Jason is Wiradjuri. He is a pragmatic optimist devoted to living a life as free from lateral and actual violence as possible. Jason’s addicted to his family and is fiercely loyal to a wide and diverse group of friends. He has spent most of his adult life in an often clumsy pursuit of sustainable and impactful fellowship.
Jason is a fierce judge of talent. He is prone to frustrating levels of self-doubt and is acutely aware of his imperfection but is always up for a laugh, both at himself and the increasingly confusing world in which we live. Jason was raised to value the dignity of work, to always work hard and to know how to have fun. He attempts to model self-care by walking, knitting and laughing but doesn’t do enough of any of them, yet.
Over the last twenty years he has worked in a range of positions in community-based Indigenous organisations, state and federal governments and non-government peak organisations. Jason is the inaugural Executive Director of the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity, Chair of the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute and Chair of PwC’s Indigenous Consulting (PIC). He serves on the board of the National Australia Day Council and is also a member of the Indigenous Advisory Group of the Art Gallery of NSW and the Indigenous Advisory Council to the AFL. Jason is an Honorary Associate Professor at the National Centre for Indigenous Studies at the Australian National University.
Jane is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the National Centre for Indigenous Studies at The Australian National University.
Jane has nearly 20 years of experience providing legal and strategic advice across both the private and not-for-profit sectors, most recently at PwC Indigenous Consulting as the Victorian State Director. Jane currently sits on the board of Culture is Life Limited and First Australian Capital Limited.
Previous appointments include Legal Counsel at Foundation for Young Australians, Director at Social Ventures Australia, senior lawyer at Gilbert + Tobin and in a corporate advisory role as Senior Manager at Ernst and Young. Jane was admitted to practice as a solicitor in Victoria in 1996.
Professor Daryle Rigney is a citizen of the Ngarrindjeri Nation
He is a professor and Director of the Indigenous Nations and Collaborative Futures Research hub in the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research at the University of Technology Sydney. He is a board member of the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute, a member of the Indigenous Advisory Council, Native Nations Institute, University of Arizona, a member of the South Australian Certificate of Education’s Aboriginal Steering Committee and a Senior Fellow, Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity, Melbourne & Atlantic Institute, Oxford. Daryle’s academic work and community work currently focus on developments in Indigenous nation building and governance following colonisation. He has published widely and influentially on these topics.
Michelle Deshong is from Townsville, North Queensland and draws here connection to Kuku Yulanji nation.
Michelle has worked in both the Government and NGO sectors, and has held many senior leadership roles and she currently holds a number of directorship roles in the Not for Profit sector, including the Supply Nation Board, Thirrili and the OXFAM Indigenous Advisory Council. In 2013 Michelle was named in the Australian Financial Review/Westpac 100 Women of Influence Awards.
Michelle has worked in both the Government and NGO sectors, and has held many senior leadership roles and she currently holds a number of directorship roles in the Not for Profit sector, including the Supply Nation Board, Thirrili and the OXFAM Indigenous Advisory Council. In 2013 Michelle was named in the Australian Financial Review/Westpac 100 Women of Influence Awards.
Michelle has extensive experience in areas of leadership, governance and politics. She has a strong commitment to human rights and has also been an NGO representative on many occasions at the United Nations forums on the Commission on the Status of Women and Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. She has a strong background in gender equality and works to ensures that the voices of Indigenous women are represented at all levels.
In 2016 Michelle is undertook research in the USA and Canada as part of her Fulbright scholarship to develop strategies for Nation building, leadership and gender equality. She was also named as the 2015 National NAIDOC Scholar of the Year.
Bevan Cassady is of Aboriginal, Torres Strait and South Sea Islander heritage and has significant cultural, family and kinship responsibilities.
Underpinned by these foundations, he has developed his professional principles, knowledge and experiences to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and the greater Australian community understanding how they distinctly and collectively, contribute to facilitating their Reconciliation and Closing the Gap aspirations. Within the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute, Bevan is the Training and Development Officer or Project Officer (insert information of AIGI organisational structure) whichever is relevant.
Born and raised in Townsville, I am a proud Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal woman with my cultural identity connected to Erub (Darnley Island) in the Torres Strait Islands, through my Father’s side and the Mariamoo Clan of Daly River, Northern Territory, through my Mother’s side.
I am a mother of two children – a daughter Shaquillah and a son Wilfred with three beautiful grandchildren, L’elarnii, Leelah and Loko.
With a wealth of knowledge and expertise in Community Development, Financial Services and Corporate Governance which can assist Corporations and Directors to establish a stronger understanding on Roles and Responsibilities. My previous position as the Indigenous Outreach Coordinator with Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, I am committed and passionate on educating, engaging and empowering Indigenous Australians to understand and enforce their consumer rights.
Jessica is a qualified legal professional with over five years of experience prosecuting native title claims in the Federal Court of Australia on behalf of traditional owners.
In that role, Jessica was involved in reviewing and analysing large bodies of evidence including anthropological, genealogical and historical reports, as well as compiling evidence in the form of lay witness affidavits, submissions and other court documents.
Jessica’s previous role also involved extensive engagement with Indigenous clients, including providing technical advice including at large claim group meetings in remote areas and undertaking field trips on country with Indigenous witnesses.
Jessica has gained exposure to difficulties faced by traditional owners in implementing good governance practices to effectively manage, and leverage, their native title rights and interests.
In her previous role of Head Office Services Coordinator, based in Amsterdam, Jessica was responsible for overall management and effective deployment of the administrative, facilities and operational activities within the office through close liaison and management with senior executives and corporate services in the United Kingdom. Jessica also provided support to Company Secretaries based in the United Kingdom and Europe to maintain a high level of service to various boards and committees, including facilitating meetings in various locations across the world.
Jessica has also been involved in charity work, including as a fundraising intern for the Voice of Freedom Project, which took her to Israel in 2013. Voice of Freedom project exhibited photo stories of Eritrean and Ethiopian migrants who were kidnapped and sold into slavery in the Sinai desert. The work produced by the project participants was exhibited in the Amnesty International Headquarters in London, and through various other anti-human trafficking platforms.
Dale Sutherland is a member of the Nganduwal / Minjungbal people of the Bundjalung nation which centers around the Tweed Valley and coast of far northern NSW.
Dale originally moved to Canberra to participate in the Australian Government’s Graduate Administrative Assistant Program (GAA) in the Department of Health, Housing and Community Services, prior to moving to the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS).
Dale spent over ten years working in the research section of the AIATSIS in the area of education and contemporary issues, working on a range of research projects including the Concept Study for the establishment of the Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre.
Whilst at AIATSIS Dale completed both a Bachelor of Arts through the University of New England; and a Masters of Social Science research degree which examined Aboriginal leadership and how it manifests in an urban Aboriginal community, through the University of Newcastle. Prior to moving the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR) at ANU, where she undertook further research on education and training.
Dale has extensive experience working in both the Commonwealth and State/Territory public sector, developing and implementing high-level Indigenous education policy and development.
Just prior to moving to AIGI, Dale was part of the small AIATSIS team responsible for delivering the Referendum Council’s constitutional reform consultation and engagement process. This comprised the organisation a number of key Leaders’ meetings; 12 First Nations Regional Dialogues across Australia; and the National Constitutional Convention convened at Uluru.
Marie is a Birri Gubba woman from Ayr, North Queensland.
Marie has extensive experience working with Federal Government and Not for Profit community organisations.
Marie has previously worked with the Department of Human Services for 17 years, then worked in a number of Not for Profit Organisations, Training along with her own Personal consultancy.
Leading up to her move to AIGI, Marie was employed in a various number of training and program development positions including work increasing the capacity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, supporting them to strengthen their skills to bring about change.
A current member of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation Alumni, Marie is in the final years of completing her Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Community Servicing, Sociology and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.
Lara Drieberg was offered a position at the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute (AIGI) upon completion of an internship placement through the competitive Aurora Project Internship Program in 2014.
At the (then newly established) Institute, she worked with a small team of staff to secure funding and partnerships, and to develop organisational activities.
She was appointed Visiting Scholar by the National Centre for Indigenous Studies at the Australian National University in 2016 to promote research collaboration between the institutions.
In 2018 Lara completed a Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA) and spent 1 year teaching English in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.
She is currently working as the Research and Project Officer at AIGI.
Shikierra Thorne is a member of the Kuku-yulinji and Kamilaroi tribes. Born in Canberra and finished her schooling in Townsville.
She has worked in Hospitality for over 7 years and has completed a certificate 3 in business with the Townsville City Council City Libraries department in 2015 and a certificate 4 in Indigenous Leadership in 2018 with the Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre (AILC).
Shikierra has worked in the Event industry as well as gaining experience in managing programs for 5 years.
Shikierra is currently working as the Executive Assistant to Michelle Deshong.
AIGI acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land, and pays respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this website contains images or names of people who have passed away.
