Founder & CEO

Paul Thomson has spent close to 20 years working in Defence, firstly with fourteen years in the Australian Army, then transferring to the Royal Australian Air Force in 2021 where he has served as a reservist ever since.

Paul also spent a number of years working for the Royal Australian Navy, which included two years as the Navy Language Manager – a position he was particularly well equipped for after his time as Deputy Air Force Language Manager.

He is the founder of Yarning: The language and culture magazine, serving as its Editor-in-Chief under the Defence Languages Capability Cell. During his secondment with this Cell, Paul also created the former Defence Language & Culture Portal – a repository of all things related to Defence language capability.

His hope is that AVLA will provide a vital and inclusive space for all veteran linguists, no matter their brain, background, or experience.

Follow Paul on LinkedIn.

Board Director

Milê Glamcevski is a Military Police Officer with 15 years experience in the Australian Army, a highly proficient Khmer speaker, and also speaks Bahasa Melayu and Bahasa Indonesia.

He holds a PhD and four Master’s in the disciplines of Psychology, Social Work, Counselling, and Business. Milê has been Knighted twice by the King of Cambodia for his work in mental health within the country.

He has over 30yrs experience working in clinics, educational environments, and community organisations in Australia, Malaysia, Turkey, Cambodia, Nauru, and East Timor providing.

Milê regularly publishes in a range of areas and provides conference presentations domestically and internationally. He strongly believes the key to successful mental health is early intervention and thinks school and community organisations are the keys.

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Board Director & Secretary

Dana Pham is a Personnel Capability Officer in the Royal Australian Air Force.

She is the daughter of Vietnam War refugees, and is now a Defence qualified Vietnamese linguist. As a civil-military relations writer, military creative artist, and theologically-trained bioethicist, she shares the AVLA Founders hope that the association "will provide a vital and inclusive space for all members, no matter their brain, background, or experience."

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Board Director

Ritchie Cunningham has almost four decades of service in the Royal Australian Air Force.

He is a Defence-qualified Thai linguist with extensive experience across Southeast Asia. His career spans operational, intelligence, training, and liaison roles, specialising in cross-cultural engagement, regional relationships, and defence cooperation throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

Treasurer