Qualifications:
PhD (Subject: Community Development Education); Masters in Women and Gender Studies; Bachelors degree in Social Work.

Dr Maistry has held numerous positions at a number of institutions across the globe, including director of Community Engagement at Rhodes University, South Africa; lecturer and head of department (Social Work and Social Development) at University of Fort Hare; lecturer in the Centre for Continuing Education, University of Waikato, New Zealand and served as the Africa Region Programme Manager of Volunteer Services Abroad,  Wellington, New Zealand.  She has extensive experience in social work and community development practice, management, education and research. She is a member of the national task team established by the Department of Social Development, Community Development Directorate for the professionalization of community development. Dr Maistry has researched and published in the areas of social work, community development, higher education, community engagement, integral education, community based participatory research and women’s studies. She supervises postdoctoral students in Community Engagement.

Prior to joining RUCE, she was a Research Associate with the Durban University of Technology and co-lead two national research projects, the first in Community Engagement and the second in Articulation within the South Africa Post School Education and Training sector. In addition, she supervised masters and doctoral students both these projects.

Dr Maistry is the chief editor of the newly launched African Journal of Higher Education Community Engagement.