (ANFI). The Neurofeedback Program was established in 2007 to help clients with chronic, complex PTSD learn to regulate their physiological states to support their emotional, cognitive, and social rehabilitation. The Australian Neurofeedback Institute is a STARTTS program that specialises in the provision of neurofeedback training and mentoring. Mirjana is a PhD candidate with the Discipline of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney. She is a regular national and international conference presenter and trainer, and is the author of multiple publications on the integration of neurofeedback in working with trauma survivors. Email Mirjana Askovic.
Mariano Coello
Clinical and Research Program Coordinator
Mariano Coello is a psychologist (Master in Clinical Psychology) who has worked for over 30 years with migrants and refugee survivors of torture and organised violence. Since 1991 he has held several clinical positions at STARTTS, and has been the Clinical and Research Program Coordinator since 1995. He is responsible for the quality and supervision of STARTTS’ clinical services which are provided across NSW. He has in different capacities conducted and participated in several successful projects on psychosocial and mental health issues affecting refugees. Mariano is involved in a number of national and international research projects related to best and innovative practice in refugee trauma treatment. He has represented STARTTS on many forums and conferences nationally and internationally, and is the co-author of a number of journal articles and book chapters on issues related to refugee trauma. He was formerly the Secretary-General of the International Society for Health and Human Rights. Email Mariano Coello.
Gordana Hol
Direct Services Program Coordinator
Gordana Hol has a Master of Clinical Psychology and has over 40 years of experience as a clinician and clinical supervisor. She is STARTTS’ Direct Services Program Coordinator and oversees 10 teams of over 80 counsellors working across NSW, who treat clients and provide clinical consultation to qualified clinicians and interns/clinical master students. Gordana’s clinical approach is eclectic; she provides weekly treatments to STARTTS’ clients and utilises various therapeutical modalities. As a Senior Clinical Supervisor she also provides ongoing clinical supervision and training to STARTTS’ clinicians, as well as mental health professionals within health areas and schools. Gordana has presented at national and international conferences, as well as for STARTTS’ Clinical Master Class program. Prior to STARTTS she worked for the United Nation High Commission for Human Rights, Médecins Sans Frontiers and the International Rescue Committee. Email Gordana Hol.
Jasmina Bajraktarevic-Hayward (she/her)
Community Services Program Coordinator
Jasmina Bajraktarevic-Hayward is a Social Worker who came to Australia in 1993 as a refugee from Bosnia-Herzegovina. She manages STARTTS’ Community Services Program which consists of over 100 staff including the teams: Community Development, Rural and Regional Community Development, Youth, School Liaison, Families in Cultural Transition (FICT), Mental Health Community Living Supports for Refugees (MH-CLSR) and Health in My Language; as well as staff covering STARTTS’ LGBTIQA+ Project, volunteer management, policy analysis and input, community development evaluation, community cultural development, grant and tender writing and community capacity building. Jasmina has significant Board experience and is currently the President of the Refugee Council of Australia and a member of the NSW Refugee Communities Advocacy Network as well as a member of the World Pride Sydney Advisory Committee. Email Jasmina Bajraktarevic-Hayward.
Melanie Leemon (she/her)
Training Program Coordinator
Melanie has been STARTTS’ Training Services Coordinator since 2008 when a dedicated training team was formed. She is responsible for the strategic direction and quality of training service delivery to resource and assist STARTTS staff, mainstream service providers, educational institutions and volunteers to work more effectively with people who have experienced persecution, organised violence, torture and refugee trauma. Melanie also manages STARTTS’ website and promotional materials. Melanie has written and designed numerous resources, manuals and educational materials for health and community workers, volunteers and consumers on issues related to torture and refugee trauma, HIV/AIDS, and hygiene and sanitation in Australia, Guatemala, Peru, Indonesia and India. Prior to STARTTS she worked for Médecins Sans Frontières. Melanie has a Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Email Melanie Leemon.
Faizal Laxmidhar
Acting Chief Financial Officer
Faizal Laxmidhar is STARTTS’ Acting Chief Financial Officer who manages STARTTS’ finance and administration teams. Born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Faizal graduated from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws. Faizal joined accounting firm Grant Thornton as a Graduate in 2012, and gained membership to the Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand in 2015. Faizal has extensive experience in Financial and Management Accounting having worked for organisations in New Zealand, the UK and Australia. Faizal’s passion for supporting refugees stems from his parents who arrived in New Zealand as refugees in 1972. Email Faizal Laxmidhar.
Susan Maddrell
Internal Policy and Accreditation Coordinator
Sue Maddrell has extensive experience in organisational development and management across a range of public and private organisations. She has held senior management roles in different areas of STARTTS’ operation since first joining the organisation in 2009, including coordination of early intervention services, client information management, ICT and admin management, policy development and risk management. She is currently the Internal Policy and Accreditation Coordinator. Her post-graduate academic background and employment experience in information management was key to her role in managing STARTTS’ achievement of accreditation against the National Standards for Mental Health Services in May 2022. Sue has supported shaping of government policy and service delivery at Federal, State and local government level. Board membership of non-profit organisations in the tenancy, settlement and torture and trauma fields has also benefited from her depth of experience. Email Susan Maddrell.