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ABOUT US

PIMA is incorporated in Victoria, Australia, as Friends of PASCAL International Association. It is an expanding global network of diverse individual adult and lifelong learning educators, activists, and scholars. It grew out of PASCAL. ​

 

We collaborate with PASCAL http://pascalobservatory.org/ and many other bodies, towards greater social, economic, and ecological justice. We contribute to ‘outside-of-the-box’ thinking to address the contemporary local/global crises and issues. We encourage members to work together and in solidarity with one another to bring the expertise of adult learning and education (ALE), within a lifelong learning orientation, to the resolution of everyday issues and problems.

About Us: Bio

EXECUTIVE MEMBERS 2025-2026

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SUWITHIDA CHARUNGKAITTIKUL, President

Dr. Suwithida Charungkaittikul is a visionary educator and leader transforming lifelong learning globally. As an Associate Professor at Chulalongkorn University and Coordinator for the ASEM Lifelong Learning Hub, she bridges academic rigor with practical impact. With a doctorate in Non-Formal Education and post-doctoral training in Education Andragogy, she excels in adult learning.

Dr. Charungkaittikul directed Chulalongkorn University's General Education Center (2021–2025), fostering sustainable policies and collaborative initiatives. Her prolific research spans lifelong learning policy, adult education, and informal approaches, reflected in works like Concepts and Guidelines for Enhancing Lifelong Learning in Thailand. A frequent international keynote speaker, she champions lifelong learning for social equity. Her passion for marathon running mirrors her belief in resilience for personal and educational transformation, inspiring the future of global lifelong learning.

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THIMOTHY IRELAND, Vice President

As an adult educator I have spent most of my professional life teaching and carrying out extension work at the Federal University of Paraíba, in João Pessoa, Brazil. Extension work included developing literacy and continuing education  programmes for building workers, on site, in partnership with the Building Workers’ Trade Union, and coordinating reading projects for prisoners in local prisoners. I was also national director for adult education at the Ministry of Education and seconded to UNESCO as focal point for the organisation of CONFINTEA VI held in Brazil in 2009. It is impossible to live in Brazil with all its incredible biodiversity without feeling the impending threat to all forms of life on the planet from OPL – Only Profit Organisations.

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DOROTHY LUCARDIE, Secretary

Dorothy Lucardie, is a well-known practitioner, researcher, administrator, and leader in the field of Adult Education in Australia and the Asia Pacific region. As a practitioner, she has facilitated a range of adult education courses and programs in higher education, community education and in industry. Dorothy has contributed to the leadership of the national peak body Adult Learning Australia as President, her advocacy for its work and her relationship building with international allies. Dorothy was the founder President of the Friends of PASCAL International Association (PIMA).

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BONNIE SLADE, Treasurer

Bonnie Slade is Professor of Adult Education for Social Change at the University of Glasgow. She is interested in how adult education, across a variety of contexts (workplace, higher education, community) can work as a tool for social change and individual empowerment. Her interdisciplinary research draws on adult education, labour studies, migration studies, gender studies and arts-informed research traditions to explore issues related to informal learning, migration, STEM and the labour market. She is the Co-Editor of the Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, and was co-creator and Programme Leader of the International Master in Adult Education for Social Change funded by the European Commission. Over the past two decades, she been involved in the governance and activities of Canadian and international adult education organisations - CASAE, UALL (UK) and SCUTREA (UK). She is delighted to be taking on the role as Treasurer of PIMA!

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SHAUNA BUTTERWICK, Committee Member

Shauna Butterwick is a University of British Columbia Professor Emeritus who chaired and taught in the Adult Learning and Education program for many years. https://edst.educ.ubc.ca/butterwick-shauna/ Much of her research (and activism) has focused on women’s community and movement-based adult education. She is also an advocate for arts-based learning and research.

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BALAZS NEMETH, Committee Member

Dr. Habil Balázs Németh is a researcher on European adult and lifelong learning policy development and comparative adult education. He is an associate professor and reader in Adult Learning and Education at the University of Pécs and president of the Committe of Adult Education of the Hungarian Academy od Sciences. Research topics of his are the Politics and Adult Education, Comparative Adult Education, History of Modern European Adult Education and Learning City-Region Developments. Balázs Németh is a eucen-Ambassador and Vice-President of the European LLL Platform. He is a vice-Director of PASCAL International Observatory for Central-East Europe, CEO of MELLearN and the current president of the Adult Education Sub-Commission of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

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KHAN HUU PHUOC, Committee Member

Khau Huu Phuoc had had 22 years’ experience in teacher training and curriculum design at Ho Chi Minh University of Education, Vietnam before he transferred to the Regional Centre for Lifelong Learning (SEAMEO CELLL). As Manager of Research and Training at the Centre, he has conducted workshops, seminars on issues related to lifelong learning and adult learning and education for master trainers and teachers of non-formal education from the region, written articles exploring the themes in Southeast Asia, and most recently developed the Curriculum for Managers of Adult Education Centres for international use by DVV International. He has contributed as a speaker to various events organized by ASPBAE, UNESCO Bangkok, DVV International.

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HERIBERT HINZEN, Committee Member

As a former PIMA Vice President, Heribert will continue to bring his experiences in and support PIMA as a Committee Member. His work in adult education started in the mid-1970s in local centers for adult education (Volkshochschulen) in Germany. He later joined the Institute for International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Association (DVV International) and served in its leadership for almost fourty years. As strong supporter of civil society action, and as former Vice-President for professional organizations like ICAE and EAEA, he is also serving as an Honorary Fellow of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. In his words, “today PIMA for me is a good opportunity to be active in areas of global citizenship education for sustainable development. Work starts at home – I enjoy being a grandfather, playing tennis and gardening“.

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WILLIE NGAMBELA, Committee Member

Willie Ngambela serves as College Principal at Monze Community Development Staff Training College in Zambia, which educates both in-service professionals and school leavers in Social Work and Community Development. â€‹His 37-year academic career began as a teacher in both rural and urban Zambian schools. In 2007, he transitioned from secondary teaching to become Vice Principal, then Principal, at Monze. This extensive experience has led him to participate in numerous National Curricular Review meetings for colleges and universities, notably advocating for the continued inclusion and prioritization of Adult Education and Adult Literacy in college curricula and syllabi.

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Willie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies, a Postgraduate Degree in Gender Studies, and a Diploma in teaching, all from the University of Zambia. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Development Studies.

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LESLIE CORDIE, Bulletin Editor

Dr. Leslie Cordie is an Associate Professor in Adult Education at Auburn University and Affiliate Faculty with the University Writing Center. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, and a PhD in Adult Education and Technical Communication from Colorado State University. Her specialties include instructional and curricula design, professional development, and distance learning.  Cordie has over 25 years of experience working and consulting in academic, business, and military environments.  Dr. Cordie is a Fulbright Scholar with active international collaborations in the West Indies, Ireland, the UK and Asia.  For more information, see her eportfolio at: https://aub.ie/LeslieCordie

©2025 by PIMA

PIMA Bulletin is published by the Friends of PASCAL International Member Association

1488 Creek Road, Carina, 4152, Australia

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