Our People

Indigenous Co-Chair: Joshua Gilbert - Worimi (he/him)

Joshua is a Worimi man, whose work seeks to connect traditional Aboriginal knowledge and history to current contexts, translating past wisdoms and learning to the opportunities of the future. His work brings together the old and the new, weaving them together to develop new insights and findings.

Joshua’s focus is on narrating Indigenous identity through Western agriculture, explaining the pertinent role that Indigenous men and women had in the farming sector across Australia. He pursues this transformation work through modernity, using truth telling and new concepts to acknowledgement of the past.

Josh works at UTS’ Jumbunna Institute of Indigenous Research, is studying at Charles Sturt University and is on the boards for Indigenous Business Australia, KU Children’s Services and the NSW Aboriginal Housing Office.

Non-Indigenous Co-Chair: Annie Tennant (she/her)

Originally trained as an architect and with a Masters of Urban Design from the University of California, Berkeley, Annie’s primary expertise lies in the spaces between and affected by buildings in the areas of urban design, public space design, sustainability and public art. Annie has developed and nurtured relationships and projects that celebrate Country. As such, she works with development teams, designers, architects, engineers, sustainability consultants and building owners to make their developments, both buildings and public spaces, more engaging, responsive, respectful and appropriate to our culture and our climate.

Annie is currently the Director of Design and Place for  Placemaking NSW at the Department of Planning, Industry & Environment.

Secretary: Nattlie (Natt) Smith - Wiradjuri (she/her)

Nattlie (Natt) Smith is a proud Wiradjuri woman from Condobolin/Orange NSW and the Branch Manager Strategic Insights, in the Empowerment and Recognition Group of the
National Indigenous Australians Agency. She has over 20 years of experience in both government and non-government policy and operational roles across many human service areas.

Natt is committed to making a positive difference through culturally responsive policy development, service design, program implementation, evaluation and analysis. Natt also advocates for the importance of Aboriginal people having a voice in culturally responsive service design, program implementation and the evaluation process and has overseen a number of place-based Aboriginal-led co-design projects.

Treasurer: Nancy An (she/her)

Nancy is a qualified Chartered Accountant and experienced Senior Financial and Project Management practitioner.  She is currently the lead for all strategic financial work for the Policy & Evidence directorate and the Strong Family, Strong Communities (SFSC) program at the Aboriginal Housing Office. Her recent work includes supporting the Business case proposal to Treasury which secured $67.2 million dollars over four years to continue the SFSC program.

Prior to joining the government, she held positions in top tier professional services firms including Big 4 consultancy firm KPMG. Nancy is a passionate supporter of improving outcomes for Aboriginal people and communities and NSW governments continued commitment to Closing the Gap.

Indigenous Member: Joshua Staines - Wiradjuri (he/him)

Joshua is a Senior Policy Officer in Local Government and a Director at Black Duck Foods. Josh is a proud Wiradjuri father living on Darkinjung country on the central coast. Josh has spent the best part of a decade working in local government developing policy and implementing strategic projects. Prior to joining local government, he worked in the Lifestyles Innovation Team at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence and in the Cultural Unit at KARI (OOHC). Josh invests significant time mentoring Aboriginal young people as well as: facilitating opportunities for on country experiences, supporting elders in land management and bush regeneration projects. Josh is a strong advocate for shared decision making, co-design and Aboriginal Economic Development.

Indigenous Member: Steven Collins - Pitta Pitta (he/him)

Steven is a Pitta Pitta man, whose traditional lands span a region in Far Western Central Queensland, and is a descendant of the Stolen Generations, with an extensive career in stakeholder engagement, project management, strategic planning, governance and First Nations issues. Steven grew up in a single parent environment, with his mother suffering severe mental health issues and his sister living with a disability, which has motivated him in pursuit of better outcomes for the socially disadvantaged.

Steven is currently the Product Owner Indigenous Community Experience.

Commonwealth Bank. His role is pivotal in breaking down barriers that have traditionally been in place for Aboriginal people seeking to understand, access and engage with the Parliament of NSW.

Steven’s key strength is stakeholder management, where he has a track record in facilitating complex discussions to achieve positive outcomes for all parties involved. He has been Advisor to several State Government Ministers and has worked closely with senior government officers, other Ministers and Members of Parliament in pursuit of social policy reform across Aboriginal affairs, disability services, domestic and family violence, and youth.

Non-Indigenous Member: Carly Bush (she/her)

Carly is an experienced senior leader in the financial services and corporate philanthropic sector, with a Masters in Business Administration and Graduate Certificate in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship. Carly leads the strategic direction and operational management of a foundation that works with charitable organisations across regional NSW to support the most marginalised and underrepresented communities.

With a passion for supporting human rights, Carly has worked in communities in Kenya to help women learn skills and build confidence to create their own income to support their families, creating a lasting impact for their futures. Carly now utilises the invaluable lessons learnt in Africa to support corporate organisations to value inclusion and diversity, and build respectful cultures.  

Non-Indigenous Member: Dr Catherine Keenan AM (she/her)

Dr Catherine Keenan AM is co-founder and executive director of Story Factory. Prior to this, Catherine worked for 12 years as an arts writer and literary editor at The Sydney Morning Herald, and has freelanced for publications including The Griffith Review, The Times Literary Supplement, and Good Weekend. She has always been passionate about writing, and holds a doctorate in English Literature from Oxford University. For her work with Story Factory, she was named the 2016 Australian of the Year Local Hero.

Non-Indigenous Member: Dr Amy Maguire (she/her)

Dr Amy Maguire is an Associate Professor in human rights and international law at the School of Law and Justice, University of Newcastle, where she also serves as Deputy Head of School (Research Training). She is a Director of the Centre for Law and Social Justice, which was established in 2022 to operate as a hub for social justice and law reform. Amy’s research spans several topics in her fields of expertise, including state accountability to human rights obligations, self-determination, refugee and Indigenous rights, and the death penalty. She also translates research for policy and public audiences, as a member of the Human Rights Advisory Panel to the Queensland Parliament, through submissions to public inquiries and as an author for The Conversation.

Amy has been a long term advocate for reconciliation and justice for First Nations peoples. She established the Indigenous Early Entry scheme at the Newcastle School of Law and Justice and has worked for over a decade to support the access and progress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in higher education, and to promote curricular justice in law programs.