Meet the Office of Engagement Team
As well as being responsible for the Univerisity's alumni relations and network building, we are JCU's main fundraising team, and take on aspects of community engagement for the university.
Meet the team -
Davina Guteridge
Database Manager, based on Townsville campus.
Davina's background certainly isn't dull. Prior to commencing in her role here at JCU, she had her own consultancy business offering training and services in the record keeping/archiving/management/disposal field along with kitchen designing and prior to that, she worked in the building industry. Since coming on board with James Cook University Davina has inspired more than 100 active staff users of the Alumni and Events Management programs, Raisers Edge and NetCommunity across all campuses. She is also part of a Higher Education Users Group Network both within Queensland and Australia/New Zealand. When she is not working you might find her on a golf course or off on another adventure somewhere across the globe.
Davina and Viv are usually the first point of contact for all alumni emails and inquiries.
Phone: +61 7 4781 4707 email: davina.guteridge@jcu.edu.au
Andrew Hayes
B.A.(Flin); G.Dip.URP.(Swin), G.Cert.Bus.(Swin); MBA(JCU)
Alumni and Development Officer, based on the Cairns Campus
Andrew has had a diverse background with professional and management experience with both small and large public and private sector organisations and has worked for all three levels of government and for private professional consultancies. As an alumnus of James Cook University with a Master of Business Administration he has relevant experience and understanding of the wider JCU community.
In his current role as the Alumni Development Officer, Andrew's role is to reconnect with JCU alumni along with developing networks with key stakeholders including business, industry, government, community groups and private individuals for the purposes of developing mutually beneficial outcomes on local, state, national and international levels.
Phone: +61 7 4042 1679 email: andrew.hayes@jcu.edu.au
Lorna Hempstead AM,
BA(Hons), AMIAA, FAIAM, FFRIA.
Associate Director, based on Townsville campus.
While Lorna has been associated with JCU for nearly 30 years, it has not been as a full-time staff member until recently. In the late 1980's as General Manager of DanceNorth she was invited to lecture to the theatre students on the business side of theatre and how to run self-employment and this role continued for many years. In 2000 the Discipline of Tourism asked Lorna to develop an events module - and two years later this was subsumed into a enlarged course. In 2001 she was appointed as a Governor-in-council member of JCU's Governing Council, and continued in this role until joining the University in 2009 as a full-time staff member as Associate Director, Engagement and together with the full team commenced building the University's Alumni Networks. Lorna lives on Magnetic Island and is actively involved in community development and in the region's arts development.
Phone: +61 7 4781 4303 email: lorna.hempstead@jcu.edu.au
David Ko
Electronic & Alumni Marketing Manager, Singapore Campus
David Ko is the Electronic and Alumni Marketing manager for James Cook University at the Singapore campus. David manages regional alumni events and activities while managing the digital marketing strategies for the campus. An avid fan of the dynamic social media landscape, David spends time researching on the use of social media and alumni communications. David is Singaporean and resides in sunny Singapore.
Phone: +65 6576 6839 email: wei.ko@jcu.edu.au
Viv Sonntag
Database and Engagement Support Officer, based on the Cairns Campus
Viv's career with JCU began back in 1995, after immigrating from New Zealand. Now a true Aussie and having worked in a number of areas around the Cairns Campus Viv brings a lot of prior knowledge to the team where she assists Davina in the maintenance of the database and looking after the database users on the Cairns Campus. She spends time locating 'lost' alumni through social and professional networking internet pages and media reports.
Phone: +61 7 4042 1850 email: viv.sonntag@jcu.edu.au
Damien Watson
BPsych, MCDR
Alumni and Development Officer, based on the Townsville Campus
Damien's background has been diverse with forays into private enterprise and higher education. As an alumnus of James Cook University with a Bachelor of Psychology and a Master of Conflict and Dispute Resolution, combined with over a decade of employment at JCU, Damien has strong ties to his alma mater.
In his current role as the Alumni and Development Officer, Damien not only aims to reconnect with JCU alumni but to also build upon relationships between JCU and the wider community for the purpose of developing mutually beneficial outcomes on local, state, national and international projects.
Born in Queensland and having spent a majority of his life in the north, Damien considers himself close to being a local and has a beach shack to prove it!
Phone: +61 7 4781 5486 email: damien.watson@jcu.edu.au
Annie Whittingham
Volunteer
Annie graduated with a BA from JCU majoring in French and sub-majoring in English. She enjoyed her study due to her wonderful lecturers who introduced her to great authors in both languages.
Annie has secondary progressive MS and does voluntary work for JCU's Alumni as a way of giving back to JCU.
She enjoys her voluntary work, like the Alumni staff headed by Associate Director, Lorna Hempstead. The staff are very kind, considerate and supportive, so she is really delighted to be included in the Alumni team.
She loves music, going to concerts, reading, going to the theatre, (her and her husband support local productions as much as possible). She is sociable, friendly and enjoys meeting people.
Annie is married to Ian Whittingham, adjunct Professor of Physics. They have three lovely boys; the eldest David, graduated in Psychology from JCU and is a Senior Partner in the Psychology consultancy Company, PysCare.
They came to Townsville in 1974 when Ian was appointed as a lecturer in the Physics department.
If you wish to make contact with us relating to community engagement and fundraising, you can email engagement@jcu.edu.au and if you want to contact us as an alumnus please email alumni@jcu.edu.au
Postal
Cairns
Office of Engagement
James Cook University
PO Box 6811
Cairns Qld 4870
Townsville
Office of Engagement
James Cook Univeristy
Townsville Qld 4811
Singapore
600 Upper Thomson Road
Singapore, 574421