Babu hails from Chennai, which is in southern India famous for its coastline, temples, and spices. His mother tongue is Tamil which is considered a classical language. He is also proficient in Hindi and other south Indian languages.

Babu is a seasoned public health professional with a comprehensive background in clinical practice, project management, and economics. He is passionate about Aboriginal health and excels in designing and executing projects within the health and disability sectors that aim to enhance the well-being of participants. With over 5 years of dedicated service in the Wheatbelt region, he understands the unique challenges that exist in rural healthcare.

His extensive expertise in strategic planning and growth initiatives, his innovative approach, and adept problem-solving abilities make him an absolute asset as Operations Manager in our growing team.

Ervina had 16+ years of experience working in the higher education sector. In her early career, she was a university counsellor in two local universities in Singapore. After relocating to Perth, WA in 2007, she worked at University of Notre Dame Australia for more than ten years as the Manager (Student Services) overseeing the Student Counselling Centre and the Student Services team responsible for a range of support services and programs. As part of her role, she provided pastoral care and support to Indigenous students studying at Notre Dame. She was also involved as a volunteer with AIME (Australia Indigenous Mentoring Experience).

Ervina is passionate about education and mental health. Therefore, she is very excited about her role in the Jilya family where she could contribute to raising a generation of trained Indigenous psychologists to reduce the stigma around mental health and early intervention programs. Together, she believes, we can #buildanarmy for a better future for all Indigenous Australians!

In her free time, Ervina has no lack of hobbies from sewing to crocheting to reading. A perfect weekend starts with a morning coastal walk or hike, a good coffee at a local cafe, reading or listening to the Casefiles True Crime podcast in the afternoon and ends with having friends over for dinner where desserts are compulsory!

Dr Jonathon Little is a dual professional, both an accredited statistician with the Statistical Society of Australia (SSA) and a registered psychologist with AHPRA. He is also a member of the Australian Association of Psychologists (AAPi) and the Psychometric Society – International. With over 20 years of experience, Jonathon specialises in statistics and the development of psychometric testing methods. His mains areas of expertise include structural equation modelling, multilevel modelling, Bayesian estimation, Monte Carlo simulation, and missing data modelling (e.g., multiple imputation).

Jonathon began his academic career with a degree in social science, majoring in political science, before transitioning to psychology, where he graduated with first-class honours. He subsequently earned a master’s degree in psychology before moving on to complete a PhD in psychology and statistics at the Australian National University (ANU), focusing on psychometrics, multilevel structural equation modelling, and mental health. His doctoral work was recognised with the Korten Prize at the ANU.

Originally from Perth, Western Australia, Jonathon started his career as a Research Psychologist. He has held positions as a Visiting Fellow at ANU, a Research Fellow at Melbourne University, and has worked as a Research Manager and consultant with various private and public sector organisations. Jonathon has also served as an invited reviewer and marker for over a dozen higher degree (MPsych) theses and has been published in international peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings.

In addition to his research work, Jonathon sees patients clinically one day a week—a role he finds incredibly rewarding and it is one of his favourite days of the week. His clinical practice allows him to integrate his expertise in psychology and psychometrics to provide evidence-based care and make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

Jariah is a registered psychologist and proud Djukun and Nyul Nyul woman, with cultural connections to the Broome and Beagle Bay areas of the Kimberley, in Western Australia. Born and raised in Darwin, Jariah grew up in the rural area of Humpty Doo.

Jariah is also a Board Approved Supervisor and EMDR therapist. Using an eclectic approach to her work, Jariah brings together evidence-based psychology theory and practise with the holistic social and emotional wellbeing framework, to provide her clients and supervisees with an effective and unique psychology service that is both trauma and culturally informed.

Taylah, a Noongar/Yamatji woman, residing in Perth WA, has demonstrated a strong work ethic since a young age. Prior to her studies, she worked in administrative roles on mine sites, before making the decision to leave FIFO due to adversities surrounding her family circumstances. Taylah’s lived experiences and family connections are a key motivating drive for her decision to pursue her academic journey studying psychology.

During this journey, Taylah supported her siblings and worked within the Department of Communities Child Protection and Family Support. In her second year of study, she was awarded a Jilya Scholarship which alleviated much of her financial pressures and enabled her to focus on her studies progressing from Honours program to subsequently completing a Masters in Clinical Psychology from Curtin University in 2024.

Since graduating, Taylah has joined Jilya Institue as a Clinical Psychologist Registrar. She is excited about assisting in the development of a cultural and clinical service delivery model for the National Indigenous Psychology Treatment & Assessment Centre, which enables clinicians to access the country’s most at-risk communities and provide psychological evidence-based practices.

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.

A distinguished Wakka Wakka and Bundjalung man, Shane Hamilton brings extensive experience from both public and private sectors. Mr Hamilton’s expertise encompasses Aboriginal policy, housing, and economic development from previous roles including CEO of the Aboriginal Housing Office, Director of PwC Indigenous Consulting, Managing Director of Inside Policy and as co-founder of First Nations Blockchain.

Shane’s deep understanding of Aboriginal issues and his collaborative approach has been commended, highlighting his commitment to driving positive change. This dedication to public service has recently been recognized with a Meritorious Award in the King’s Birthday 2024 Honours List for his outstanding contributions to Aboriginal communities in NSW. Mr Hamilton is currently the Deputy Secretary of Aboriginal Affairs for the NSW government where he is working to bridge the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people by working closely with government and stakeholders to foster meaningful and sustainable progress.