WHRN2025: Program

Reakeeta Smallwood (RN, BN, PhD) is a proud Gamilaroi Calala murri yinarr, Registered Nurse and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney’s Susan Wakil Nursing and Midwifery School. She trained as a registered nurse through the NSW Health Aboriginal Cadetship program and has held various roles in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing across health and higher education sectors. As a proud recipient of UTS’s Jumbunna Indigenous Higher Degree Postgraduate scholarship, Reakeeta completed her PhD exploring the historical trauma inquiry and resilience with Aboriginal young people in Australia. Reakeeta proudly locates her work within the Indigenous research paradigm and the examiners of her thesis recommended her work for a Special Commendation. Her thesis is one of the first studies in Australia to explore historical trauma with Aboriginal young people. Reakeeta’s early career researcher work is deeply rooted in community-led health research, with a focus on improving outcomes and research capacity with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.

Professor Sharon Brownie is an experienced leader with extensive experience in education, health management, and public policy development. Her career spans the health, education, economic development, and employment sectors, shaped by a global perspective gained through work in Australia, New Zealand, East Africa, Fiji, and the Middle East.

Professor Brownie’s leadership has centred on capacity building, workforce development, business growth, and change management. She maintains active nursing licensure in both Australia and New Zealand and holds a doctorate that evaluated New Zealand’s partnership-based public policy model for local and regional economic development—reflecting her enduring commitment to rural, remote, and regional advancement.

She is widely recognised for her expertise in community engagement and collaboration with professional bodies, industry partners, and government agencies across national and international contexts. Passionate about equitable access to health and education, Professor Brownie has worked extensively in rural and remote settings to improve service quality and access for marginalised and disadvantaged populations.

Her work continues to focus on building strong and sustainable social and educational networks and fostering the socioeconomic conditions that enable communities and families to thrive.

A proud Charles Sturt alumna, she is excited to join the University’s School of Rural Medicine, where she will contribute to research capacity building and the expansion of health service networks.

Tony Dreise (pronounced ‘drice’) is the Pro Vice-Chancellor of First Nations Strategy at Charles Sturt University. He is a proud member of the Guumilaroi and Euahlayi First Nations of north-west New South Wales and south-west Queensland.

Professor Dreise has over 30 years’ experience in education, public administration, and Indigenous policy.  Internationally recognised as a First Nations leader in policy, evaluation, and research in the fields of education and Indigenous affairs, Tony has been at the forefront of several cutting-edge national reforms and regional innovations.

He started his career as a teacher, before moving into public policy (including obtaining an Executive Master of Public Administration with the Australia and New Zealand School of Government) and later into research and tertiary education (including graduating with a PhD from the Australian National University ANU). He served as the inaugural Professor of Indigenous Policy at ANU.

Tony is a passionate advocate for lifelong and life-wide learning. He has volunteered in the past as the Chair of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation and Board Member of Adult Learning Australia.