NACCHO’s Board consists of the Chair, Deputy Chair and 14 directors. The Chair and Deputy Chair are elected by NACCHO members for three-year terms. The 14 directors are nominated by affiliates in each state and territory. Two each from NSW, Victoria, Queensland, WA, SA, and the Northern Territory, and one each from Tasmania and the ACT.
Donnella Mills is a proud Torres Strait Islander woman with ancestral and family links to Masig and Nagir. She is Chair of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), a member of James Cook University Council and was recently appointed to the Commonwealth Government’s Advisory Council on Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence. From 2014 to 2021, she worked as a Cairns-based lawyer with LawRight, a community legal centre which coordinates the provision of pro-bono services for vulnerable people. She was also the managing lawyer for the innovative Wuchopperen Health Justice Partnership, in which lawyers and health professionals partnered to achieve improved health, wellbeing and justice outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In 2020-21 she served as the Partnerships Director at Health Justice Australia. In August 2021 she was appointed Senior Associate, First Nations Lead at King & Wood Mallesons.
Rachel Atkinson is a proud Yorta Yorta woman who is dedicated to improving the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. She is a qualified Social Worker with over 25 years’ experience as CEO of large community-based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations delivering health, and child and family services. She has been the CEO of Palm Island Community Company since its incorporation in 2007 and has overseen its growth to become the largest non-government service provider and employer on Palm Island. Ms Atkinson is the current Co-Chair of the Queensland First Children and Families Board, Co-Chair of Family Matters Queensland, Board Director of SNAICC and Deputy Chairperson of Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council. She is a previous Chair of the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Peak and CEO of Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service.
Raylene represents Tasmania/Lutruwita on the NACCHO Board. She has a deep and historical understanding of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, at national and local levels. For the past 25 years, Raylene has worked for TAC in various leadership roles building the capacity of the organisation, staff and community to provide health services tor Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
A Kokatha and Antakirinja woman from the Northern region of South Australia, Wilhelmine honours her rich family ancestry. She has spent the better part of her adult life working in community service roles most currently as an Aboriginal Cultural Consultant for 13 years with Child and Family Health Services and has also been Instrumental in the Safely Sleeping Aboriginal Babies in SA – Doing it together for newborns and mum. Wilhelmine and her family have lived in Whyalla for generations and have been active participants advocating for local Aboriginal Health matters including the establishment and ongoing support of the local ACCHO Nunyara Aboriginal Health Service Inc. Wilhelmine is passionate about ensuring better outcomes for all Aboriginal people and making sure that the next generation have positive foundations to build upon into the future.
Leisa is a Warumungu woman with strong family ties to Tennant Creek and surrounding Barkly Region of the Northern Territory.
Leisa commenced in the role as the Anyinginyi Health Aboriginal Corporation CEO in February 2022 and is based in Tennant Creek.
Leisa has worked in Aboriginal Health for close to 30 years and held positions in policy, management, coordination and service delivery at the national, state/territory and local levels with government, non-government, the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector and a stint with a Research Institute.
Leisa’s formal training in Public Health Nutrition and she holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Nutrition, Master Community Nutrition and PhD in Public Health.
Leisa’s passion is in continuing to grow the future of Aboriginal leadership in health and in building on communities’ strengths for positive and sustainable change.
Rob McPhee is the Chief Executive Officer for Danila Dilba Health Service in Darwin. Prior to this, he was Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer at Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services in Broome WA. He is currently Deputy Chairperson for the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT (AMSANT).
His people are from Derby in the West Kimberley and from the Pilbara region of Western Australia. He has an undergraduate degree in Aboriginal Community Management and Development and a Graduate Certificate in Human Rights.
He is passionate about social justice for First peoples and has spent the past 30 years working in Indigenous affairs. Prior to working in Aboriginal health, he has undertaken roles that include teaching at Curtin University and the University of Western Australia and as a senior adviser in community relations and Indigenous affairs to the oil and gas industry.
Phillip Naden is a proud Aboriginal descendant of the Gamilaroi people from North Western NSW near Coonabarabran. Phil is also a proud descendant of the Wiradjuri people from Peak Hill/Condobolin NSW (Bogan River People) and he was born and raised a proud Aboriginal man.
Phil is well qualified, a panel beater spray-painter by trade, a former sworn Queensland Police Officer, CEO of the largest Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (ATSILS) in Australia, former CEO with Bourke AMS, Bila Muuji Regional Health Consortia and now CEO of Dubbo, Coonamble and Gilgandra Aboriginal Health Service. Phil also Managers a local Gym, Dental Clinic, works in the Out of Home Care Space and operates a Fully functional funeral home.
Additionally, Phil is the Chairperson of the NSW AH&MRC, Chairperson of Dreamtime Housing, a Director the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (NACCHO) and Director with Bila Muuji Regional Health.
His qualifications include a Master’s Degree in Business and Management, Justice and Policing, he is a Justice of the Peace and ran in the 2019 NSW State Election as in Independent Candidate for the seat of Barwon.
Phil was an Aboriginal Advisor, Partner Investigator and Researcher on the Lowitja Institute funded National Career Pathways project, and is a published author to this project and recent appointment as an Adjunct Professor with Charles Sturt University.
Phil is also married with 5 kids and has three grandchildren.
Vicki is a Nyikina Mangala Aboriginal woman from Derby, who has worked as a Strategic Leader in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health for 15 years. Vicki is currently CEO Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Service (KAMS) in Broome. Vicki was instrumental in the establishment of both the DAHS dialysis unit and the Kimberley Renal Service. Vicki has been a board member of AHCWA for over 15 years (8 years as the Chairperson), and is Chairperson of the WA Aboriginal Health Ethics Committee. She is an advisor on numerous State and Federal Ministerial Committees involved in Aboriginal health issues including representing WA on the Closing the Gap Coalition of Peaks and the WA Aboriginal Advisory Committee. Vicki has a passion for Aboriginal Health which is noted on a state, regional and national level. She has gained enormous respect for her knowledge, attention to detail, and communication skills at a grass roots level.
Dallas Widdicombe is a proud Dharug man who holds a Bachelor of Social Work and an Advanced Diploma of Business (Governance). Dallas previously worked in the remote Western Australian community of Balgo for over seven years where he held positions including the Chief Executive Officer of the Wirrimanu Aboriginal Community.
Over the past nine years Dallas has worked for the Bendigo and District Aboriginal Co-operative firstly as the Executive Director overseeing the BDAC Medical Clinic and Family & Community Services teams. In this time BDAC has grown to over 200 staff running various programs for his community and has significantly increased the income of the organisation's medical clinic. Dallas has developed several programs to help his community with substance addiction, family violence and positive health.
The Minister for Child Protection and Family Services invited Dallas to be a participant in a new Child Protection Legal Reference Group which is an advisory forum to support the Department of Families Fairness and Housing on matters relevant to the Child Protection and Family Services portfolio. Dallas is also a Board member of the National and Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations “NACCHO” and “VACCHO” and Chairperson of Loddon Mallee Aboriginal Reference Group “LMARG”.
Dallas is also a co-writer of an article that has just been published in the Australian Journal of Primary Health. The article highlights the significant contributions of the Loddon Mallee Aboriginal Reference Group's (LMARG) leadership, led by BDAC, in advocating and leading the submission for a regulation amendment to ensure culturally appropriate oral health promotion for Aboriginal children. The amendment now authorises Aboriginal Health Practitioners to administer fluoride varnish to children ages 3-17 years.
Dallas is currently the Chief Executive Officer at BDAC and has a huge passion for working to better the health of his people and believes self-determination plays an integral part in achieving this goal.