Safeguarding the future conference - Canberra, 23-24 May 2024

Meet the Team

Our Directors

Jan Kruger

Jan Kruger, the Executive Director of Imagine MoreJan is the Executive Director of Imagine More. She has a Bachelor in Community Education and training in Social Role Valorisation (SRV). Jan has been a strong advocate for people to live valued and inclusive lives for many years.

In 2013 Jan co-founded Imagine More in the ACT to strengthen family leadership and advocacy for people with a disability. She wants people with disability to hold valued social roles, develop meaningful relationships and live typical lives in their communities.

Read more about Jan Kruger

Paul Kruger

Paul Kruger, Director of Imagine MorePaul Kruger is a founding Director of Imagine More and currently works in the organisation part-time as the Finance and Business Manager. 

Over the last 20 years, Paul has had a variety of experiences in the growth of children in a wide variety of contexts and has become a strong advocate for inclusive education and for individuals with a disability to hold valued roles in the community.

Read more about Paul Kruger

Adrienne Gault

Adrienne is a Director at Imagine More. She originally trained as an architect. When her son Carl was diagnosed with autism in 2001, her personal and professional interests shifted. She sought to understand how best to help him.

Adrienne has worked with Imagine More since 2015. Since then she has continued to learn about the art of building good lives for people with a disability.

 

Read more about Adrienne Gault

The Team

Erosha Bakmiwewa

Peer Group Facilitator

Erosha is a mother of three children, Sethmi, Jayden and Keisha. She is a Financial Analyst by profession but currently has taken the role of the full-time carer for her children.

Erosha’s priorities in life changed when her eldest was diagnosed with ASD at the age of 2.5 years. Erosha has been an active advocate of inclusion and instrumental in getting Sethmi enrolled in a mainstream school.

Erosha is passionate about many community initiatives, including fundraising for charities, creating autism awareness and helping other families achieve better outcomes for their kids.

Anne Keep

Project Coordinator – Typical Pathways Initiative

I joined the Imagine More team in November 2020 as the Project Coordinator (Typical Pathways Initiative). This involves coordinating peer groups, webinars and other events that support the core work of Imagine More in working towards a community of true inclusion with valued roles for all.

My working life has been spent in the disability field. Before I joined Imagine More, I worked as a service provider visiting homes, schools, workplaces and community venues to provide training to build the capacity of people with disabilities and those who support them. My experiences have made me a strong advocate for inclusion in education, work and community. Working at Imagine More will allow me to focus on promoting inclusion and working directly with families.

I’m a mum to two amazing and entertaining children and three fur babies. In my spare time, I enjoy various crafts and getting out in nature by running, bushwalking and camping. I dream of living on a property one day where I can enjoy open spaces from my doorstep.

Fiona McIntosh

School to Work Coordinator

I joined Imagine More in November 2020 as the School to Work Coordinator.  This role is part of a three-year project that aims to strengthen the capacity of young people with disability and their families to achieve valued paid employment and self-employment.

I have over 25 years of experience in policy and program development in the ACT Government and local non-government sector.  This experience spans housing, homelessness, child welfare and twelve years in the disability sector.

I was drawn to this role with Imagine More because I wanted to continue creating employment opportunities for young people with disability.  I have several years of experience in the creation of customised employment opportunities in the disability sector.  I love that I am able to contribute to an ethical, values-driven organisation that empowers families to develop skill and confidence so their sons and daughters can experience the good life.

I am a solo mum to a young daughter.  In my free time, I love connecting with nature through camping and walking, creating a small enterprise and creating surreal collages.

Julia Shumaker

School to Work Coordinator

Portrait of Julia Shumaker

I joined the Imagine More team in early 2023 as a School to Work Project facilitator. In this role, I support the School to Work Coordinator to help families and professionals learn about Customised Employment and how to implement its tactics as early as Year 7. It’s an exciting project that allows students with disability to find meaningful work experience and after-school jobs while they’re at school and meaningful paid employment as school leavers.

Before I joined Imagine More, I supported a young man with disability in various valued employment roles during his schooling years and beyond. Along the way, I attended several Social Role Valorisation (SRV) courses and other workshops by Imagine More. These courses helped me see the (mostly) untapped potential in people with disability and understand how to support them in achieving their goals for a typical life. In 2022, I was part of a Job Support Peer Group co-facilitated by Milton Tyree (from Marc Gold & Associates) to support our implementation of Customised Employment.

I’m also a member of a local dance studio and enjoy being outside with nature.

Jacki Kearslake

Digital Communications Manager

Portrait of Jacki KearslakeI was one of Imagine More’s Founding Directors. Jan and Paul’s vision for a more inclusive Canberra inspired me to join their fledgling organisation. I returned in 2020 as Imagine More’s Website Development and Support Manager. It’s an exciting role that supports the development and sharing of digital resources.

This role is very different from my chosen profession, dentistry. I stopped working as a dentist in 2006. I retained a connection with my dental colleagues through my digital marketing agency. That’s where I acquired the skills for my current role.

I’m the mother of three brilliant young people, one of who has an intellectual disability. Imagine More has helped our family to support our son to lead a typical life. Before I met Jan and Paul, I didn’t know how to do this. It’s been exciting to see my son achieving so much and having such great potential. It’s also exciting to help other families see what’s possible.

In my leisure time, I enjoy playing walking and field football (soccer), any form of craft (from knitting to needle felting), visiting craft stores to add to my stash of craft supplies, and napping on the weekends.