Our Valuable Team Members

Raewyn Mai, NWIA President.  Raewyn is an international keynote speaker,  and has been awarded the 2021 Social Care Award by Global Health and Pharma. The award for ‘Best Physical Health Training Company – Australia’.  She conducts her own workshops, events and personalised programs on A Healthier You.  Raewyn is a certified Gut Health and Microbiome Advisor. She understands the importance of a healthy digestive system is critical for improving to reversing symptoms.  Her business known as Rm health stylist provides expert advice and education to inspire corporate groups and individuals towards living healthier lifestyles.

Bob Boyd OAM MEnv&ComH, BHMS, NWIA International Liaison Officer.  Bob brings at least 40 years’ experience across all areas of Personal and Corporate Wellness. His involvement includes Research, Consulting and teaching.  A Ministerial appointment to the Queensland State Steering Committee on Health Promotion in the Workplace preceded his appointment as the inaugural Director of the QUT Wellness Matters Program. Founding President of the National Wellness Institute of Australia he has also chaired a number of State and National professional association. He currently sits on the National Wellness Institute (USA) Board of Directors.  He is an accredited Workplace Wellness Director, Certified Wellness Practitioner, Certified Workplace Program manager, Wellness Culture Coach and Wellness Coach Trainer who has delivered conference presentations, workshops, and training programs and consulted to businesses, associations, governments, and community groups internationally and nationally.

Simon Pitcher, NWIA Vice President.  Professional Certificate in Health and Wellness Coaching (Wellness Coaching Australia);  Certified Wellness Wise Practitioner (Wellness Design -Wellness Wise Academy);  Master of Management – Human Resources; Cert IV in Occupational Health and Safety;  Fellow of The Heart Foundation of Australia.  Simon is the owner of ‘Best You – Coaching’ which is his Health and Wellness Coaching business operating primarily online with the purpose of assisting you – the client to make positive and lasting changes to the areas of your health and/or wellness which are important to you, therefore, enabling you to achieve and maintain your vision of your ‘Best You’.  He has over 10 years’ experience in Health, Safety and Wellness working in the Oil and Gas industry and in Queensland Government. His experience includes health, safety & wellness policy development, effective engagement with stakeholders, implementing and evaluating projects. Prior to working in the health and safety field he spent more than 20 years in management (mainly in the jewellery and watch industry).  Simon is a Fellow of the Heart Foundation of Australia and Founder of Health & Wellness Walkers – Heart Foundation Walking group (since 2016). He has passionately grown his personal development over the last 30 years and believes learning to be and stay well is essential to all aspects of a person’s quality of life.

Tracy Sherwood Washington, NWIA Academic Liaison.  Dr Washington is a member of the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation and a Lecturer in Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Engineering, at Queensland University of Technology, where she teaches planning students about built environments and health. She is an Exercise Physiologist with extensive research experience investigating the influences of policy and the built environment on health outcomes in a wide range of populations. Her transdisciplinary research focuses on determining the ways in which environments support meeting physical activity (PA) guidelines and decrease the risk of chronic disease.  Dr Washington is a Principal Investigator on a transdisciplinary ARC Linkage Project titled Intergenerational Park Design for Active and Engaged Communities ($716,730,000), which has evaluated PA levels and park design in the Moreton Bay region. Washington is translating the findings from this project into Design Recommendations that allow industry and government to design parks that promote PA and encourage social connections for all generations.  As a lead Chief Investigator (CI), Dr Washington is also currently investigating active transport (AT) interventions as a sustainable means to decrease chronic disease ($120,000 TMR, QLD, 2020-2022). This research will investigate current AT patterns and incentives to increase AT. The research includes focus groups and purposeful sampling of urban, regional, and rural populations.  Her key methodological expertise includes methods used for informing and evaluating interventions, including qualitative, quantitative, subjective, and objective measures. Use of these methods is evidenced in published studies and supervisions of honours, Masters and PhD studies that have taken place across several continents and populations. Her work is cited across many disciplines and content areas, including policy, built environments, greenspace, time use, PA, chronic disease prevention, sedentary behaviour, and PA interventions with the application of social cognitive theory constructs.  Outside of her academic career she is a nature enthusiast loves cycling, hiking, camping, most water sports and dogs!

Ina Koka, NWIA Secretariat.  Ina Koka started with The College of Health and Fitness in 2013 and has been a tireless ambassador ever since. With over 22 years years experience in the Fitness Industry, starting with QFAC, Ina also worked as a Registration and Training Officer Fitness Queensland.  Ina was awarded the 2008 Queensland Fitness Industry Awards of Excellence – Outstanding Industry Contribution and the 2005 Inaugural Fitness Australia Presidential Award. With a Certificate III & Certificate IV in Business she is confident when delivering speeches about the Fitness Industry to various High Schools.

Mary Wanjau, NWIA Treasurer.  Mary is a PhD candidate and research assistant at the school of medicine, Griffith University. Mary has academic affiliations as Adjunct lecturer with the School of Nursing Sciences, University of Nairobi and with the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF), Kenya.  Mary has over 12 years’ experience in management of wellness programs in multiple corporate organizations in Kenya and extending to the East Africa region and South Sudan.  Mary has also played an advisory role to the Ministry of Health in Kenya, health promotion unit. Under her current study, Mary expands her scope of work to include health impact assessment, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of preventive health interventions.

Kailani Marlow, NWIA Student Liaison Officer.  Kailani has an interdisciplinary background in Health and Education. She has worked with students from the primary through tertiary levels with a focus on wellness, inclusivity, and learning & teaching outcomes.  After completing a MS in Exercise Physiology and Sports Psychology at Cal State Fullerton, she worked as a Sports Psychology Consultant for a non-profit serving inner-city women, volunteered for an intervention program targeting inner city youth, facilitated workplace wellness events, and worked directly with disabled youth and young adults, particularly those diagnosed with autism.  In 2012 Kailani moved to Australia where she completed a PhD in Civil Engineering and the Built Environment at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). She has facilitated tutorials in the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at QUT and currently works with Indigenous Australian students and as a Wellness Consultant for private clients.