Management committee

Abdul Jarrah

President

Abdul is a senior executive with extensive experience in leading mining and construction businesses, both nationally and internationally, and ensuring strong and accountable governance in organizations. He is currently a Group Executive General Manager with a large mining services provider, responsible for the business’s strategic agenda.

Abdul holds a Bachelor of Science (Civil Engineering) from George Washington University and a Master 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.

He 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 previously served on the Board of the Queensland Resources Council and NSW Minerals Council Executive Committee. He joined RAILS’ Management Committee in November 2021 and has been its President since November 2022.

Kelly Morrow

Secretary

Kelly previously practised in both state and federal personal injuries law before moving into the community legal sector in 2023. Kelly has volunteered with LawRight (formerly QPILCH), VoRTCS, the Indooroopilly Uniting Church Visa Application Program and at RAILS as a law student and volunteer lawyer. She joined RAILS’ Management Committee in November 2021 and became secretary in November 2023.

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.

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, property and migration matters. Hiwa has worked for the International Organisation for Migration in a consultancy position coordinating the asylum seeker Voluntary Return Program in Manus Island and Nauru in 2014. Later, he joined a Brisbane based boutique firm as a Senior Solicitor for six years.  From 2021, Hiwa is the Managing Director of his own boutique law firm, Madina Lawyers and its associated migration firm Migrating to Australia Consultancy.

Hiwa’s association with RAILS goes back to more than 15 years when he initially worked as a voluntary legal clerk between 2004 and 2006. He has been a member of RAILS’ Management Committee since 2016.

Elijah Buol 

Member

Elijah Buol is a distinguished advocate and community champion who arrived in Australia as an unaccompanied minor refugee from South Sudan. He has actively supported young people and marginalised communities and played a crucial role in the successful removal of children under the age of 18 from adult prisons in Queensland.

Elijah’s commitment to social justice and youth policy reform has earned him numerous prestigious accolades and honours, including: the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) and the 2019 Queensland Local Hero of the Year.

Elijah possesses advanced qualifications in Law, Justice, Intelligence, and Human Services. He is currently Chairperson of the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland, Chief Executive Officer of Act for Peace and member of both the Settlement Advisory Council for the Federal Government and the Safer Gambling Advisory Committee with the Queensland Government. 

Through his advocacy, leadership, and personal experiences, Elijah promotes social justice, inclusion, and empowerment for all Australians, including refugees and immigrants, helping them achieve their aspirations and realise their potential.

Alexis Wallace 

Member

Dr Alexis Wallace joined the RAILS Management Committee in November 2024.  Alexis is a former Member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, Migration Review Tribunal, Refugee Review Tribunal and Mental Health Review Tribunal (Qld).   

Early in her legal career Alexis was a case worker at RAILS.  Later she practiced commercial migration law with Minter Ellison and frequently travelled to Christmas Island to represent asylum seekers in offshore immigration detention.

Alexis’ academic qualifications include a Masters in migration law from the University of Oxford and a PhD in law (supervised by Prof Kim Rubenstein and Prof Mary Crock).

In recent years, Alexis has developed an understanding of trauma, mental health and neurodiversity through her lived experience as a carer.  In her spare time, Alexis loves to dance.

Gayan Mendis

Member

Gayan is an experienced finance professional with a strong background in both public practice and the commercial sector. He graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Professional Accounting and Management, from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Gayan began his career at KPMG, a leading global accounting firm, where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant (CA) and provided accounting services to a diverse range of clients, both for-profit and not-for-profit, on national and international scales. He later transitioned into the commercial finance sector with Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC), an alternative investment manager based in Brisbane. In his current role as General Manager Finance, Investments, Gayan leads a team that delivers financial and operational expertise to support the execution of strategic objectives across the enterprise, business units, and investment mandates.

Recognised for his achievements, Gayan was named Queensland Young Chartered Accountant of the Year in 2021. He is also an active member of the Queensland Corporate Panel for Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) and joined the RAILS Management Committee in November 2023 he is also a member of the Finance Sub-Committee.