John Rawnsley

Chair​

John is the Manager of the Law and Justice section at the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency. Prior to this he worked in various legal roles and in leadership development. John is a Director and Deputy Chair of the Northern Territory PHN, a Director of Winkiku Rrumbangi NT Indigenous Lawyers Aboriginal Corporation and a member of the Law Council of Australia’s Indigenous Legal Issues Committee. He currently chair’s the Smith Family’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group.

Shona Reid

Director

Shona is a proud Eastern Arrernte Woman, with a family legacy that extends into the Hart Ranges in the Northern Territory. However, she has lived and worked across South Australia for most of her life and regards South Australia as home.

Shona has devoted her knowledge, experience, professional and personal life to the advancement and rights of Aboriginal children, young people, families and communities for over two decades. For 15 years, she has worked across the child protection, young offending, and the out-of-home care sector, predominately in regional and remote areas, including the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. In recent years, she focused her expertise on governance and accountability across the APY and Far West Coast regions of South Australia. In early 2020 she was privileged to be the recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Award for service to Aboriginal Children, Young People, Families and Communities from Flinders University.

Prior to becoming the Guardian for Children and Young People, Shona was the CEO at Reconciliation SA and held various roles in public service including at the Legislative Council - Parliament of South Australia, Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Ministerial Offices, and various iterations of what is now the Department for Child Protection.

Shona also previously held positions on the SA Youth Centre Review Board (Youth Parole Board), South Australian Housing Trust Board of Management (Chairing the Aboriginal Advisory Committee in SAHA), Co-Chair of the Justice Re-Investment South Australia Board, and a Director on the board for Lutheran Community Care.

Shona is currently a member of Poche SA+NT Board, Director on the National Board of Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, and a member of the Rio Tinto Australian Advisory Group.

Britt Walker

Director

Britt has had a lengthy career in the public sector where she has worked with diverse stakeholder groups domestically and internationally to support and implement government programs. She is committed to human rights and social justice and is an advocate for philanthropic partnerships that bring tangible benefits.

Professor Jonathan Craig

Director

Jonathan is Vice-President and Executive Dean and Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor of the College of Medicine and Public Health at Flinders University. He is a practising paediatric nephrologist and clinical epidemiologist, and especially committed to improving the health of people with chronic kidney disease, the health of children, and the health and well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. He has co-led two large scale population based studies designed to improve the health trajectory of Aboriginal children. He is on a number of Commonwealth Department of Health expert panels (PBAC, MSAC and Life Saving Drugs Expert Panel).

Dr Ram Vemuri

Director

Ram has spent over 30 years working on several projects in Australia, the USA, Jordan, India, and Papua New Guinea, creating businesses in remote and regional areas. He is recognised as an interdisciplinary researcher who contributes internationally to applying economics to global, regional, national, and local issues. Ram is the current Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Behavioural and Health Care Research based on his work in health research in infection prevention, remote and regional health in the NT, as well as providing health policy advice in interphases between health, economy, leadership, and management in built and natural environments.

Erin Lew Fatt

Director

Erin is an Aboriginal woman from Darwin who has been working in the Aboriginal health sector for over 20 years. Erin is the Programs Manager at AMSANT, managing workforce policy, chronic disease workforce support, leadership and digital health. Erin is also a Board member with the Northern Territory General Practice Education (NTGPE) and the Remote Area Health Corp (RAHC).

Professor Tom Calma AO

Director

Tom is an Aboriginal Elder from the Kungarakan (Koong ara kan) tribal group and a member of the Iwaidja (Ee wad ja) tribal group whose traditional lands are southwest of Darwin and on the Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory, respectively. He is the 2023 Senior Australian of the Year, Patron of the Poche Indigenous Health Centres, and has been involved in Indigenous affairs at a local, community, state, national, and international level for over 45 years. Tom is currently on a number of boards and committees focusing on rural and remote Australia, Indigenous tobacco control, health, mental health, suicide prevention, all levels of education, culture and language, justice reinvestment, health research, aged care, reconciliation, and economic development.

Associate Professor Kalinda Griffiths (FRSN)

Director

Kalinda is an epidemiologist who has worked in the research sector in a number of roles for over 25 years. Her interest is in empirically addressing complex health disparities in populations through existing population level data. Her research currently addresses issues of quality and the utilisation of data pertaining to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Her areas of focus include the measurement of health disparities, with a particular focus on cancer, Indigenous Data Governance and building capabilities in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health to support the next generation.

Ambassadors facilitate and support the goals of Poche SA+NT in the wider public. They assist in developing connections and partnerships in supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research and education.

Ngaree Ah Kit, Member for Karama

Minister for International Education | Minister for Corporate and Digital Development | Minister for Disabilities | Minister for Multicultural Affairs

Ngaree Ah Kit is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman from the Northern Territory. She has held the seat of Karama since 2016 and was previously the 13^th Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, making her the first Aboriginal woman to hold the role of speaker in an Australian parliament. Ngaree is a strong advocate for health, wellbeing, and inclusion, and has made many contributions to her community and to Territorians more broadly, particularly through her work as a suicide prevention advocate.

Jerome Cubillo

Chief Executive Officer of the NT Indigenous Business Network | Director, Ironbark Aboriginal Corporation

Jerome is a Larrakia and Wadjigan man who was born and raised on Larrakia country. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Major in Politics and Minor Development Studies) from the University of Melbourne. He has a diverse professional career, having worked in the NFP sector, the private sector, within the Northern Territory Government and now with an industry representative body that supports and advocates for Aboriginal owned businesses across the Northern Territory. Recently, Jerome was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Northern Territory Indigenous Business Network (NTIBN). He is keen to grow the membership of Aboriginal owned and operated business across the Northern Territory and advocate on their behalf across all levels of government and industry. 

Thomas Mayo

National Indigenous Officer, Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) & Author

Thomas Mayo is National Indigenous Officer of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and author who is a prominent advocate for the Uluru Statement and workers’ rights. After working on the wharves for more than a decade, he became a union official with the MUA, an author of four books and a signatory to the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Thomas was entrusted to carry the sacred canvas of the Uluru Statement from the Heart for 18 months around the country, gathering support for a constitutionally enshrined First Nations voice, and a Makarrata Commission for truth-telling and agreement-making. Thomas has been appointed as a Poche SA+NT Ambassador in recognition of his significant contribution to understanding Indigenous leadership in health.

Stuart McGrath

Aboriginal health practitioner | NT State Recipient Young Australian of the Year 2021

Stuart McGrath is an Aboriginal health practitioner and is set to become the first Yolngu registered nurse. Stuart’s life experiences give him special insight into the needs of different community groups – from his upbringing in remote Indigenous communities, to schooling in Canberra and studying in Darwin. Stuart has overcome significant challenges to follow his dreams, including completing his first year of a Bachelor of Nursing degree remotely while working full-time and being a father to two young girls. He helped produce the ‘Ask the Specialist’ podcast, with the Menzies School of Health Research, to improve communication between health professionals and patients. A natural leader, Stuart is committed to closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. His passion for helping his community will inspire other First Nations young people to participate in the health workforce, leading to happier and healthier lives.

Distinguished Alumni are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander graduates of Flinders University who are making significant contributions to the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.

Leanne Liddle

Director, Aboriginal Justice Unit | Northern Territory 2022 Australian of the Year

Arrernte woman Leanne Liddle is committed to providing Indigenous Territorians with justice solutions that will work for them. She is the driving force behind the Northern Territory Aboriginal Justice Agreement, which, in partnership with Aboriginal people, aims to reduce incarceration rates, increase Aboriginal leadership and improve justice outcomes for First Nations Territorians. As Director of the Aboriginal Justice Unit, she has travelled thousands of kilometres to meet with and listen to First Nations communities across the Northern Territory. Leanne was South Australia’s first Indigenous policewoman. During her decade of service she experienced racism and abuse which fuelled her determination to make a difference. She completed a law degree and worked for the United Nations, and in several high-profile government roles, before joining the newly formed Aboriginal Justice Unit in 2017.