Meet the Team
About our Team
The Country Kitchens team are a committed group of women, dedicated to empowering rural, regional and remote Queensland communities to make healthier lifestyle choices.
We are trained Dietitians / Nutritionists and Marketers, and we thrive on working with the QCWA’s volunteer members, connecting women who have the power to heal their communities.
Ms Meg O'Donnell
State Program Manager
Meg is qualified in public health and nutrition with experience in community and health promotion initiatives in a variety of country and urban settings. Meg has relocated to Queensland and looks forward to supporting the QCWA members to continue their partnerships and connections within communities to achieve healthier lifestyles.
Lindsey Thynne
Health Promotion Team Leader
Lindsey is registered nutritionist with an additional educational background in public health and health promotion. Her professional experience before joining the Country Kitchens team focused on working with children and families which continues to be a passion. Her favourite part of working with the QCWA has been exploring rural and remote parts of Queensland. She hopes to be able improve our connection between agriculture and health through her work with the Country Kitchens program.
Aleks Lukovic, APD
Health Promotion Team Leader
Aleks is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian (APD). Her love for food and cooking came at a young age watching her grandmother prepare traditional Serbian foods at home. Aleks combined this love of cooking with her passion for leading a healthy lifestyle and completed her degree in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2017. In her final year of university studies, Aleks was on placement was with the Country Kitchens Program and is very excited to be back and working with such an amazing organisation. Aleks has an interest in transitioning aspects of the program into the digital space to improve accessibility for all of our remote members.
Suzie van Laarhoven
Marketing Coordinator
Suzie is a contemporary communicator with significant experience in media and marketing among organisations as diverse as Toowoomba’s Empire Theatres, Tourism NSW and NewsCorp. Being a qualified chef, her culinary perspectives are baked into the QCWA’s Country Kitchens program.
Maddy Rolla, APD
Health Promotion Team Leader
Maddy is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian (APD). She has worked in a wide range of roles as a Dietitian including private practice, hospitals, nutrition education and health promotion. Maddy grew up on a farm in Western Queensland and now lives in Brisbane. As such, she is excited to be involved in helping to connect rural and remote communities with resources, education, and health promotion activities. Maddy loves being active outdoors, creating recipes and getting people together to share delicious food.
Jemma McCutcheon, APD
Health Promotion Team Leader
Jemma is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian (APD). She has worked on a number of health promotion and public health nutrition programs across Queensland, including over two years working with remote Cape York communities. Jemma developed a love for all things food and cooking from a young age, and is passionate about working with individuals and groups to improve the health of their communities. She has a particular interest in public health nutrition and community capacity building and is a proud member of the Country Kitchens team.
Here are some of our fabulous facilitators in action
