Ms Donna Murray is a proud Wiradyuri and Wonnarua nation citizen with strong kinship ties to South West NSW on the Murrumbidgee river and the Hunter Valley, NSW.

Donna is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) and Indigenous Allied Health Australia Northern Territory Workforce Development Ltd.

Donna was a recipient of the National 2021 Pro Bono Impact Awards in recognition of her contributions to social change. Donna has formal qualifications in community development, management and Indigenous governance and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors bringing over 30 years’ experience in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs across various sectors.

Donna is actively involved in the education sector as an Adjunct Professor with Charles Darwin University and Associate Professor at the University of Technology Sydney. She is the Chairperson of Thirrili Ltd, a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide postvention service and the Independant Chair of an Indigenous corporate business.

Donna works closely with key stakeholders and community participating on several national and state committees focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and education, aged care, disability, workforce development, cultural safety, health policy and system reform.

She has a genuine commitment to community development and Indigenous nation building working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples supporting cultural priorities, practices and aspirations of families, communities and nation groups.

Renee is a proud member of the Gubbi Gubbi (Kabi Kabi) nation and is a passionate advocate for the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Her career began with the role of Aboriginal Health Worker in the early 1990s in Brisbane. She gained a Bachelor of Nursing from Australian Catholic University in 2000 and has worked in urban and remote settings ever since as a Registered Nurse. Renee has over 30 years’ experience in operational, management and leadership roles across primary health care, acute care and community health. In 2016 Renee was the Health Services Director at ATSICHS Brisbane and is now the Chief Executive Officer for ATSICHS Brisbane. Additionally, Renee is a Clinical Fellow in the Faculty of Health, School of Nursing at Queensland University of Technology.

With more than 30 years’ experience in the community and human services sector, Kerry Staines is a passionate and forward-thinking leader who strives to create positive social impact and address injustice. As the Chief Executive Officer of the NFVPLS Forum, Kerry brings extensive expertise in strategic planning, policy development, stakeholder engagement, and business growth. Having delivered successful outcomes and best practices for diverse and complex organisations, such as STEPS Group Australia, Queensland Health, and North Coast Aboriginal Corporation for Community Health, Kerry is passionate about addressing systemic challenges that adversely affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, their families, and their communities, including those impacted by domestic and family violence. “I want to be a part of, and work alongside a network of providers that honour our unique culture and respects the values and history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.” Kerry holds an MBA (Leadership) and a Bachelor of Science Psychology, is a graduate of the Australian Institute Company of Directors and holds multiple qualifications in community services and mental health. Born and raised around Brisbane and having lived most of her adult life on Gubbi Gubbi country, Kerry’s cultural heritage extends across the Wakka Wakka and Mandandanji mobs.

Wynetta Dewis is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Queensland Indigenous Family Violence Legal Service (QIFVLS).

Wynetta commenced with QIFVLS in 2011 in the role of Project Officer and, throughout the years, has moved through various positions within the organisation from Community Development Manager to General Manager, progressing to the role of Chief Executive Officer, which she has occupied since 2018.

A proud Torres Strait Islander woman, Wynetta has family connections from Boigu Island and Horn Island in the Torres Straits. Wynetta has over twenty five years’ experience in management and project management roles.

Wynetta is the Chair of the First Nations Advocates Against Family Violence, the national peak
body for family violence prevention legal services, which QIFVLS is a member organisation, Chairs Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Prevention Group is a board member on the Pacific Women Lead Governance Board and a member of the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Coalition (QATSIC), on Closing the Gap.

Cathy Freeman is a proud Kuku Yalianji and Birri Gubba woman. She is also an Australian Indigenous Olympic champion.

Cathy ran her first race when she was five and realized that she loved the way racing made her feel. She won her first gold medal at a School Athletics Championships when she was just eight years old. Cathy Freeman was a member of the gold medal-winning 4x100m relay team at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games, and in so doing became the first female Australian Aboriginal to win a gold medal at an international athletics event. She was awarded Young Australian of the Year in 1991 and a year later in Barcelona became the first Australian Aboriginal to represent Australia at an Olympic Games. Two years later, Cathy won gold in both the 200m and 400m at the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada. At the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996, she won silver with a personal best time of 48.63s in the 400m. She was crowned World Champion in the same event at the World Athletic Championships  the following year, was awarded Australian of the year in 1998, and was again World Champion in the 400m in 1999.

Cathy’s most notable achievement, however, came in 2000 at the Olympic Games in Sydney. Her image was beamed into millions of homes around the world when she became the first competing athlete to be invited to light the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony. She then went on to win the gold medal  in the 400m, realizing a life-long dream.

Wendy Anders is an Arrernte woman from Mparntwe (Alice Springs). She is the CEO of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Alliance (NATSIWA) and has a background in public health, community development, and education.

Wendy is passionate about empowering First Nation people to see themselves as confident leaders in the community. Wendy has always worked in the Indigenous context and acknowledges and advocates the need for change and most importantly implicitly understands the approach and methodology required to achieve outstanding engagement, outcomes, and success.

Wendy is a strong advocate for the safety of women, policy advocacy, and gender equality. Wendy is also deeply committed to addressing the root causes of gender-based violence and promoting women’s empowerment through education and economic opportunities

Melina is a proud Gurindji woman, a mother to three daughters and a Mimi to two grandchildren. Melina is Queensland’s Inaugural First Nations Midwifery Director within Queensland Health’s Office of Chief Midwife Officer. Pioneering the opportunities for First Nations midwives seeking to advance to senior leadership positions and providing a roadmap for professional advancement by utilising her culture, life experience and skills.

Melina’s journey into midwifery came from her maternity experience which lacked the cultural consideration she needed. Previously, as the Clinical Midwifery Consultant on the Growing Deadly Families Strategy, Melina focussed on co-design initiatives with First Nations organisations to drive maternity service change. This work led to Melina receiving Australian College of Midwives National Midwife of the Year award in 2023.

Melina’s vision is to ensure a culturally safe maternity journey for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and families. Melina currently oversees the coordination and ongoing implementation, governance, and expansion of the Growing Deadly Families Strategy, Queensland’s First, First Nations Maternity Strategy. Melina ensures Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of ‘Knowing, Being and Doing’ are embedded in maternity services for First Nations women.