Elizabeth Adams
Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Goolburri Health Advancement

Elizabeth Adams is an Aboriginal woman of the Mardigan Peoples of Far South West Queensland. Elizabeth (Lizzie) is the Chairperson of the Queensland Aboriginal & Islander Health Council (QAIHC) and Chief Executive Officer of the Goolburri Health Advancement Aboriginal Corporation in Toowoomba. Lizzie is on the Executive Committee of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health (NACCHO) - the national peak body for Aboriginal & Islander Health in Australia - and Deputy Chairperson of the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Corporation of Health, Education and Training (ATSICHET), a community controlled registered training organisation in Brisbane.

Lizzie began her career in Aboriginal and Islander Affairs in the early eighties, training initially as a Nurse. She has worked for a range of community controlled organisations, spanning housing, legal, education and health. It is this experience and her active participation in her local community that maintains Lizzie’s drive for change and improvement in the health and well-being of Aboriginal and Islander peoples.

Sheryl Lawton
Deputy Chairperson, Director Far South West Region and Chief Executive Officer Charleville and Western Areas Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Health (CWAATSICH)

Born at Augathella, near Charleville in Queensland, Sheryl is currently CEO of the Charleville and Western Areas Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Health. She has been in this role for seven years now. This appointment follows a life time of experience and involvement in primarily community based in the Charleville area. Upon finishing high school, Sheryl has developed her skills and education through courses at TAFE and at the Mt Gravatt Teachers College in Brisbane. Sheryl holds a Certificate 4 in Governance (Business) and a Diploma in Business Management.
Positions held include Secretary/Treasurer of the Charleville

Aboriginal Housing Company, Chairperson/Administrator of the Mitchell Aboriginal Housing Company, Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of ATSIC Goolburri Regional Council and Administrator of the Goolburri Aboriginal Land Corporation.

Other positions held include membership of the Joint Ministerial Advisory Committee on Housing from l989 to 1996 and in addition, Sheryl has been the Deputy Chairperson of the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) for the past four years.

David Baird
Treasurer, Director Far North Region and Chief Executive Officer Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service Aboriginal Corporation

The month of March in 2008 makes it three years for me at Gurriny Yealamucka Health Services in Yarrabah. I was initially employed as the Health Manager and then within six months the position was upgraded to Chief Executive Officer. Gurriny Yealamucka Health Services is a growing operation and one with a huge responsibility towards leading the health reforms in our community of Yarrabah, situated near Cairns in Far North Queensland.

My career path includes managing a residential alcohol and drug treatment program for seven years and previous to that counselling for three years. I have obtained a Bachelor of Applied Science in Aboriginal Community Management Development at Curtin University in Perth and I am currently studying for a Graduate Certificate in Health Services Management with Griffith University in Brisbane.

The health reform project presents numerous challenges that require the involvement of an active partnership including the necessary investments to ensure rhetoric becomes action. The current position of Gurriny Yealamucka Health Services is provisional yet optimistic as it attempts to establish itself as the recognised lead agent for health reform and health service delivery here in Yarrabah. Through my position and experience gained I hope to have a positive if not profound influence on the people I engage with through Gurriny Yealamucka and its networks and achieve our long term goals of improved health for our people.

Janelle Murphy
Secretary, Director Metropolitan Region and Chief Executive Officer Yulu Burri Ba Aboriginal Corporation for Community Health.

I have been in this role for the last two and a half years. Previous to this I held the position of CEO for Cunnamulla Aboriginal Corporation for Health and did so for a period of three years.  I was born in Cunnamulla in South West Queensland.

I have been in working in the field of health for approximately 16 years, during which time I have worked as Aboriginal Health Worker for both Queensland Health and the Community Controlled Health Sector. I have worked as an enrolled nurse, and over the past 7 years have honed my skills in management.  During my early years I worked for Queensland Health and as a nurse in hospitals and mental health facilities. I felt that there had to be more to health than patching people up and sending them home.  I returned to the Sector in 2000 where I found satisfaction in knowing I was working for my people to achieve the goals set out by them.

I have retained a position on the Cunnamulla Health Board as a Committee member and I currently sit on the Quandamooka Combined Aboriginal Forum. Along with my place on the QAIHC board I am also a South East Queensland Metropolitan Regional Indigenous Health Forum Member.

Currently I am undertaking a Graduate Certificate in Health Service Management at Griffith University.

Coralie Ober
Director Wide Bay Sunshine Coast Region

Coralie Ober is Islander by birth with kinship ties in the Aboriginal communities of Cherbourg, Palm Island, the Torres Strait Islander community of Saibai and Vanatu in the Pacific Islands. Coralie began her professional life as a registered nurse followed by gaining a wide range skills. She has worked in many areas throughout her career from welfare to teaching / lecturing, facilitating training workshops across a broad spectrum of disciplines, writing curriculum for undergraduate university studies being a presenter of Indigenous Issues on rural and remote television broadcasting.

Coralie has worked as guidance officer in the secondary school system and has also worked in Queensland Corrective Services. It was during this phase of her professional life, working regularly with issues relating to deaths in custody, that she began to explore trans-generational trauma and its ramifications on Indigenous people today.

Coralie is currently employed as a Research Fellow Queensland Alcohol & Drug Research and Education Centre (QADREC) University of Queensland in the School of Population Health. Prior to joining QADREC, Coralie was employed as the Principal Adviser, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Programs Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Services for Queensland Health.

Matthew Cooke
Director Central Queensland Region and Chief Executive Officer of Nhulundu Indigenous Health Organisation

In the 2007s National Indigenous Health awards, the Young Leader in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health accolade went to our very own Mr Matthew Cooke, the Chief Executive Officer of Nhulundu Indigenous Health Organisation. More recently he has taken out the Young Leader of the Year at this years Deadly Awards. At the young age of 21 Mr Cooke has achieved more than most, after being elected to the Board of Directors of the Aboriginal Health Service in addition to currently holding the position of Secretary and Public Officer of the Bailai Aboriginal Corporation for Land and Culture.

He also holds the position of Secretary for the Gehgre Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation. Matthew has supervised the senior business management of the Aboriginal Health Service and Community Aged Care Package Services.

He has been responsible for strategic planning and human resource management; and developed and implemented funding proposals, policies and procedures. Matthew has been instrumental in building partnerships and negotiating funding from government and non-government sources.

Bernie Singleton
Director Cape York / Torres Strait Region, Chairman Apunipima Cape York Health Council

For over six years, Mr Bernie Singleton has been the chairman for Apunipima Cape York Health Council. His engagement in his community and his understanding of its history, politics and culture, has enabled him to provide great leadership and support to the Board during throughout this period.

As well as this pool of experience, Mr Singleton has also been a Board Member of the Queensland Aboriginal Islander Health Council (QAIHC) for a period of more than two years, representing Cape York and the Torres Strait region. Additionally, Mr Singleton is currently employed by the Cape York District Health Service based in Weipa, North Queensland. It is easy to see, through all of these commitments, the passion he feels about the health and well being of his people.

Mr Singleton's consultative style helps to foster the relationships and involvement of key medical staff, health workers, and other specialist personnel in his community. He works with a wide range of people and with external government and non government agencies including Queensland Health, Cape York Institute for Policy & Leadership, Cape York Land Council, Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation, RFDS, North Queensland Rural Division of General Practice QAS and Mookai Rosie Aboriginal Corporation to name a few.
He was born in 1948 and grew up in Yarrabah. Mr Singleton is married to Verna Singleton and is the father to Cleveland, Jason, Roydon, Louise, Bernie and Anna (deceased). They reside in Weipa, Cape York.

Michelle Hooke
Director North Queensland Region

I was born in Bowen and am married with 2 adult children. My bloodline is from the Gulf and Cloncurry areas in Nth Queensland, as per government archive recordings on our family. I have been employed as the Administrator of Girudala Community Co-op since 1996 and been involved in many projects and s as Girudala’s representative. My role has assisted our Directors in developing and growing Girudala from having one primary service provision of housing to being a multi faceted organisation that provides many services and programs.

I thoroughly enjoy being a service provider of community services, however, realize that changes to systems, processes and policies for Indigenous affairs warrants a change in service provision. Current projects are developing a Health & Wellbeing Centre for Girudala and a business arm.

The Health & Wellbeing Centre is being developed to focus on preventative and awareness of chronic diseases within our community. The business arm is to enhance Girudala’s capacity to generate income to fill gaps in government funding and to eventually see Girudala become self sufficient in some areas.

I believe in empowering people with knowledge so that they can make informed choices for themselves. My devotion is strong in helping people to do right by all living things, be positive in thoughts and actions and everything else will fall into place.

My motto is a quote from Mahatma Ghandi –
“We have to be the changes, we want to see in the world.”

Valerie Craigie
Director North West Region

Former Chief Executive Officer of Injilinji Youth Health Service in Mt Isa and committee member.