Rosana and Teresa

Rosana is passionate about addressing barriers to progress in the Solomon Islands. She hopes to change community attitudes and behaviours that rely continuously on foreign and local aid, and to improve employment prospects, through training, for people who lack resources and high school-level education.

Inspired by her parents who are heavily involved in charitable work, Rosana’s long-term goals also include to establish mobile clinics and a charitable fund for education. She hopes the experience, skills and networks gained through the Women’s Leadership Initiative will help her to initiate a range of positive interventions, from community to national level – and to inspire all Solomon Islanders to create their own opportunities and work together towards common goals.

Teresa is a registered architect and co-founder of ptmaARCHITECTURE, a private practice focused on sustainability and developing stronger connections between inhabitants, building, and site.

A registered architect with over 20 years’ experience developing projects in South East Queensland, Teresa is driven by a belief that buildings play a role in engaging with the community, their natural surrounds, and the climate in which they stand to shape the lives of those who inhabit them.

Teresa is also a lecturer at Griffith University, where she teaches across undergraduate and post-graduate architecture programs. She is a member of the Education Committee of the Queensland Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects.