Leila Smith and Geoff Richardson have been appointed to the Board of the Remote Area Health Corps (RAHC) following the departure of Dr Chris Bourke and Ms Janine Mohamed.
The Remote Area Health Corps (RAHC) is delighted to welcome Leila Smith and Geoff Richardson to the Board.
Leaving the RAHC Board are Dr Chris Bourke and Ms Janine Mohamed.
Ms Smith and Mr Richardson will be joined on the Board by current members Chair Pat Anderson AO and directorsGlenn Keys AO, Erin Lew Fatt and Annette Owttrim.
“I look forward to working alongside my fellow RAHC Board members under Pat Anderson’s leadership to strengthen the capacity of the health sector in responding to the needs and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities,” said Ms Leila Smith.
Ms Smith is a proud Wiradjuri woman and CEO of the Aurora Education Foundation. She holds a Masters of Public Policy from the University of Cambridge and has extensive experience working in the Aboriginal health and education sectors.
Mr Geoff Richardson is a descendant of the Meriam people and the Kuku Yalanji/Djabugay peoples of North Queensland and a former federal public servant with approximately 40 years of service. He has worked extensively across a broad range of program and policy areas, including broadcasting, land acquisition, housing and infrastructure and community development. He has been a leader in the provision of cross-departmental advice on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community engagement, cultural protocols, cultural appreciation, and community development approaches.
“I’m excited to join the RAHC Board because I want to contribute to the important work the organisation does in linking health professionals to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled health organisations and their communities,” he said.
Since 2008, RAHC has provided more than 7,000 health professional placements into remote communities in the Northern Territory, who collectively have provided the equivalent of 700 years of service.