Our Team

Rachel is a proud descendant of the Yuin Nation and is the Chief Executive Officer of Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia, being a part of the organisation since its commencement. Driven by lived experience of systemic neglect as a child carer, Rachel aspires to contribute to creating systemic change to the mental health system, especially for children and caring arrangements to achieve the highest attainable standard of mental health and suicide prevention outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Rachel has over a decade of experience in the health sector including the optometry industry and community-controlled sector at the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) and senior roles at Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Social Policy) and Masters of Business Management from the University of Wollongong.

Rachel was recognised by Lifeline Canberra as the 2022 Rising Woman of Spirit for her outstanding community spirit and resilience in the face of adversity, through continuing to push for reforms to ensure other children do not experience the same systemic neglect.

Rachel is a board member of Fearless Women and an Independent Member of Capital Health Network’s Audit and Risk Committee.

Margaret was born and raised in Brisbane but has worked in the Northern Territory, New South Wales and Queensland. An accomplished policy professional, Margaret has experience working in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Sector and the public health system. A dedicated and hardworking leader with considerable experience in all aspects of project management including contract management, program delivery, stakeholder engagement, policy development and research ethics. Margaret has a keen interest in improved health outcomes through effective health system support – increasing and improving patient access and experience through improving the system. Margaret has a Bachelor of Science and a Graduate Certificate in Policy and Governance.

Tynan is a proud Awabakal man originally from Newcastle NSW.  Tynan Joined Gayaa Dhuwi in December 2022.  He was previously working at Supply Nation as the ACT Relationship Manager and Reconciliation Australia in the Reconciliation Action Plan program across multiple portfolios including Arts and Culture and Local Government.

Prior to working at Reconciliation Australia, Tynan worked for almost ten years in the National Museum of Australia, educating visitors on the vast and varied histories of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Tynan has a passion for advancing and fostering efforts that contribute to self-determination which is why he is excited to work for Gayaa Dhuwi.

Juanita, a proud Wiradjuri Galari Woman, is a mental health advocate dedicated to improving the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. She works to educate and empower others while aiming to reduce stigma and create positive change. Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Health Science (Mental Health) degree, focusing on understanding the contributing factors to poor mental health outcomes and fostering social and emotional wellbeing.

Juanita has gained valuable experience by working with government and non-government organisations that prioritise advocacy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. During her time in these organisations, she enhanced her skillset in leadership and management, program development, grant management, community engagement, and stakeholder management.

Juanita is dedicated to collaborating with diverse stakeholders to generate meaningful solutions that address systemic issues and through fostering dialogue, raising awareness, and advocating for change, where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have equal opportunities for health equity and culturally safe and appropriate access to resources that enhance their wellbeing.

Dan is a proud Barkindji man who grew up primarily in Dubbo on Wiradjuri Country before moving to Canberra on Ngnunnawal and Ngambri Country. Dan has a breadth of experience across multiple sectors, including national and state government, community and disability sectors, and all levels of the education sector. These roles primarily focused on First Nations outcomes and systemic improvement, with the Indigenisation of curriculum and cultural competency throughout all levels of education being a primary focus.

Dan has his Bachelor of Psychological Sciences and is completing his honour’s year in psychology at the University of Canberra before commencing postgraduate training in 2024. Dan hopes to focus his PhD studies on improving the cultural competency of early career psychologists through interventions at the master’s level during clinical training.

Dan brings a unique intersection of skills to Gayaa Dhuwi and hopes this work will improve the social and emotional wellbeing and mental health of First Nations Australians through systemic and impactful changes that drastically reduce First Nations suicide.

Lisa Barnes is a proud Wiradjuri woman born in Griffith NSW with family connections in Leeton, Cowra, Wagga Wagga and Euabalong.

Lisa has spent majority of her working career within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Sector, working closely with the community on the ground, as well as at a state and national level. Lisa began her journey at National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) as the Receptionist, which then led to a position as Senior Administration Officer. Prior to joining GDPSA, Lisa spent three years as a Drug and Alcohol Counsellor at Winnunga Nimmityjah Health and Community Services. Lisa has also completed a Certificate IV in Government and a Certificate IV in Business Administration. Lisa is currently midway through her Diploma of Business.

Lisa has worked at Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia as the Administration Officer and Executive Assistant since the organisation was established in 2020. For the first few months of Lisa’s employment at GDPSA, the CEO and Lisa were the only employees of the organisation. In this time, Lisa worked closely with the CEO to establish the secretariat and setup a functional office space. Currently, her main responsibilities include assisting staff with administration tasks and anything IT related, managing and responding to external enquires/correspondence, IT system implementation and support, organising travel, managing the CEO’s diary, organising board meetings, board papers and managing board correspondence.

Lisa’s combination of experience in Administration and her work providing Social, Emotional and Wellbeing support to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community is what made her excited to join the GDPSA team. She is excited to bring her skills acquired over the years and make significant contributions to GDPSA’s goals, and to ultimately grow with the organisation.

Alex is from Newcastle, having worked in the Advertising and Communications sector across the Hunter over the last decade. Having graduated with a Bachelor of Psychology and Masters of Digital Media, Alex started his career at ABC radio working across NSW before moving to Australia’s largest regional advertising company in Newcastle in 2016.

After gaining a plethora of skills and experience across a wide variety of clients, Alex moved to the hospitality marketing sector in wine country Hunter Valley for 4 years, before moving into the health industry.

Alex has a passion for creating and loves making fun, meaningful content that makes a difference to people’s day. Keep an eye out for him at events as he always has a microphone in one hand and a camera in the other.

Nikieta Riley is a proud Wiradjuri woman from Dubbo, NSW. She joined GDPSA in April 2021 in the position of Finance and Administration Officer.

Nikieta’s main responsibilities at GDPSA include processing payroll on a fortnightly basis, reconciling monthly bank statements, reviewing and processing staff leave forms, timesheets, salary sacrifice and reimbursements. She also processes invoices, manages supplier payments and accounts payable. Soon after starting at GDPSA, she completed two courses in Xero, the organisation’s accounting software. Nikieta also assists in general administration tasks.
Prior to GDPSA, Nikieta has acquired numerous skills and gained extensive experience through her own personal and career development. She has completed a Certificate III in Business, and has 18 months of experience working at CEA Technologies in Canberra.

Nikieta worked in multiple divisions at CEA Technologies including HR, Accounts, Finance/Systems, Purchasing and Payroll. She gained workplace experience that complimented her Vocational Education and Training learnings in her business course. Nikieta was also given the opportunity by CEA Technologies to complete a Certificate of Attainment in Executive Assistant, which she completed in 2020.

Nikieta is currently midway through two courses, Diploma of Business and a Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping. Nikieta’s passion to help and support the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community has led her to GDPSA, where she hopes to assist the organisation in achieving significant positive outcomes for her community.

Natalie is a proud Wiradjuri descendant raised on Darug Nation in Sydney, New South Wales. 

Natalie has over 10 years’ experience working in the health sector as a dental assistant and in the audiology industry in community engagement and customer service.

She has a Bachelor of Community Health from the University of South Australia which has given her an understanding of the social determinants of health and how this impacts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Natalie’s passion for contributing to meaningful change and advancing the self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s is what has led her to GDPSA.

At Gayaa Dhuwi, she is working as Project Support Officer and enjoys communicating and connecting with people. In her spare time, Natalie learns Auslan and is committed to inclusivity for people with a disability.