Carmela Otarra has over 10 years of experience in the development sector, particularly in project and program planning coordination, research and program evaluation, marketing and communications, and workforce development for non-profits and aid agencies in the Philippines. She has worked in the areas of rural and urban development, social entrepreneurship, education, social inclusion, sustainable tourism, and international development. Carmela’s previous projects focused on rural women, tourism development in rural areas, religion and spirituality in social work, and children’s welfare. She has held sessional teaching positions at Monash University’s Tourism and Social Work Departments and is currently an Associate Lecturer for Social Work at Charles Darwin University, where she coordinates units on and teaches about human services and human services organisations. She is particularly interested in research on human service organisations, international social work, spirituality in social work, and youth justice.