Donnella Mills is a proud Torres Strait Islander woman with ancestral and family links to Masig and Nagir. She is Chair of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), Chair of Wuchopperen Health Service, a member of James Cook University Council and was recently appointed to the Commonwealth Government’s Advisory Council on Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence. From 2014 to 2021, she worked as a Cairns-based lawyer with LawRight, a community legal centre which coordinates the provision of pro-bono services for vulnerable people. She was also the managing lawyer for the innovative Wuchopperen Health Justice Partnership, in which lawyers and health professionals partnered to achieve improved health, wellbeing and justice outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In 2020-21 she served as the Partnerships Director at Health Justice Australia. In August 2021 she was appointed Senior Associate, Pro Bono Manager at King & Wood Mallesons.

Christopher (Chips) Bin Kali was born in Derby WA and is a Gija/Bardi man from the Kimberley region. Chris started in the health field as Director/Chairperson of Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services (KAMS) and BRAMS before being appointed as the CEO of BRAMS. Chris is currently on the boards of BRAMS (local), KAMS (regional) and AHCWA (state).

Graduating in 1998, Kane started as a health worker at Danila Dilba Health Service in Darwin, NT, then moved to a community health clinic (Bagot) for two years. Kane ran the men's health program in the NT at the Heart Foundation before moving into the Clinic Manager’s role at Danila Dilba for seven years; during this time he acted as the CEO for a period of six months. Kane then moved to Wollongong, NSW, commuting to Sydney to work at the Aboriginal Legal Service as the Regional Manager of the South-Central Region and acting for a period as the legal service’s CEO. Kane returned to his original passion when he took on the role of Comprehensive Care Practice Unit Manager at NACCHO affiliate, the AH&MRC. He is currently CEO of lllawarra Aboriginal Medical Service and a proud board member of both the AH&MRC and NACCHO.

Raylene represents Tasmania/Lutruwita on the NACCHO Board. She has a deep and historical understanding of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, at national and local levels. For the past 25 years, Raylene has worked for TAC in various leadership roles building the capacity of the organisation, staff and community to provide  health services tor Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Michael is a Dja Wurrung and Waywurru man, who has been part of various Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations since the age of 16. He was raised by a politically proud family who prompted him to empower and make positive changes for his community. Michael is the CEO of The Victorian Aboriginal Health Service and was recently appointed Chairperson of the VACCHO Board.

Leisa is a Warumungu woman with strong family ties to Tennant Creek and surrounding Barkly Region of the Northern Territory. 

Leisa commenced in the role as the Anyinginyi Health Aboriginal Corporation CEO in February 2022 and is based in Tennant Creek.

Leisa has worked in Aboriginal Health for close to 30 years and held positions in policy, management, coordination and service delivery at the national, state/territory and local levels with government, non-government, the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector and a stint with a Research Institute.

Leisa’s formal training in Public Health Nutrition and she holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Nutrition, Master Community Nutrition and PhD in Public Health.

Leisa’s passion is in continuing to grow the future of Aboriginal leadership in health and in building on communities’ strengths for positive and sustainable change.   

Rob McPhee is the Chief Executive Officer for Danila Dilba Health Service in Darwin. Prior to this, he was Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer at Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services in Broome WA. He is currently Deputy Chairperson for the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT (AMSANT).

His people are from Derby in the West Kimberley and from the Pilbara region of Western Australia. He has an undergraduate degree in Aboriginal Community Management and Development and a Graduate Certificate in Human Rights.

He is passionate about social justice for First peoples and has spent the past 30 years working in Indigenous affairs. Prior to working in Aboriginal health, he has undertaken roles that include teaching at Curtin University and the University of Western Australia and as a senior adviser in community relations and Indigenous affairs to the oil and gas industry.

Phillip Naden is a proud Aboriginal descendant of the Gamilaroi people from North Western NSW near Coonabarabran where his mother grew up on Burrabadee Mission. Phil is also a proud descendant of the Wiradjuri people from Peak Hill/Condobolin NSW (Bogan River People) and he was born and raised a proud Aboriginal man. Phil is well qualified, a panel beater spray-painter by trade, a former sworn Queensland Police Officer, CEO of the largest ATSILS in Australia, former CEO with Bourke AMS, Bila Muuji Regional Consortia, and now the CEO of Dubbo, Gilgandra and Coonamble Aboriginal Health Service. Phil has qualifications in Business and Management, Justice and Policing, is a Justice of the Peace and ran in the 2019 State Election as an Independent Candidate for the seat of Barwon. Phil has also recently finished his Masters Degree in Business and is the current Chairperson of the NSW AH&MRC and Chairperson of Dreamtime Housing, Director with the Rural Doctors Network and a Director with the Justice Reinvestment Project, Maranguka at Bourke.

Vicki is a Nyikina Mangala Aboriginal woman from Derby, who has worked as a Strategic Leader in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health for 15 years. Vicki is currently CEO Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Service (KAMS) in Broome.  Vicki was instrumental in the establishment of both the DAHS dialysis unit and the Kimberley Renal Service. Vicki has been a board member of AHCWA for over 15 years (8 years as the Chairperson), and is Chairperson of the WA Aboriginal Health Ethics Committee. She is an advisor on numerous State and Federal Ministerial Committees involved in Aboriginal health issues including representing WA on the Closing the Gap Coalition of Peaks and the WA Aboriginal Advisory Committee. Vicki has a passion for Aboriginal Health which is noted on a state, regional and national level.  She has gained enormous respect for her knowledge, attention to detail, and communication skills at a grass roots level.

Craig Ritchie is a Dhunghutti man and is the Chief Executive Officer at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS). Craig’s career spans senior roles that include work heading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander higher education, university access and participation for people from low-SES backgrounds and international student mobility. He was founding Director, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health in the ACT Government. Craig’s community sector work includes serving as CEO of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), and Chair of the Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services.

Polly Sumner-Dodd is currently the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia Ltd (AHCSA). Now retired, Polly was the Chief Executive Officer of Nunkuwarrin Yunti of SA Inc. for over 30 years. Polly advocates strongly for Aboriginal community control, self-management and self-determination. Polly has participated on a wide and varied range of Committees and Board Memberships, including the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), Aboriginal Sobriety Group, Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement, Women’s Legal Service, Pharmacy Board SA and the Women’s Art Movement, to name a few. Polly’s involvement with AHCSA has spanned more than 38 years, beginning with the Aboriginal Health Organisation (AHO). The AHO underwent major transformations, giving birth to the Aboriginal Health Council of SA and more importantly, moving to Aboriginal community control. Polly believes that ongoing improvement to the health and well-being of all members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community is both pivotal and crucial if we are to reach and maintain a quality of life equal to that of the wider community.

Preston Thomas known as “Mr T" is a former Deputy Chairperson of the Aboriginal Land Trust. He is the currently the Deputy Chair of the Ngaanyatjarra Group (Includes the Ngaanyatjarra Council Aboriginal Corporation, Ngaanyatjarra Services and Ngaanyatjarra Health Service) Mr T is also Chairperson of Kanpa Community Council. He is an active member of the Aboriginal Legal Service of WA and has been a Director of the Aboriginal Health Council of WA since 2015. He is committed to the increasing development of Aboriginal Western Australians.

Dallas Widdicombe is a proud Darug man who holds a Bachelor of Social Work and an Advanced Diploma of Business (Governance). Dallas previously worked in the remote Western Australian community of Balgo for over seven years where he held positions including the Chief Executive Officer of the Wirrimanu Aboriginal Community. Over the past seven years Dallas has worked for the Bendigo and District Aboriginal Co-operative as the Executive Director overseeing the BDAC Medical Clinic and Family & Community Services teams. In this time BDAC has grown to over 130 staff running various programs for his community and has significantly increased the income of the organisation's medical clinic. Dallas has a developed several programs to help his community with substance addiction, family violence and positive health.