Dr Paula Abood is a writer, community cultural development practitioner, creative producer and educator. She has worked with diverse communities for over three decades across the arts, community and education sectors. Dr Abood was the 2013 recipient of Creative Australia’s Ros Bower Award for lifetime achievement in community arts and cultural development (CACD) and was awarded a 2018 CACD Fellowship. Dr Abood has developed learning resources and taught widely on subjects including human rights approaches in critical community development practice. She is the Chair of Arab Theatre Studio and a member of the Advisory Committee of the Community Refugee Welcome Centre on Gadigal land. Paula is also the Senior Education Officer – Multicultural Engagement at TAFE NSW.