Our Directors

Rod Little is a highly regarded Yamatji and Nyoongar man of the Wilunyu and Wadjuk Nations of Western Australia. He currently lives on Ngunnawal Country in Canberra.

Rod was a former Co-chair and Director of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples and Chairperson of the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body.  He has extensive advocacy and employment experience in First Nations affairs and has held senior leadership positions in many social areas including justice, education and employment. He has been a CEO and a consultant specialising in cultural integrity, governance and leadership, and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a certified organisational coach.

In 2021 Rod was the Hall of Fame winner for 'Governance, Coaching and Empowerment' at the World Indigenous Forum. This was  in recognition of his leadership as the former Co-Chair of the National Congress, through which he represented and advocated for First Nations peoples both within Australia and on the international stage. Rod’s leadership at the international level has included participating in the Council of 90, the Commonwealth People’s Forum, the UN’s Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the UN’s Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. 

Rod is a champion for collaborative approaches and he serves on a number of not-for-profit boards. He is passionate about and committed to enhancing the capabilities of communities and families.

Karel Williams is a First Nations woman who is based on Ngunnawal Country in Canberra and who has family connections to the palawa and Western Arrernte Nations. Karel became our Executive Director in June 2020 after joining Burbangana in October 2019 as an Associate and as our Lead, Business Development and Operations. 

Karel has extensive management and leadership experience in First Nations affairs at national and regional levels. She has also worked in Indigenous affairs at an international level. She has substantial experience in research, strength-based organisational reviews, strategic planning, policy analysis, development, implementation and review, and program management.

Karel is also a Registered Midwife and a strong advocate for Birthing on Country Models of Care and for increasing the First Nations midwifery workforce. In 2019, Karel received a Distinguished Alumni Award for Excellence in Health, from the University of Canberra. Karel is currently completing a Doctorate, focussing on restorative practice in First Nations maternity care. 

Christian Lugnan is a respected Gumbaynggirr and Dhanggati man from the mid-north coast of NSW, with over two decades of experience in First Nations Affairs within the Australian Public Service. His expertise spans community corporate governance and internal audit, having worked with the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC) and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC).

He has also served as the Chief Financial Officer for the Bularri Muurlay Nyanggan Aboriginal Corporation, where he was a key member of the executive team that helped establish the Gumbaynggirr Giingana Freedom School, NSW's first bilingual Aboriginal language school.

Christian holds several qualifications, including being a Fellow of Certified Practising Accountants (FCPA), a Bachelor of Business degree, a Masters in Social Leadership Policy, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He has served on numerous boards, including those of NAISDA Ltd (Dance College), Galambila Aboriginal Health Service, and Gumbaynggirr Wenonah Head Aboriginal Corporation.

A passionate advocate for health and wellbeing, Christian now resides on Larrakia country in Garamilla (Darwin) with his family, continuing his work in the community and in leadership.

Photo (c)  James Henry 

Ken Craig is a Gumbaynggirr man who has dedicated many years to improving housing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across NSW. He is passionate about the central role that secure, appropriate and affordable housing plays in the lives of First Nations families and communities. In 2013 Ken was awarded a Public Service Medal for his services to Aboriginal housing in NSW.

After an extensive public sector career, Ken joined Burbangana Group to work directly with First Nations communities. He has a Graduate Certificate in Housing Management and Policy and an Advanced Diploma in Government. Ken is a previous Director of the Australasian Housing Institute.

Since joining Burbangana, Ken has been involved in a number of projects, including: consultation with First Nations people in Kempsey on their ageing needs; several pieces of work for Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation, including a museum and healing centre project, strategic planning and organisational reviews; governance support for the Muurrbay Aboriginal Language and Culture Co-Operative; reviewing the housing needs of people leaving custody in the Kempsey area; supporting and securing tenancies with New Horizons; and an organisational review and community consultation for a Mid-North Coast Aboriginal Medical Service.

Ken has involvement with several community organisations including the Coffs Harbour and District Local Aboriginal Land Council, East Coast Accessibility Experts, Garlambirla Guuyu-girrwaa Elders Aboriginal Corporation, and Galambila Aboriginal Medical Service. Each of these organisations enables Ken to give back and to maintain awareness of important issues in his local community and beyond. 

Mark, who is traditionally linked to the Gunditjmara Nation of western Victoria, joined Burbangana Group as a Director in May 2019.

Mark is passionate about Indigenous knowledge systems and education and is deeply committed to mentoring and supporting emerging Indigenous leaders. With a forty year career in education, Mark has contributed to a broad range of educational settings within Victoria as well as nationally and internationally. He has consulted regularly with Indigenous and mainstream organisations both in Australia and overseas.

For over a decade Mark has taught in predominantly postgraduate leadership programs for RMIT University’s Faculty of Business here in Australia as well as Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. He is currently the Pro Vice Chancellor, Indigenous Strategy and Innovation at Deakin University in Melbourne.