Proud Aboriginal and South Sea Islander woman with cultural connections to the Djabugay and Yirrganydji peoples. Robyn holds a Bachelor of Psychological Sciences and serves as Operations Manager at the Jilya Institute. In this role, she oversees a wide range of operational, strategic, and administrative functions, including scholarship coordination, student conference planning, donor engagement, HR processes, and internal communications. Robyn is passionate about supporting initiatives that empower Indigenous communities and supporting our Indigenous Psychology Students to reach their full potential by completing their degree.

Born and based on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Peter brings a grounded, practical approach to helping organisations make sense of complex work and information. He holds a Bachelor of Information Technology and has spent many years developing simple, maintainable ways for teams to manage information, strengthen compliance, and support clear decision making without adding unnecessary complexity. He enjoys solving real business problems with innovative solutions that genuinely help.
His approach is shaped by family and community connections, as well as lived experience navigating systems that need to work well for families and people with diverse needs. This keeps his work focused on what holds up in practice and on solutions that are respectful, inclusive and genuinely useful day to day.

I am a proud Noongar psychologist, passionate about supporting children, teenagers, and adults. I have experience working in school settings, where I have supported young people from a range of backgrounds, including those who have experienced trauma.
I am dedicated to creating a safe and supportive environment where people feel comfortable being themselves and sharing their experiences. My work is guided by culturally informed and responsive approaches, with a strong focus on respecting and incorporating each person’s cultural identity, strengths, and support systems.
I draw on evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and emotional regulation strategies, adapting them to ensure they are culturally safe and meaningful.
I believe that meaningful change happens when people feel connected, understood, and empowered, and I enjoy working alongside individuals, families, and communities to support growth, resilience, and wellbeing.

Dr Tracy Westerman is a trailblazer in Aboriginal mental health, having been named the 2018 Australian of the Year (WA); Inducted into the 2018 WA Women’s Hall of Fame and awarded the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award, Curtin University amongst many other accolades. She holds a Post Grad Dip (Psychology), and was the first Aboriginal person in Australia to complete a combined Master’s and PhD in Clinical Psychology. Despite having to undertake her university subjects mostly by distance education, she is a recognized leader in Aboriginal mental health, cultural competence and suicide prevention, achieving national and international recognition. Dr Westerman is a widely sought-after keynote speaker having delivered to 80+ national conferences and internationally in Canada (2003); the USA (2004), Auckland (2006 & 2007) and Wellington (2009). In 2005 the Canadian government sent a delegation to Australia to explore Dr Westerman’s work, resulting in recommendations that the same approaches be adopted for Canadian Aboriginal people (Nunuvut Taskforce, 2006). She was recognized by Canadian Health, 2009 for her substantial contribution to Aboriginal youth mental health & her work has been cited in numerous reports. She has developed seven unique psychometric tests enabling the identification of Aboriginal people at suicide and mental health risk. Having trained 25,000+ clinicians in these tools makes her arguably the most in-demand trainer in Australia. It also means these clinicians have been able to reach many thousands more Aboriginal people at risk. Her most notable awards include:

• 2022 APS Almetrics Award for largest reach for published paper on “Culture Bound Syndromes in Aboriginal  Australian Populations”
• 2020 Telstra Business Award, Small Business
• WA Australian of the Year 2018 & Finalist in the Australian of the Year
• Curtin University Lifetime Achievement Award 2018
• Inducted into the WA Women’s Hall of Fame 2018
• 40 under 40 Business Leaders Strategic Alliance Award (2009)
• Suicide Prevention Australia Award for Emerging Researcher (2006)
• NAIDOC National Scholar of the Year (2002)
• Mark Liveris Award, Curtin University, Health Sciences for best Presentation of PhD (2002)

Her PhD is in business and sought to decolonise knowledges in the disability sector by incorporating Quandamooka ways of knowing, being and doing in relation to disability and care provision. Samantha’s work focuses on decolonising and Indigenising hegemonic knowledges with a special interest in equity, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability.

In his familial context, aggressive behaviour has been an unfortunate norm, deeply ingrained through upbringing. He confronts this cycle of abuse head-on, a battle that has encompassed instances of sexual abuse as well.

He founded the Aboriginal Males Healing Centre in response to a failed attempt to rehabilitate through mainstream services and to provide a service that offers an avenue to facilitate the removal of women and children from potentially harmful environments and communities, while also promoting lasting behavioural transformation in First Nations men who are either using or are susceptible to using violence. Devon’s dedication underscores the necessity for greater accountability and responsibility among First Nations men towards women and children.

“I don’t smoke, I don’t use drugs. It’s not our way. We weren’t born like that. I learnt it – So If I could learn it, I could un-learn it.”

Devon’s ancestral roots trace back to the First Nation People of the Southwest of Western Australia through his maternal grandfather’s lineage. His matrilineal kin groups are the Manitjimat (white cockatoo) and the Wardongmat (crow). The term ‘mat’ signifies family, stock, and leg. Devon’s broader moort (family) connections encompass the Wadjuk, Balardong, Wilman, and Pibilman mob, with their emblematic totem being the frog. His ngank (mother’s) lineage extends from the Northwest.

Today, Devon stands as a guest on Nyiyaparli Parna (Land) in WA’s Pilbara region, representing the Martu yirna (Aboriginal men) who seek to address issues of violence. He has yuwajula (permission) granted by yatilykata (elders) from pitjikala and manyjilyjarra, martu (Aboriginal people), where he undertakes the important task of fostering healing and well-being within yirna.

In the realm of black masculinity, Devon highlights its crucial role in shaping identity, self-determination, and political empowerment. With a steadfast commitment to healing and transformation, Devon stands as a testament to overcoming generational challenges, shaping a brighter future for black communities.

We are honoured to have Narelda Jacobs standing alongside Jilya as Patron, bringing her voice and support to our work.

Narelda Jacobs OAM is a Whadjuk Noongar journalist and one of the most trusted voices for journalism in Australia. She is a presenter and author. Her career at Network 10 spans two decades. Narelda presents the daily national news bulletins, 10 News First: Lunchtime and 10 News First: Afternoons. You’ll also find her on NITV/SBS, the ABC, on podcast airwaves, and hosting events around the country and internationally.

Narelda gives back to her community through numerous ambassadorial and board roles, including as Jilya Patron.