Nesan Kistan is a dynamic speaker and passionate hands on follower of Jesus. His heart for mission and sharing with people the process to finding hope has seen him become an integral trainer and leader for this generation. Nesan has served across Australia and the USA for the last three decades. Both Nesan and his wife Cheryl have served in some of the most disadvantaged and diverse communities in Australia and the USA. They have been part of city and community transformation, working with major stakeholders in guiding leaders towards a cohesive approach to dealing with our most challenging humanitarian crisis – refugees and homelessness.
Immigrating from South Africa at the age of eight with his parents, fleeing the discrimination of the apartheid regime, his father instilled in him a sense of justice and the truth that all people are created equal. He graduated from the University of Wollongong, Sydney with an Honors’ degree in Political Science and Psychology, later gaining a master’s in theology from the Sydney School of Divinity as well as a degree in leadership development/business administration from the Macquarie Business School.
In 2016 Nesan was invited to be part of the Australian Prime Minister’s Taskforce, working closely with the State and Federal leaders on National Policies on Refugee Settlement. His work saw him working closely with the President of Sierra Leone on national transformation strategies following the civil war in West Africa which left the nation struggling to come to terms with the impact of child soldiers.
Today, he is the Chair of the National Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission; a Commissioner on the Commission to End Homelessness in Orange County and was recently appointed as the Divisional Commander of the Intermountain Division.