Lesley Nelson is a proud Noongar woman from the Balladong and Whadjuk clans and is a mother to three sons and a daughter. She holds over 25 years’ experience in various Senior Executive leadership roles within the Aboriginal health sector, the most recent being her current role as CEO of the South West Aboriginal Medical Service.
Lesley’s bias for innovation and action is strengthened with post graduate qualifications in Business and Epidemiology. More recently, Lesley completed her Master in Business Administration (MBA). Currently completed her first year of an Industry Doctorate (PhD), with the University of Technology Sydney. This unique skill set has seen her champion expansion of accessible primary health services for Aboriginal communities living in the state’s vast South West, Lower wheatbelt and central Great Southern regions.
With a drive to influence, collaborate and engage across the sector, she has directly contributed to greater health outcomes for Aboriginal people living in the region. Lesley brings a passion for the South West community and holds several Board director positions enabling her to consistently advocate for this beautiful region of Australia both nationally and locally. Lesley has demonstrated that she makes useful contributions to policy and to program development at the national, state and community levels at the same time as she is managing a regional service delivery company with multiple local outlets.
Lesley’s Board positions include a Ministerial appointment to Outback Stores (Director), she is a Director on Forum for Directors of Indigenous Organisations. She also chairs the Aboriginal Health Council WA CEO’s Network and the South West Aboriginal Health Planning Forum. Appointment to the National Indigenous Assessment Advisory Committee in an advisory role on the multifaceted design of Indigenous aged care assessment system.
Lesley’s Ministerial appointments also include The Sustainable Health Review (SHR) Independent Oversight Committee. The committee reports directly to the Health Minister Hon. Amber-Jade Sanderson and was established to oversee wide-ranging reforms to ensure a sustainable future for health care in Western Australia.
Lesley’s success has not always come easy, and she credits her supportive family and community with helping her to maintain her strength when times were tough. Her hard work has paid off and Lesley has proved to be an inspiration to others in many areas of her life.
In 2016, Lesley received the NAIDOC Community Female Award in recognition for her remarkable contribution to improving the lives of people in her community and beyond, promoting Indigenous issues and showing excellence in her field.
In 2018, Lesley was awarded with a Chief Executive Women (CEW) scholarship to attend the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School. This scholarship enabled Lesley to engage in intellectual dialogue at an international level with leadership experts on issues relating to, Creating Collaborative Solutions. Lesley was also awarded a Roberta Sykes Scholarship to attend a Women’s Executive Leadership Program within the Graduate Business School at Stanford University in San Francisco.
Lesley’s work to date has laid down solid foundations for a strong and sustainable organisation – including growing SWAMS’ capacity at remarkable speed and developing a workforce capable of supporting SWAMS’ strategic goals.