Meet Your Dreamers
Led by Founder Karen Major, the Achieve Your Dream board brings together a diverse team of experts in NFP leadership, ICT, and welfare. 100% volunteer-led and community-funded, our board ensures that every donation goes directly toward making dreams a reality.
“Karen and the whole AYDF Board have displayed a true passion for this vision and i am excited to see what they can achieve!”
Dream FollowerDreamer
As the Founder of Achieve Your Dream Foundation, Karen believes that all people with disabilities have every right to DREAM that anything is POSSIBLE. Through Karen’s career supporting people with disabilities in various leadership roles her purpose was always to ensure each person being supported and the people supporting these individuals would achieve amazing things. Karen started her career 35+ years ago at the point of deinstitutionalisation in Ontario, Canada, in the late 1980’s.
Her first experience in disability care was visiting a multiple-story mental institution/hospital setting in which she had to write an overview and explain why she wanted to enrol and get accepted into the 2 year Diploma program in disability studies aka Developmental Services Worker Program, previously known as Mental Retardation Worker Program.
Karen’s training and developmental growth was focused on seeing the potential of people with disabilities and teaching them everyday life skills through skills based models of support. (Marc Gold Try Another Way, task analysis and graduated guidance support etc. and person-centred planning by Michael Smull, Beth Mount; John O’Brien and Jack Pearpoint). This is where Karen started to support the people she supported to believe in and share their Hopes and Dreams. These Dreams became Reality through planning, connections, and community.
In the last 24 years working and volunteering in Australia, Karen has continued to empower people supporting people with disabilities to enable Hopes and Dreams to become Reality in everyday opportunities and through seeing what is and can be Possible. She has done this through all her leadership roles, which have included support worker, trainer, front-line leader, practice, quality and risk leader, quality standards auditor, citizen advocate, and regulatory roles oversighting safeguarding people with disabilities in services.
Terry is a recognised community leader. He has held multiple leadership roles at the Epping CFA over the past 20 years. Prior to immigrating to Australia he worked in the ICT field for national and international organisations. Terry has dedicated his life to safety of others through his dedication to the CFA and his security career. He is a devoted husband, father and grandfather who maintains his unwavering support to enable everyone’s dreams and aspirations to be achieved how and where he can. Terry has supported many people with disabilities to achieve their personal dreams through the support of the CFA. Who doesn’t dream of riding in a fire truck and spray the fire hose? Well, Terry is known for his kindness and patience supporting people with disabilities to achieve their dreams through opportunities of engagement at the Epping CFA fire station. See Terry and Robert in the photo.
Gabe is a qualified and experienced Welfare professional with over 35 years in people and management roles across the community sector. Currently working amid the My Aged Care reforms, she has also had leadership roles in national organisations transitioning to the NDIS, in Housing and Youth Homelessness, Youth Work and Out of Home Care, and Mental Health, including working with young people and families from Indigenous backgrounds. Her experience also includes palliative care, where she was deeply moved by the stories and lives of those she encountered.
A passionate mentor and trainer, Gabe has delivered VET training to new disability workers and inspired many to excel — one of her protégés went on to become the ACT Chief Minister’s Support Worker of the Year and a respected sector leader.
Parag brings more than 15 years of experience across technology, business strategy and community services to the Achieve Your Dream Foundation Board.
Over the past seven years, Parag has worked in the disability and community sector, supporting organisations that deliver services to people with complex needs. His experience includes leadership roles in Positive Behaviour Support, Behaviour Support Plan (BSP) reviews, oversight of restrictive practices, and responsibilities as an Authorised Program Officer and Authorised Reporting Officer within supported independent living environments.
Before moving into the disability sector, Parag built a successful career in technology sales and product management, working across industries including banking and financial services, manufacturing, telecommunications, retail and distribution. His work has focused on solution sales, analytics platforms, content and code management systems, and building strategic partnerships that drive innovation and business growth.
Parag holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, a Master’s in Information Management, and an MBA in Entrepreneurship. He has also contributed to the next generation of business leaders as a visiting faculty member at a management school.
Through his combination of commercial expertise and community sector experience, Parag brings valuable insight in strategy, partnerships, governance and innovation to the Achieve Your Dream Foundation.
