Dr Calma is an Aboriginal elder from the Kungarakan tribal group and the Iwaidja tribal group whose traditional lands are south west of Darwin and on the Coburg Peninsula in the Northern Territory. He has been involved in Indigenous affairs at a local, community, state, national and international level and has worked in the public sector for over 38 years.
From July 2004 to February 2010 Dr Calma was the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and Race Discrimination Commissioner (July 2004 to July 2009) with the Australian Human Rights Commission. Dr Calma has worked in the fields of Indigenous and mainstream education, training, employment and community development at the service delivery, administration and management levels. In 2003, he was Senior Adviser of Indigenous Affairs to the Minister of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs and from 1995 to 2002 he was a senior diplomat in India and Vietnam. Since February 2010 he has worked in the community, philanthropic and health spheres.
Dr Calma is also a White Ribbon Day ambassador (since 2005), the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, held on 25 November each year. Dr Calma is on many boards and advisory bodies and is the national patron of Wakakirri National Story Festival, the Rural Health Education Foundation and the Poche Centres for Indigenous Health Network.
Laura Beacroft is Manager of the Justice and Crime Analysis program, Australian Institute of Criminology. She is a lawyer with extensive practical experience in areas linked to Indigenous peoples and good governance, and was the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations for 5 years. She is a graduate of the Australian Insitute of Company Director's diploma course, and is the co-author of a well used text book on Indigenous Legal Issues.
Jason Glanville is a member of the Wiradjuri peoples from south-western New South Wales. He is the Director of Policy and Strategy with Reconciliation Australia, an independent, not-for-profit organisation established in 2000 by the former Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation. Reconciliation Australia is a civil society organisation that draws its legitimacy from the Australian people, including the many partners, donors and supporters who work with us for change. Jason is a Director of the Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre, Co-Director of the Ngiya Institute for Indigenous Law, Policy and Practice and Member of the National Aboriginal and Islander Day of Celebration Committee.
Over the last fifteen years Jason has worked in a range of positions in community-based Indigenous organisations, State and Federal Governments and non-government peak organisations.
Jason Mifsud is a member of the Gunditjmara peoples, the traditional custodians of land in the Warrnambool region, south west Victoria. Jason is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Football League Foundation and was formerly the national Indigenous Programs Manager for the Australian Football League.
In 2006 and 2007, Jason held professional coaching roles with the St Kilda and Western Bulldogs Football Clubs. From 1998 – 2005 he was the Indigenous Programs Manager at South West Healthcare with key responsibilities in program design and development, cultural auditing and organizational change. From 1997 – 1998, he was a representative on the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation’s Suicide Prevention Taskforce and also a acted as a consultant to the University Department of Rural Health, a partnership between Flinders and Deakin Universities from 1998 – 2002. In 1995 and 1996 he was the Chief Executive of the Gunditjmara Aboriginal Cooperative and also established the Gunditjmara Health Service as well as sitting on the Victorian Government - Ministerial Advisory Council for Indigenous Affairs in 1995 – 1997.
Jason has held national Indigenous mentoring roles and has recently been appointed to the Victorian Governments Aboriginal Economic Development Board and consults to industries on cultural auditing and leadership.
Professor Colleen Hayward is a senior Noongar woman with extensive family links throughout the south-west of WA. She comes from a teaching family with both her parents and two siblings having been teachers. Her father was the first Aboriginal teacher, and Principal, in WA. She is currently Head of Kurongkurl Katitjin, ECU's Centre for Indigenous Education and Research.
For more than 30 years, Colleen has provided significant input to policies and programs on a wide range of issues, reflecting the needs of minority groups at community, state and national levels. She has an extensive background in a range of areas including health, education, training, employment, housing, child protection and law & justice as well as significant experience in policy and management. In much of this work, she draws on her qualifications including Bachelor of Education (Murdoch University), Bachelor of Applied Science (Aboriginal Community Management and Development) (Curtin University), and a Post Graduate Certificate in Cross Sector Partnerships (Cambridge University).
Among her many achievements, she has been recognised for her long-standing work for and on behalf of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia by being named a finalist in the national Deadlys Awards in the category of Outstanding Achievement in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health (2008) and by winning the 2008 National NAIDOC Aboriginal Person of the Year Award. Colleen is also a recipient (2006) of the prestigious Premier of WA's Multicultural Ambassador's Award for advancing human rights and anti-racism in the community and is the 2009 inductee into the WA Department of Education's Hall of Fame for Achievement in Aboriginal Education. This year she accepted an appointment as a member of the inaugural Executive Committee of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples.
Natalie Walker was appointed to the Board in 2010. She is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Indigenous Minority Supplier Council while holding board positions with National Indigenous TV and the NSW Board of Vocational Education and Training. Prior to these roles Natalie held positions in the community sector, private sector and government including member of the National VET Equity Advisory Council, Chief Executive and Director of the Aboriginal Employment Strategy Ltd, consultant within KPMG's Government Advisory Services and advisor to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner at the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. In 2002, following her completion of the Indigenous Leadership Course in Darwin, Natalie participated as a delegate to the United Nations Working Group on Aboriginal Populations.
Charles Prouse is the CEO of the National Aboriginal Sporting Chance Academy (NASCA), located in Sydney. He currently serves as an observer of the AILC board.
Charles is a Bardi/Nyikina man from the Kimberley region of Western Australia. He grew up in Derby before moving to Perth aged 16 years to complete his schooling. He has a Bachelor of Science specialising in geographic information systems. Charles completed the AILC Certificate course in Adelaide in November 2001.
From 1994 to 2006, Charles worked for the Aboriginal Affairs Departments of WA and Victoria and he worked at in the Kimberley Land Council. He has helped deliver Indigenous land management strategies in the Victoria and the Kimberley. Charles worked with the Traditional Owners, Government agencies, researchers, and the mining and tourism industries.
Charles moved to Sydney in 2006. He worked with federal government on employment issues, looking at whole-of-government approaches to Indigenous employment for NSW.
Charles' current role as the CEO of NASCA sees him managing a not-for-profit Indigenous organisation delivering healthy lifestyle programs to young Indigenous people, including students and jobseekers and using sports and sports role models to promote positive health, education and employment messages.
Charles is an advisory board member for the Shift Foundation, an international non-profit organisation that engages an emerging generation of leaders aged 16-35 to progress our thinking and action on some of the planet's most critical global challenges.
Rachelle was appointed to the Chief Executive Officer role in November 2007, and has been with the AILC since 2004. Prior to joining the AILC was working with Centrelink and other government departments. Rachelle is a proud Wonnarura Woman, who has lived in Canberra for more than 20 years.
Rachelle believes that true value of a good leader is someone who inspires people, motivates them and encourages others to follow. “As a leader you don’t have to be all things to all people, but you do have to be someone that can make a difference. Leadership is not about the job you have or the position you hold. It is about a range of things that an individual values and the kind of behaviour they can present”.
Maria Castles trained as a primary teacher, but has since developed a passion for adult education that empowers people. Maria spent 17 years in the Northern Territory, in Darwin and Alice Springs, gaining valuable skills in VET sector administration, program delivery, course and materials development, the development and delivery of ESL programs and literacy/numeracy assessment and course placement, largely with adult Indigenous learners. Maria has broad experience in many educational contexts - community based adult and further education, Adult Migrant Educations Services, a regional TAFE college, correctional centre education facilities, Indigenous Registered Training Organisations and an Indigenous Non Government Organisation.
Maria has worked at the Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre for 3 1/2 years and is responsible for the development and quality control of AILC courses and AQTF compliance.
Brendan Richards is from Rockhampton, Qld. He has lived in Canberra for the past 6 years. Brendan has worked in various community organisations (Reconciliation Australia, Gugan Gulwan, Australian Indigenous Communications Association). Brendan has a Certificate IV in Workplace Training and Assessment. In his spare time, Brendan loves to watch old movies.
Trisha joined the AILC in October 2009 as a Course Coordinator. Previously she worked for Aboriginal Hostels Ltd for a period of 10 years as a Project Officer. Trisha started one day before our Certificate IV Upgrade commenced, and was thrown straight into the behind the scenes duties involved in running our courses. She brings to the AILC a range of knowledge and skills from her previous employment as well as a Certificate IV in Workplace Training and Assessment and is enjoying being part of the AILC team.
Renee Williams was born in raised in Bundaberg, Queensland. Renee has recently relocated to Canberra after spending the last 12 years working and living Melbourne. Prior to joining the team at AILC, Renee has most recently worked at the Victorian Aboriginal Community Control Health Organisation and Oxfam Australia holding a Senior Project Officer and Coordinator roles. Renee comes to AILC with a range of experience of working within varying settings of community control, not for profit, philanthropic and non government organisations. Renee has a Certificate IV in Indigenous Leadership, Associate Degree in Business Administration (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies), and is currently undertaking a Master in Public Health.
Deanne Whitnall was born in Canberra and has lived here all her life. Known around the office as "Dee", Dee has two main roles for the AILC, Bookkeeping and being the Office Manager. Dee is the main contact in the office for all things finance and office related. Her hobbies include astrology, gardening, shopping and reading.
Tom Calma
Laura Beacroft
Jason Mifsud
Rachelle Towart
Brendan Richards
Deanne Whitnall