Our Team of Associates

Our Associates are experienced and highly regarded leaders in their fields. 

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Bronwyn Penrith

Bronwyn is a Wiradjuri woman who has worked all her life for equality and the recognition of First Nations people and our rights. She was the inaugural Chair of Moreton Consulting (our former name) and until August 2023, was the Deputy Chair of Burbangana Group's Board of Directors.

She is currently on the Board of the Mudgin-gal Aboriginal Women's Corporation near the Block in Redfern and a Director of the Redfern Foundation Ltd. She is also a recent past member of the Redfern/Waterloo Aboriginal Justice Group and the City of Sydney Aboriginal Advisory Committee.

Bronwyn delivers mentoring training, cultural awareness and community education workshops. She is also a highly skilled mediator and is a registered Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner with the Australian Government Department of the Attorney General. Additional to her life and work experience, Bronwyn's qualifications include a Diploma in Business: Indigenous Governance from Tranby Aboriginal College and a Certificate IV - Mentoring in Diversity. Bronwyn is a very experienced facilitator and consultant advisor. She enjoys working on projects to help improve communication, planning, consultation and team effectiveness.

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Donna Hartz

Dr Donna Hartz is a descendent of the Kamilaroi (Gomeroi) people and is currently based in Gosford on Darkinjung country. She is a midwife and nurse with decades of experience as a clinician, educator, lecturer, manager, consultant and researcher and has worked at a variety of tertiary and metropolitan maternity services and universities with Australia. She remains professionally active as a researcher and consultant on international, national and local research projects with a main focus on Birthing on Country, women and family centred care, Aboriginal women's and children's health and wellbeing, smoking cessation in pregnancy and First Nations midwifery workforce development.

Donna is currently a Professor and the Clinical Chair in Midwifery in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University. She also  holds an  Adjunct role at Charles Darwin University Molly Wardaguga Research Centre.

 

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Jacqui Pearce

Jacqui is a creator of change and passionate about strengths and solution based approaches to support individual, organisational and systemic change.

Jacqui has a proven track record in leadership, management and community development roles in the not for profit and public sectors. Jacqui has worked with and for First Nations people for over 30 years. Her strategic policy and program acumen combined with expertise in governance and organisational development are the tested ingredients of supporting strategic organisational change and direction.

Jacqui’s skills include team development, change management, workplace diversity, building cultural competency, leadership, communication and conflict resolution.

Jacqui has a Master of Business Administration and has recently completed a Master of International Development. In 2014 Jacqui convened the 3rd Asia Pacific Outgames Human Rights Forum held in Darwin. Jacqui’s interests include spending time in the bush, family time, caring for her horses and dog, and playing music.

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Jane Grant

A consultant with a broad range of experience who has worked across the community service, environmental and business sectors. Jane has proven strengths in developing and leading projects and in supporting others to develop their organisation. In particular, Jane has expertise in governance and management, continuous quality improvement, business administration, compliance, community development and engagement, grant writing and communications.

Jane has a long history of working alongside First Nations individuals and organisations. She has undertaken formal training in cultural responsiveness and has a strong personal interest in the histories, cultures and futures of First Nations Peoples. Jane’s passion is building the resilience, self-reliance and sustainability of individuals, communities and organisations

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Jenny Hutt

Jenny is a thoughtful designer and engaging facilitator of learning and organisational development. Clients appreciate her capacity to tune in to their concerns and learning needs, helping them respond creatively to real-life situations and organisational concerns, and shape a culture which sustains them and makes a difference. She has specialist expertise in organisational development, experiential learning, mentoring and coaching, leadership, team building, workplace diversity, intercultural learning and human relations.

Jenny has more than twenty years experience as an independent consultant with previous experience in public service management. Jenny works with organisations in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific in government, professional, judicial, business and community settings.

Kerry Pearse

Kerry Pearse

Kerry is an innovative and strategic thinker with policy, program and senior management experience. She is also a highly skilled facilitator who is people and outcome focused. She has a flair for innovation, business improvement, building high performing teams and driving change. Kerry is used to working effectively in complex environments with multiple stakeholders, including in First Nations affairs and has a successful track record of policy, program and corporate achievements.

Prior to consulting Kerry worked as a senior executive in the Commonwealth and NSW public sectors for over ten years. This followed a successful career in the not-for-profit sector in the areas of community housing and family violence. Kerry is passionate about working with organisations to facilitate organisational, strategic and governance capacity. She has a deep interest in cultural competence and culturally proficient service delivery and de-colonisation. She has a Master of Education (UTS) and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She has coaching qualifications with the Institute of Executive Leadership and Coaching and a Cert IV in Mentoring in Diversity.

Kristina Taylor

Kristina Taylor

Kristina Taylor is a proud Yuwaalaraay and Ngarrabul woman. She has a background in creative digital design and celebrates her connection to culture with a focus on how our history influences the present - we live and dream in two worlds. 

Kristina designs and produces artwork, digital and print marketing material and corporate branding that inspires, informs and captivates. 

Her artwork features on our website. Find out more about the Burbangana artwork.

Dr Lorraine Muller

Lorraine Muller

Dr Lorraine Muller joined Burbangana Group in March 2024. She is First Nations Australian researcher, author and social-health consultant. Lorraine is a principled scholar with two PhDs and multiple adjunct roles across universities. A plain speaker and communicator, Lorraine is fluent in Torres Strait Creole and Aboriginal English, and has experienced the challenges and rewards of living, studying and working in rural, remote and regional Queensland.

Lorraine offers professional evidence-based services with a high level of cultural competency both in First Nations and mainstream Australian cultures. Lorraine's  expertise is centred at the cultural interface of First Nations and other Australian peoples, and the values and principles that construct these inter-connected yet disparate cultures. Lorraine utilises knowledge gained by extensive academic research grounded within a decolonisation framework.

Lorraine's consultancy experience includes evaluating government programs, providing advocacy, post-disaster counselling, professional supervision, culturally appropriate social services, program planning and development, and advocacy.

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Marg Cranney

Marg joined Burbangana Group in July 2021.  She is a dynamic course and workshop writer, teacher, facilitator, tutor and mentor with demonstrated capabilities in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education, including leadership, team building and health curricula. Marg was the principal researcher in the Concept Study Into an Australian Indigenous Leadership Program, a project hosted by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) which led to the establishment of the Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre (AILC).

Marg has worked extensively on the development, facilitation and evaluation of First Nations leadership courses and training materials and is a skilled facilitator of strategic planning workshops, mediations, change management exercises, diversity and inclusiveness training, mentoring and team development processes. Marg is particularly passionate about cultural safety for First Nations people in health settings and plays a leading role in professional development for health professionals in this space.

 

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Maryanne Brown

Maryanne is a Wailwan/Kamilaroi - Gumbainggir woman currently living on Bundjalung Country. She is passionate about ensuring the voice and visibility of Aboriginal people and our inclusion in all things relevant to our happiness, stability, identity and wellbeing. Maryanne is of the Stolen Generations, as was her mother and has worked hard to reconnect with her family and country. She is a Board member of the Coota Girls Aboriginal Corporation.

Maryanne has extensive experience working in domestic violence services advocating for and supporting women who are escaping and surviving domestic and family violence and sits on the Aboriginal Steering Committee with Domestic Violence NSW. Previously Maryanne was a member of the Lismore Council Aboriginal Advisory committee, a board member for the Inner City Legal Centre and the Aboriginal LGBTIQ Domestic Violence Advisory Board. Maryanne has undertaken lots of different community work, including food services, home care, Redfern home visits and transport. Maryanne has an extensive understanding of alcohol and other drug dependency and recovery. She has worked in services that educate and support people with HIV/AIDS and continues her commitment to First Nations health and wellbeing in all areas.

Sandra Avuri

Sandra Avuri

Sandra is a Murri from South-East Queensland. She has a family history and connection to Gumbainggirri Country on the mid north coast of NSW and has been living there since 1998.

Sandra has had an extensive career within the public sector primarily in working to improve First Nations peoples' health. Her passion includes improving health access and service delivery to and for First Nations peoples across NSW. She is committed to culturally appropriate service delivery and genuine local community consultation with and for First Nations people.

Sandra currently works and volunteers with the Goori Learning Centre, helping children with their homework, the reading program and Gumbainggirri language education. She is studying her Cert III in Education Support. She enjoys walking along the beaches, swimming and photography.

Stephanie Ring

Stephanie Ring

Stephanie has recently retired after more than 20 years working in State Government and the non-government sector in management and development positions.

Stephanie’s career has included: managing regional community housing programs within Family and Community Services in NSW; working with Q Shelter to build the capacity of First Nations community housing providers; providing community housing expertise in a procurement role with NSW Family and Community Services; and implementation planning for rollout of NDIS projects on the Mid-North Coast of NSW.

Stephanie has a range of project and program management experience in the community housing environment, including: stakeholder engagement, sector and partnerships development; and improving service delivery.

Stephanie’s working life has been committed to social justice, ethical practice, and improving housing and life outcomes for disadvantaged people.

Toni Bauman

Toni Bauman

Toni joined Burbangana as an associate in June 2019. She is an anthropologist, mediator, facilitator, researcher, trainer and coach.

Her expertise in participatory processes covers areas such as: community engagement processes including service delivery issues; communication skills which achieve sustainable outcomes; facilitation and decision-making processes that are trauma informed; Indigenous decision-making and dispute management processes and their evaluation; providing policy advice to governments; building partnerships including the evaluation of the joint management of protected areas, and relationships; land and native title claims; alternative consensus building processes such as Deep Democracy; free prior and informed consent.

Toni has over thirty years of experience working in First Nations communities across Australia and was for many years a Senior Research Fellow, Governance, Cultural Competence, and Public Policy at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS).

Valerie Cooms

Valerie Cooms

Dr Valerie Cooms belongs to the Nunukul people of Minjerribah or North Stradbroke Island in Queensland. Valerie has worked in government for many years, was CEO of Queensland South Native Title Services and more recently was appointed as a Member of the National Native Title Tribunal. Valerie previously served as a Director of Indigenous Business Australia and is currently Chair of the Quandamooka Yoolooburabee Registered Native Title Body Corporate as well the Aboriginal and Aboriginal and Islander Independent School and is also a Member of the AIATSIS Native Title Research Advisory Committee. She is currently the CEO of the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research at ANU.

Valerie has three children and ten grandchildren, resides in Brisbane and holds a PhD from Australian National University.

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Acknowledgement of Country

Burbangana Group acknowledges the traditional and continuing owners of the lands and waters of Australia and pays its respects to Elders, past and present. We pay tribute to the wisdom, richness, diversity and resilience of First Nations peoples and cultures.

Artwork

'Burbangana – take hold of my hand and help me up' by Kristina Taylor.

Contact Us

Mail

PO Box 1200
Castle Hill NSW 2154

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