Raelene Ward

Dr Raelene is a proud Aboriginal Kunja woman a traditional owner of Cunnamulla and surrounding areas on her late Grandfathers side Albert McKellar and her late Grandmother Hazel McKellar a Kooma elder from south west Queensland. Raelene is a Senior Academic working at UniSQ for over 15 years. Raelene is qualified registered nurse both hospital and university trained, graduating with a PhD in Aboriginal suicide. Over the last 12 months Raelene has been leading First Nations Engagement as the knowledge broker for the Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales (SQNNSW) Drought Resilience Hub raising the voices, perspectives, needs and aspirations of First Nations peoples. Raelene continually gives back to her community and others whom she works with, her research is Aboriginal led and community driven. Raelene is Director on the One Basin CRC; Murray Darling Basin First Nations Leadership Group for the Outlook and member on the Australian Farmers Institute Research Advisory Committee.

Involved in:

• Innovations in water management: the future of the Murray-Darling Basin (November 2023)