Tlhaebetsi Desmond Lesejane has worked in a range of civil society, religious and government initiatives aimed at attaining social transformation towards a more just society, while remaining rooted within the Christian faith community. Often this has entailed working across a range of sectors to promote the pursuit of common objectives. In recent years, gender and economic justice have been areas of special interest. Desmond is married to Paula and the father of two children Gomolemo – 13 year old girl and Oadira – 10 years old boy.  He is also the Director of Ecumenical Service for Socio-Economic Transformation (ESSET), a position he has held for the last two years. Prior to ESSET, he was the Programme Coordinator for the Moral Regeneration Movement, a government led initiative focused on human rights, gender justice and the pursuit of a just society. Desmond has also held the following positions: Chief Executive Officer of the Civil Society Secretariat of the World Summit on Sustainable Development; Programme Director of Faith and Mission & Poverty Eradication for the South African Council of Churches. Alongide these positions, he serves as a Parish Pastor in Alexandra and Tembisa. He is currently a member of a number of boards of directors including: Themba Lesizwe network on trauma counselling and is a member of the Steering Committee of the People’s Budget Campaign, a joint programme of the South African NGO Coalition (SANGOCO), the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Council of Churches (SACC). In addition, he is a member of the Management Committee of the WSSD Civil Society Secretariat and served as a member of the South African Observer Mission appointed by the State President to observe the Presidential Elections in Zimbabwe in March 2002. Desmond has written a number of book chapters and peer reviewed articles on men, gender equality and fatherhood and is recognised as a leader in the area of working with men to achieve gender equality. He is currently working towards a Masters in Management Public and Development Administration and has a Bachelors in Theology with Honours in Church History and a Bachelors in Arts from the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg.