The NSWCCPE Team

The Reverend Canon Roger Zohrab
President

BA (Deakin),ThL,DipMIn, AssocDipTheol(ACT), GradCertProfessionalSupervision(St.Marks NTC), MA (ACU), MRE (ACU), MPastCounsell (CSU) AAOS, MA(Pastoral Supervision) AUCD

Roger is the Anglican Chaplain and Pastoral Care Coordinator at John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle. A priest with many years’ experience in parish and chaplaincy ministry, Roger has counselling training and experience in spiritual direction.

He is a Provisional Clinical Pastoral Educator. He is very interested in the way we seek to make sense of our life and situations through theological reflection. He has a particular interest in trauma associated areas of the hospital and recognises the importance of good spiritual care for end of life patients, families and staff.

Roger is part of the executive team that is reshaping the College to provide excellent care and education.

The Venerable Canon Rod Bower
Deputy President

The Venerable Canon Rod Bower is the Director of Mission for Newcastle Anglican.

Fr. Rod received the 2016 Doha International Award for Interfaith Dialogue and was a finalist nominee for the 2018 Australian Human Rights Medal. He is the author of two books, one on the spirituality of the Beatitudes, the other on social justice and human rights.

He continues to be a passionate advocate for human rights especially in the areas of diverse sexuality, First Nations people, refugees and climate.

More recently, in his role as Director of Mission Fr Rod has focused on workplace wellbeing, spirituality, and supervision. He serves on the NSW College of CPE as deputy president and is an associate of AAOS.

The Rev’d Dr Barbara Howard
Academic Dean

BA(Hons), MEd, D de l’U, BD, MA (Pastoral Supervision), PhD.

Barbara is a retired Anglican Priest. She has degrees in European Languages and Theology and has been a teacher, lecturer, director of two Anglican Welfare agencies, parish priest and hospital chaplain. She has been involved with NSWCCPE since 1991 as student, supervisor and now as Education Consultant. As Academic Dean and Education Faculty Convenor, she oversees and participates in the spiritual care and supervisor education programs offered by NSWCCPE.

She shares her beautiful view over Lake Macquarie with her faithful labrador, Kymba. She enjoys reading, walking by the lake, and anticipating frequent return visits to the backways of rural France.

Ms Carolyn Dann
Academic Registrar

BAppSc (UTS), GDipMgt (UC), DipBus, DipPrMgt, Cert IV in TAE

Carolyn Dann is the Academic Registrar at the NSW College of Clinical Pastoral Education. She has a Bachelor of Applied Science majoring in IT, Graduate Diploma in Management, Diploma in Business, Diploma in Project Management and Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

Carolyn has seven years’ experience working on a range of IT projects in the health, finance and Government sectors before moving into adult education. She has over eighteen years’ experience working in adult education across both the tertiary and VET sectors. This has included over ten years working as a trainer, teaching business courses to domestic and international students.

Carolyn enjoys her role at NSWCCPE utilising her administration and management skills working with many contacts across the Australian University College of Divinity and the CPE community. She finds her work with the students to be the most rewarding part of the role.

Mrs Carmen Karauda
Treasurer

BA (Commerce) (UWS), MA (Pastoral Care and Counselling) (SCD), MA (Pastoral Supervision) (SCD), Dip of Ageing and Pastoral Care (Holy Family Services), Cert IV in TAE

Carmen is a CPE Supervisor and Provisional CPE Educator, currently attached to the Southern Tablelands CPE Centre and previously attached to the Mental Health CPE Centre, and an Associate Teacher with the SCD. Carmen was the Pastoral Care Coordinator for Carrington Care Aged Care and was a Course Facilitator and Assessor for Holy Family Services’ Registered Training Organisation, a privately run RTO in Marayong, which facilitates courses such as 10642NAT Diploma of Ageing and Pastoral or Spiritual Care.

Carmen currently holds the position of Treasurer on the NSWCCPE Executive and brings her valuable former experience as an Accountant and Accounting Software trainer to the role. Carmen’s interest in exploring ways of helping others discover and develop their talents and skills has lead her into the area of pastoral and spiritual care. Her studies and work to date have mainly been in the area of spirituality, exploring the meaning and purpose of life today and pastoral and spiritual care of the aged, sick and dying. Carmen has a well-developed understanding of spirituality and journeying with others as they explore their own spirituality and relate to others on their journey.

Debra Kelly
Executive Secretary

BD (Theology) (London) MA (Buddhist Studies) (Sydney) MA (Pastoral Supervision) (AUCD) Post Grad Cert. Educ (Cambridge)

Debra is a CPE Supervisor, currently attached to the Mental Health CPE Centre (previously at the St Vincent’s CPE Centre) and an Associate Teacher with the AUCD. Debra has been a member of the Pastoral Care Team at St Vincent’s Private Hospital since 2019 and was previously Buddhist Chaplain at the University of Technology and for many years a High School teacher of Religious Studies and Personal Development. Debra has a particular interest in Buddhist and Multifaith CPE. 

Heather Robinson
Convenor of the Accreditation, Registration and Professional Standards Committee

BTh (SCD), MA (Pastoral Supervision)

Heather was previously a Supervisor of the Mental Health CPE at Macquarie Hospital and the Korean language CPE program at Rhodes. She is now a Supervisor of the Mental Health Ministry CPE at Cumberland Hospital (2022) and works in pastoral care at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney. She has been a Volunteer with the Macquarie Hospital Pastoral Care Team for ten years, and has over twenty years experience in pastoral care, including in aged care and mental health ministry. Heather is passionate about the benefits of CPE and began training as a Supervisor in 2014.

Susanne Schmidt
Convenor of the Centre Directors Committee

BTh (MCD), GradDip Religious Education (ACU), MA Pastoral Supervision (SCD)

Cheryll Bird
Librarian

BA (Theology), MMin, MA (Pastoral Supervision)

Cheryll is a Clinical Pastoral Educator and is the San CPE Centre Director. After completing a BA in theology she worked in parish ministry in Australia and New Zealand. She began CPE around 2000, at Rozelle Hospital – a large state psychiatric hospital. After completing 4 units of CPE as well as a Master of Ministry, she began training as a CPE Supervisor at St Vincent’s Hospital. It was during that time that she qualified as a Clinical Pastoral Supervisor and completed an MA in Pastoral Supervision then as a Clinical Pastoral Educator in 2017. She has taught undergraduate CPE at Avondale University since 2013.