CEO
Jacki has worked in the Not for Profit sector all of her working life, predominantly in health and social services in community based organisations. She has a particular affinity for working with vulnerable communities including those faced with poverty, mental health issues or inequitable access to education or health services. She holds a number of qualifications including a Master’s degree with Honours, is a Fellow of The Institute of Management New Zealand and a Chartered Member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors. Jacki has been Chief Executive at Great Potentials Foundation since January 2017.
Email: [email protected]
MATES Programme Manager
Connor started at MATES back in 2015 as a mentor in the Education 200 paper at the University of Auckland. He has been a coordinator at MATES Jr for the past three years seeing the introduction of Finlayson Park and Mangere East Primary to the programme.
Connor finished his Bachelor of Science majoring in Psychology in 2017 and more recently finished his Post Graduate diploma in Counselling theory in 2019, beginning a Masters of Counselling in 2020. MATES was the first place Connor found he could give back to the community and affect change in people’s lives through empowerment and education.
Through MATES Junior, Connor has seen amazing mentors become amazing professionals and talented students thrive in both high school and in life. He was appointed MATES Programme Manager in March 2021.
Evaluation and Data Manager
BA, Cert ConRes, Cert TT, PGCert R&A, MA(Hons), PhD Candidate
John joined Great Potentials in 2018. His main responsibility is to undertake and deliver systematic evaluations of the three programmes that Great Potentials Foundation operates - HIPPY, Family Service Centres and MATES.
John has extensive experience in social research from his many years at Statistics New Zealand, and as a lecturer and senior researcher at AUT University. John’s most recent research was the first ever Global Survey on Language Revitalisation run by Recovering Voices at the Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/24871
John’s research interest is in the holistic wellbeing of Pacific communities. John is primarily interested in the construction and application of statistical research over a range of subject areas but with a focus on issues that relate to people from the Pacific region.
Business Support Manager
PGDip Marketing, BCom
Mei started working for Great Potentials in March 2022, with responsibility for managing fundraising and marketing activities. Mei is passionate about community development and education. She has a work background in marketing and business development in the non-for-profit and education sectors. Previously, she worked as the Education Advisor at Asia New Zealand Foundation and the Auckland Engagement Manager at Ara Institute of Canterbury.
Mei is originally from Hong Kong. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Melbourne, Australia, and her Postgraduate diploma in Christchurch, New Zealand. She is a fluent Cantonese and Mandarin speaker.
Family Service Centres Manager
PGDipArts, BPsy
Margaret has been working in not-for-profit organisations throughout her career, with experience in the disability and mental health sectors. She finished her Bachelor of Psychology in 2009 back in her home country, Indonesia. She then continued her study at Massey University and completed a Postgraduate Degree in Arts majoring in Psychology in 2012.
In the past 11 years, she managed various community-based services, including Asian Mental Health Service, Muslim Mental Health Service, Community Living Service, and Community Support Hours Service. She is now managing the Family Service Centres in Papakura and Takanini. Margaret enjoys working to support people and making a positive impact on people’s lives.
Email:[email protected]