Meet Keona Wilson

My name is Keona Wilson, I am a proud descendant of the Bidjara people and live on the lands of the Wodi Wodi people of the Dharawal Nation.

I have worked NSW Health since I graduated as speech pathologist in 2005. I have worked as a community and inpatient paediatric speech pathologist and held various leadership roles in over the years. I am currently working as the project manager of the Aboriginal Healthy Hearts feasibility study. The healthy hearts project is the largest Translational Research Grant Scheme project for Aboriginal health in NSW. I am incredibly proud to be involved in this project because it is informed by community input, led by Aboriginal investigators and staff, with Aboriginal representation in governance panels and committees.

I love learning and growing, at the moment I am completing a graduate diploma of Indigenous Health Promotion. My key focus during this course will be looking at the cultural safety in the emergency department of a hospital in my local health district.

I joined IAHA when we were an association before we became an incorporated company and was on the inaugural board. I resigned from my Director position to start a family and maintained a close connection with IAHA during my maternity leave. I jump at the chance to stay involved with IAHA for example I am a mentor of two new grad speechies in the IAHA mentoring program, I am involved in mentoring research project and also provided feedback on IAHA’s NSW Health Cultural Mentoring Framework.

My strengths are in communicating, building relationships, working collaboratively, strategic planning, change management, governance and risk management. My knowledge has been developed over time in my experience working with mob and for mob in the mainstream system. I will use these skills, knowledge, and experience to collaborate with the board and the secretariat by actively contributing in board meetings, encouraging a culture of lateral kindness and support of other Directors, meeting deadlines and preparing for meetings. I will also actively represent IAHA with our partners and key stakeholders to ensure IAHA can achieve its key objectives.

Thank you for the opportunity to nominate for the IAHA board.

Stay safe and take care

Keona