Executive committee

Associate Professor Sadie Heckenberg is a Wiradjuri scholar from NSW and is the Pro Vice Chancellor, Aboriginal Leadership at the University of Tasmania. Her research focuses on Indigenous methodologies, Cultural Safety, protecting Indigenous spoken knowledge and ethical research frameworks. A former Fulbright Scholar and Columbia University Oral History Institute Summer Fellow, Sadie leads the international Indigenous Oral History Network. She is passionate about Indigenous education, teaching students from Enabling to HDR, has held a ministerial appointment on the Higher Education Standards Panel and sits on the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium Board of Accreditation and the Australian Research Council’s College of Experts.

Email: President@natsihec.edu.au

Inala is a Yawuru woman from Broome in The Kimberley, WA. She grew up in South West Victoria on Gunditjmara land and has lived on the land of the Kulin Nations in Melbourne for over 20 years. Inala has a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters in Human Rights Law and is an advocate for Indigenous rights & social justice. Inala is the Director of Murrup Barak, the Melbourne Institute for Indigenous Development at University of Melbourne. She is a regular contributor on ABC News Breakfast and The Drum, and is a non-executive Director on a number of not-for-profit boards including Culture is Life, The Adam Briggs Foundation, Jesuit Social Services, and Munarra Ltd.

Dr Sharlene Leroy-Dyer is a Saltwater woman, with family ties to the Dharug, Awabakal, Garigal and Wiradyuri nations. Sharlene is a fulltime academic in at the University of Queensland Business School where she is a Senior Lecturer in employment relations and Associate Director Indigenous Engagement. Sharlene was the first Aboriginal person to be awarded a PHD in Management from the University of Newcastle. Sharlene’s current research areas include Closing the Gap on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage in Education and Employment, Employment Relations and the importance of unions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander labour history, and student leadership and Governance.

Email: Secretary@natsihec.edu.au

A proud Irukandji woman from Far North Queensland, comes to DSC directly from the Ngarara Willim Centre where she has been working as a Senior Advisor – Indigenous Access and Engagement. Prior to joining RMIT, Cathy was at Monash where she held senior roles in Indigenous admissions, strategy and communications and as a Manager of Indigenous Programs. Cathy is also currently undertaking a Bachelor of Arts in Peace Studies and loves video games, cooking and swimming. Cathy is deeply committed to building relationships and supporting others in our collective journey to improve wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Email: Treasurer@natsihec.edu.au

Professor N’arweet Carolyn Briggs AM is a Yaluk-ut Weelam and Boon Wurrung Elder, and the Boon Wurrung representative in the City of Port Phillip. N’arweet is the founder and chair of the Boon Wurrung Foundation. She was awarded the National Aboriginal Elder of the Year in 2011 by the National NAIDOC Committee, was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2005 and was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2019.

Associate Professor Kathryn Gilbey is an Alyawarr scholar and the Executive Dean at Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education. The former Director of the Batchelor Graduate School she specialises in First Nations knowledges, inclusive education and critical race theories. Kathryn has worked in the field of Education for many years in the Northern Territory. In an earlier life she was the Artistic Director of an Aboriginal Youth Theatre Company in Adelaide, and freelance Writer and Director.

Associate Professor Clair Andersen has Yanyuwa and Gungallida clan connections in the Gulf country of northern Australia, is skilled in Indigenous education and workforce development and has contributed extensively to improving policy and practice in these domains nationally. She was Head of Riawunna Centre for Indigenous Education at UTAS 2006 to 2013 and has more than 30 years experience in Aboriginal education including the development of teaching and learning resources, programs and policies to enhance student learning, to improve understanding of Australia’s Indigenous peoples and build better futures.

Dr Anning has bloodline to the Keinjan, Gambuwal, Bidjara and Goomeroi peoples.  She has held senior leadership positions Australia since1998, including at Charles Sturt University; University of Southern Queensland; University of Western Sydney; University of Technology Sydney; and Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education. She is a strong advocate for Indigenous education, employment, research and engagement, working with Elders and their communities in Australia.   Berice works internationally with Indigenous higher education institutions and communities in Norway, Alaska, Canada, USA, New Zealand, Hawaii, and Taiwan through her executive membership of the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC) and the World Indigenous Nations University, and is an editor for the WINHEC World Indigenous Research Journal.