Phillip Naden

Chairperson of the Board

Phillip Naden is a proud Aboriginal descendant of the Gamilaroi people from North Western NSW near Coonabarabran where his mother grew up on Burrabadee Mission. 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 ATSILS in Australia, former CEO with Bourke AMS, Bila Muuji Regional Consortia, and now the CEO of Dubbo and Coonamble Aboriginal Health Service. Phil has qualifications in Business and Management, Justice and Policing, is a Justice of the Peace and has recently run in the 2019 State Election as an Independent Candidate for the seat of Barwon. Phil has also recently finished his Masters Degree in Business and is looking forward to the role as Chairperson with AH&MRC.

Kane Ellis

Director

Kane's dad is from the Jingili people from the upper Barkley region in the NT, ranging from Tennant Creek to Borroloola. His mother's country is the Darwin area, the Larrakia people. Kane is proud of his heritage and has strong connections to his land and people.
Kane has been an Aboriginal health worker and graduated in 1998. He started working at Danila Dilba Health Service as a health worker then moved to a community health clinic (Bagot health clinic) for two years, working the clinic area.
He moved back to Danila Dilba in a health promotion role and then onto the Heart Foundation in Indigenous men's health. Kane ran the men's health program in the NT at the Heart Foundation.
He was lucky enough to be voted on to the Board of Danila Dilba as the Deputy Chairperson for three years. Before moving into the Clinic Manager's role of Danila Dilba Health Service for seven years during this time he acted as the Chief Executive for a period of six months.
Kane moved to NSW, to beautiful Wollongong commuting to Sydney to work at the Aboriginal Legal Service as the Regional Manager of the South Central Region and acted as the CE of the Aboriginal Legal Service during that time.
Kane missed his true passion, which is working in Community Controlled Aboriginal Health Services and so began his role at AH&MRC as the Comprehensive Care Practice Unit Manager. He is now the Chief Executive of the lllawarra Aboriginal Medical Service and is very proud to be on the Board of AH&MRC.

Lynette Kilby

Director

Lynette Kilby, Lyn for short, is a proud Wiradjuri woman born and bred in Griffith NSW. Lyn is a mother of 5 and has a football team of grand children and great grandchildren. As a Proud Wiradjuri woman with strong ties to Warengesda, and having raised her children on a mission, Lyn has seen and lived through the hardships and issues so many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have and continue to face. Lyn is eager to assist where she can to alleviate these issues.

Up until April 2020 Lyn was employed by the Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Limited (ALS), a position she had held for over 20 years, firstly as a Field Officer based in the Griffith Office covering the Central and South West of NSW assisting the Community through the criminal justice system, and then as the Western Region Community Engagement Manager covering two thirds of the state this side of the Blue Mountains. Lyn’s position was made redundant in April 2020 and she is now retired.

Lyn is currently a Director of the Griffith Aboriginal Medical Service (GAMS) and for many years, up until recently, held the Chairperson position, assisting the service to grow into one of the best holistic health providers across the Communities GAMS services, however Lyn had to step down from the Chairperson position due to relocating.

Lyn has and continues to work with communities to recognise and alleviate issues that exist in the various sectors. Her work is community minded, advocating for Community across the health, legal, aged care, childcare and education sectors. Her mission is to raise the platform of Aboriginal people wherever she can so that Community members, on an individual and collective level can have a voice and feel empowered.

Lyn is very familiar with the issues that Aboriginal people face through lived experience and from spending her entire adult life working for and within Communities. Lyn’s aim is to do the best she can to advocate for Aboriginal people on a personal and professional level and assist Communities in overcoming the injustices Aboriginal people face across the board on a daily basis.

Aunty Valda Keed

HREC Elder Representative

Aunty Val was born in Peak Hill, New South Wales and is a descendent from a long line of proud Wiradjuri people in this area. Aunty Val is the Chairperson of the AH&MRC Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC), a position she has held since 2007. Aunty Val has generously shared her cultural knowledge and guidance with many researchers over the years and enjoys educating researchers on the most culturally appropriate ways to consult, engage and acknowledge the Aboriginal Community and their involvement in human research. Aunty Val is passionate about supporting her mob to be further involved in the human research space in New South Wales and continues to support the HREC to deliver high quality, transparent and informed ethical reviews of research.

Aunty Val was a founding member of the AH&MRC since its establishment (initially as the Aboriginal Health Resource Committee) in 1985. Aunty Val has held a number of positions on the AH&MRC Board of Directors over the years, representing the Lower Central West area on many occasions. Aunty Val is currently the Chairperson of the Peak Hill Aboriginal Medical Service and has also been involved in many community-based organisations in the region, including the Peak Hill Local Aboriginal Land Council, Warramunga Aboriginal Advancement Co-operative, Mid Lachlan Aboriginal Housing Management Association, Weigelli Drug and Alcohol Centre (Cowra), and the National Parks Peak Hill/Bogan River Aboriginal Joint Management Group.

Tracey Singleton

Kenneth Knox

Director