Kim Whiteley is a respected national leader whose expertise and lived experience are deeply grounded in her culture and identity. A proud descendant of the Warramunga Bogan River people, born and raised in Wellington, NSW, Kim brings more than 40 years of leadership across education, health, justice, and land rights — with a strong focus on First Nations strategy, governance, and partnered community engagement.
Kim has held leadership roles within government, community-controlled, and not-for-profit sectors, including Chief Executive Officer of the Remote Area Health Corps (RAHC), Western Zone Director at the NSW Aboriginal Land Council, and Head of First Nations Strategy & Engagement at Cancer Council Australia. She is widely respected for championing cultural safety, advancing governance, driving transformative reform, and achieving measurable outcomes that advance equity and improve services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, families, and communities.
Kim has also contributed her expertise and leadership through service on advisory bodies such as at the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation, the NSW/ACT PHN Aboriginal Primary Health Care Executive, and the Cancer Institute NSW Indigenous Advisory Committee. In addition, she currently holds a ministerial appointment as a Board Member of the Homes NSW Aboriginal Housing Office.
As Chief Executive Officer of NATSIAACC, Kim brings her deep cross-sector expertise and cultural authority to champion the voices of Elders and Older People, strengthen national advocacy, and influence policy reform. She is committed to ensuring ageing and aged care services are culturally safe, trauma-aware, community-led, and grounded in respect, dignity, and self-determination.
Cassara Hardie is a proud Dunghutti woman from Northern New South Wales. Born and raised on Dharug Country, Western Sydney, NSW.
Cassara has been working within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Sector for the last 7 years, starting from working in an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation to a state peak body, whilst undertaking a Masters degree in Human Resources Management.
Cassara’s overall passion is to enhance career pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in order to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People and Communities.
Seraphim is from Sydney and believes in the power of good policy to create fairer, healthier, and more connected communities.
With previous experience as a Policy Advisor, Seraphim brings a proven ability to build strong, genuine relationships with government stakeholders and achieve meaningful outcomes on key regulatory matters. His clear and direct communication ensured important perspectives were not only heard but acted upon.
Currently completing a Master’s in Public Policy at the University of Sydney, Seraphim is committed to supporting policies that deliver real benefits for communities across Australia.
Ankita Shrestha is a passionate healthcare professional with over a decade of experience in nursing, public health, aged care, disability services, research, and policy advocacy. She started her journey with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences in India and went on to earn a Master of Public Health from Southern Medical University in China. Ankita also holds a certificate in Health Care Economics from Harvard Business School, reflecting her drive to create meaningful change in healthcare policy and practice. Previously, she has worked in a variety of roles, including as a Policy Adviser at the Australian Medical Association and a Policy Officer at the Australian College of Nursing.
Driven by a deep commitment to equity and innovation, Ankita combines her expertise and compassion to improve healthcare systems and ensure better outcomes for individuals and communities alike.
Originally from Sydney, Katherine studied a Bachelor of Science & Nutrition at Western Sydney University and moved to Canberra where she recently completed a Master’s in Public Health (Advanced) at the Australian National University. Katherine brings a passion for social justice and holistic health care and believes equitable policies have the power to positively impact communities and drive purposeful change. Katherine incorporates her qualitative and quantitative research skills with an enthusiasm to learn, advocate for and contribute to, community‑centred and evidence-informed policy reforms, grounded in respect and cultural safety.
Katherine brings strengths in research design, literature review, data analysis and reporting, alongside practical experience supporting program evaluation, stakeholder engagement and administrative systems. Her background includes contributing to sector-wide health promotion initiatives with the Heart Foundation, producing data-driven reports to inform funding and advocacy, and working within regulated environments requiring high attention to detail, confidentiality and governance.