CFirst

Raymond Walters,

CEO and Founder of Penangke Cultural Consultants

Raymond Walters

CEO and Founder of Penangke Cultural Consultants

Raymond Walters heads Penangke Cultural Consultants, offering professional services in collaboration with local Aboriginal communities and various corporate, social, and government entities in both urban and remote areas. As an Anmatyerre man, he maintains deep familial and community ties to the Alywarre, Kaytege, Warlpiri, and Arrernte language groups. Residing in Alice Springs, Raymond brings over 40 years of experience shaped by his Aboriginal heritage and professional background. In 2024, Penangke Cultural Consultants was named Best Blak Consultancy Business at the annual NT Indigenous Business Networks awards held in Mparntwe (Alice Springs).

Donna Stephens

Lead Researcher

Irene Stanley,

CEO and Founder of Indigenous Women in Trades and First Class Finish

Ian Hamm

Director of Community First Development

Ian Hamm

Director of Community First Development

Ian Hamm is a Director for Community First Development and is on the board of a range of organisations including Chairperson of the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation and First Nations Foundation. He is a Yorta Yorta man who has been actively involved in the Victorian Indigenous community in a personal and professional capacity for over 30 years. Ian directly promotes and advances the rights of First Nations people through his leadership roles.

Irene Stanley

CEO and Founder of Indigenous Women in Trades and First Class Finish

Irene Stanley is the founder of Indigenous Women in Trades and First Class Finish, a painting business operating in Ipswich and Brisbane. Irene is committed to empowering Indigenous women by encouraging them to explore various trades, particularly in painting. Through hands-on experience in the painting industry, (as well as in other trades) these women build valuable skills and confidence, enabling them to thrive in the workplace and beyond.

Leanne Sanders

CEO and Founder of Visual Dreaming

Donna Stephens

Lead Researcher

We're excited to be hearing from Donna, the lead researcher of this project. She has an admirable 30 years of experience in education, health, community development, research and evaluation in the NT. Donna was awarded the inaugural Community First Development Fellow for Research and Evaluation in 2020 where she explored options to best use our historical and emerging impact data, support our action research project and related publications, and facilitated shared learning by yarning with our internal community of practice. Donna is also the Managing Consultant at DMS Research & Evaluation Consulting. Learn more about her work as Fellow here

Leanne Sanders

CEO and Founder of Visual Dreaming

Leanne Sanders is the founder and CEO of Visual Dreaming, a First Nations-led social enterprise and tech company in Wagga Wagga, NSW. As a proud Kamilaroi, Tati Tati, Wadi Wadi, and Mutti Mutti woman, she empowers Aboriginal youth through digital tools that blend cultural practices with modern technology. Read more about our work with Leanne here. Read more about our work together here.