Eddie Cubillo: Co-Chair
Mr Eddie Cubillo is an Aboriginal man with strong family links in both the urban and remote areas throughout the Northern Territory. His mother is of Larrakia/Wadjigan descent and his father is Central Arrente. After completing a Bachelor of Laws, Eddie was admitted to the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory, and since then has had a long career of championing rights and justice for First Nations peoples, including: Chair of both the ATSIC Yilli Rreung Regional Council and the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency; Anti-Discrimination Commissioner of the Northern Territory; Executive Officer with National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Legal Service; Director of Community Engagement for Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council and more recently, Director of Community Engagement with the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory. In 2016, Eddie attended Geneva on a UN Indigenous fellowship. He is currently undertaking a PhD with the University of Technology of Sydney and is an Associate Dean & Senior Research Fellow (Indigenous Programs) at the University of Melbourne’s Law School.
Janine Mohamed: Co-Chair
Janine Mohamed is a proud Narrunga Kaurna woman from South Australia. Over the past 20 years, Janine has worked in nursing, management, project management, and workforce and health policy in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector. Many of these years have been spent in the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector at state, national and international levels, and most recently as the previous CEO at the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM). Janine is now based in Melbourne as the CEO of the Lowitja Institute. She was awarded an Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity Fellowship in 2019, and, in January 2020, was awarded a Doctorate of Nursing honoris causa by Edtih Cowan University.
Kenny Bedford
Kenny Bedford is a Traditional Owner of the Meuram Tribe of Erub (Darnley Island) Torres Strait. Kenny has served his community and region as the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) Member for Erub and held the Fisheries Portfolio on the TSRA Executive for almost a decade. Kenny was also a Councillor and Deputy Mayor of the inaugural Torres Strait Island Regional Council. As President of the Erub Fisheries Management Association (EFMA) Kenny followed in his Father’s footsteps to re-establish the only community owned and managed commercial fishing operation in the Torres Strait. Kenny Bedford is an Owner Director of his own business as well as a Director of the My Pathway Group, Board Member of Reconciliation Australia and is a Member of the National NAIDOC Committee.
Sarah Brown AM
Sarah Brown AM is the Chief Executive Officer of Purple House and has been helping the Indigenous Directors to run the organisation since its inception more than eighteen years ago. In 2017 she was Hesta’s Australia’s Nurse of the Year. In 2018 she made it to the BOSS magazine’s ‘True Leaders’ list. Sarah holds a Master of Nursing , a Graduate Diploma in Aboriginal Education and a Graduate Diploma in Health Service Management. Prior to joining Purple House, she was as a remote area nurse and university lecturer. She paints, has exhibitions across Australia and overseas, has 3 kids and drives a 1959 Morris Minor. She thinks ‘Work/Life balance’ is irrelevant if you love what you do!
Nadine Highfield
Nadine Highfield is a proud Wangkatha woman from the Eastern-Goldfield’s region of Western Australia. She descends from the Waljen clan with strong cultural ties to Kalgoorlie, Leonora and Laverton. Nadine is a qualified lawyer and is admitted to both the High Court of Australia and the ACT Supreme Court. In 2013, Nadine graduated from the Australian National University with a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice and the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Laws. Ms Highfield worked for the Commonwealth Government at the Commonwealth Department of Treasury as a financial analyst and the Australian Government Solicitor as a commercial solicitor. She has also worked at Edith Cowan University as a policy analyst. Ms Highfield is currently Compliance Counsel and an Investigator in BHP’s Ethics and Compliance unit.
Romlie Mokak
Donna Murray
Ms Donna Murray is a proud descendant of the Wiradjuri and Wonnarua peoples of the Murrumbidgee River and the Hunter Valley, NSW respectively. As the Chief Executive Officer and Company Secretary of Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Donna has over 25 years’ experience in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership and governance, Indigenous health, community development and engagement. Donna is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer with the Centre for Rural and Remote Health, James Cook University, holds an honorary position with the University of Technology Sydney, Faculty of Health and on several Australian University Advisory and Governance Committees. She is currently the Chairperson of the National Health Leadership Forum and Co-Chair of the Implementation Plan Advisory Group for the review of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013-23. Donna is also actively engaged in nation building and strengthening Indigenous governance.
Val Price-Beck
Val Price-Beck is a Kamilaroi woman from the Liverpool Plains of New South Wales with over 20 years experience in Indigenous economic development. Val also has extensive experience in both corporate services and corporate governance having worked in both the private and public sector.
Val is a Director on the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute where she holds the position of Duty Chair in an Executive role.
