Biographies

The Chair of IOTALDC, Lieut-Colonel Anne-Florence Tursi, is Command President of Women's Ministries (Italy/Greece Command). Born in France, of officer parents, she grew up in France and Switzerland. While at the International Training College in London, she met Massimo, her future husband. Appointments in Corps work in the South of Italy and in Switzerland were followed by the challenge to plant a new corps in the former East Berlin, Germany – while her husband was National Youth Secretary in that Territory. Further appointments brought responsibilities for Women’s ministries at DHQ and Command level. She has had many opportunities for teaching (Bible knowledge, pedagogy, Salvation Army lectures)  in several settings and at the “Catherine Programme”, a Salvation Army European summer school for employees in leadership positions, and for cadets/officers. Anne-Florence has a university diploma in Curative Pedagogy and a certificate for systemic and strategic brief therapy (School of Palo Alto). She oversees the formation of officers, and is currently Chairperson of the “Catherine Programme”. With her husband Massimo they have 4 grown-up children and 2 grand-children.

Vice-Chair of IOTALDC,  Major (Dr) Alberth Saramin serves as Training Principal in Indonesia Territory. Previous ministry opportunities were in corps, hospitals, as Territorial Youth secretary and Assistant Project Officer at territorial headquarters. He has also been Chair of The Salvation Army Theological School in Palu. After he graduated from Palu university, he entered training college and had the opportunity to continue his second year at the School For Officer training in Sydney in 1999. At the training college he met Elsi Hariyati who he later married. During his officership, Alberth has had an opportunity to study at Diponegoro University for Master of Public Health  (M.Ph), and graduated in 2006. Further study at Harvest Theological Seminary resulted in a Master of Theology (2013), followed by a doctoral program at Jaffary Theological Seminary in Makassar (2016). Alberth and Elsi have two sons and a daughter.

Major Liz Gainsford, along with her husband Ian, is the Divisional Leader for the Northern Division, in the New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa Territory. She trained in Australia Southern Territory as a part of the Forward 2000 session but moved to New Zealand directly after commissioning where a year later she married Ian. Liz has had the opportunity to serve in three Corps, three Divisional Headquarters and in two training roles in three different countries (NZ, Australia and Tanzania). All of these experiences have helped to shape and develop Liz into the person she is today and give her an appreciation for the internationalism of The Salvation Army. She loves to travel and meet people, enjoys going to the movies with the family, likes the challenge of crosswords and loves to see people developed into their full potential. She is the proud mum of Sophie and Malachi.