Since QATSICPP’s founding in 2009, we have had many strong board members who have guided and supported our team. Today, our Board includes resilient cultural leaders, practice experts, innovators and experts focused on helping us realise our vision.
Rachael Ham
Chairperson
Rachael Ham is a proud Ewamian and Kuku Yalanji woman through her mother’s side and of Welsh heritage through her father’s side, and was born and raised in Cairns, Far North Queensland.
Rachael has been working in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health sector for nearly 25 years, holding a range of positions including Board of Director roles, Project and Research assistant roles and, more recently, in Social and Emotional Wellbeing and Drug and Alcohol, where she oversaw a Residential Drug and Alcohol rehabilitation centre in Far North Queensland.
Rachael is the Deputy CEO of Wuchopperen Health Service, where she leads the Child Youth and Family Services portfolio. In 2025, she was appointed Chair of QATSICPP at the Annual General Meeting, a role that reflects her deep commitment to strengthening the community controlled sector. Rachael believes strongly in the sector because it is where the voices are and where the solutions can be actioned for children and our future.
Simone Jackson
Director, South West Queensland
Simone Jackson is a proud Kamilaroi woman and Chief Executive Officer of Kambu Health, a role she stepped into in January 2021 to lead the organisation through a period of significant growth and transformation.
With over 25 years’ experience in government, Simone has dedicated her career to human services, with a particular focus on Aboriginal Affairs and Child Protection.
Her leadership is grounded in a deep commitment to improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. At Kambu Health, Simone champions culturally safe, community-led services that prioritise respect, prevention, and disease management. Her vision is reflected in the organisation’s guiding mission: “Our People, Our Community, Our Health, Our Way.”
Simone’s strategic approach and operational insight have positioned Kambu Health as a trusted provider of holistic care. She continues to drive meaningful change across the sector, ensuring services remain responsive, inclusive and grounded in community values.
In addition to her role at Kambu Health, Simone contributes her expertise through several key leadership positions. She serves as Deputy Chair of the Child Death Review Board, is a Member of the Queensland Parole Board, and sits on the Board of the Thriving Queensland Kids Partnership.
Through her unwavering commitment to community empowerment and culturally strong service delivery, Simone is shaping a legacy of health equity and leadership for generations to come.
Aletia Twist
Director, Cape and Torres Strait
Aletia Twist is a proud descendant of the Birri Gubba Birria people, born in Cairns and now residing on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait. With more than 25 years of experience across Indigenous health, community leadership and executive management, Aletia is a known and respected advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing and self-determination.
As Chief Executive Officer of Mura Kosker Sorority Inc., she leads one of the region’s most significant community-controlled organisations, providing social wellbeing, family and women’s leadership programs across 18 island communities.
Aletia has driven major organisational reform, including the transition to a Company Limited by Guarantee and the development of key initiatives such as the Sisters of the Strait Summit.
Her earlier career included senior leadership roles with Apunipima Cape York Health Council and Queensland Health, specialising in primary health care, chronic disease prevention and public health nutrition.
A published researcher and former member of several national Indigenous health committees, Aletia holds postgraduate qualifications in community nutrition, counselling, and rural and remote health management. She is widely recognised for her culturally informed leadership and commitment to empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait women, families and communities.
Dr Gerald Featherstone GAICD – PhD, MSW, BSWk
Director, South East Queensland
Dr Gerald Featherstone is a Bundjalung man from South East Queensland and an Indigenous Social Worker with over two decades of executive, clinical and research experience in the human services sector.
He is Chief Executive Officer of Kummara Limited, a respected Community Controlled Indigenous agency delivering early intervention, childhood and family support, kinship and foster care, and therapeutic services across South East Queensland.
Gerald has served as State Co-Chair for Family Matters Queensland and as a Director for several organisations. He held a Ministerial appointment on the inaugural Queensland First Children and Families Board, helping guide the Our Way Strategy and Changing Tracks Action Plans — a generational response to the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care.
Gerald has contributed to numerous boards and committees, including QATSICPP, Murri Mura Aboriginal Corporation and UQ’s Social Work and Community Industry Advisory Committee, bringing strategic leadership and policy insight to service delivery and governance. He co-authored Queensland’s landmark Our Way strategy and has supported major service expansions and policy initiatives funded through state and federal programs.
A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Gerald brings deep expertise in governance, risk management and strategic renewal. His ongoing academic and community roles include PhD supervision at the University of Queensland and partnership in national research projects on FASD, parenting and family support.
He remains a strong advocate for evidence-informed practice, Indigenous leadership in policy development, and the integration of culture and community knowledge into service design and delivery.
Darcy Cavanagh
Director, Moreton Region
Darcy is the Chief Executive Officer and founding member of REFOCUS (Redirecting and Empowering Families through Culturally Unique Services ) since inception in 2010. A proud Bundjalung man, Darcy first began working within the youth and child protection sector in 1998, inspired by his brief experience of being placed in the foster care system as a child.
“A lot of my experience, or so-called expertise, has come from my lived experience and learning from every person that I have come into contact with through my childhood and working career. “
Darcy’s lived and professional experiences lead him to create a service “that is not just about ticking boxes and reaching targets, but reaches the heart of a person and creates meaningful change and a sense of belonging.” Beginning Refocus with six staff, now with a team of 62, the charity supports thousands of individuals through a variety of programs across its catchment area, with a specific focus on children under 18. Programs include family wellbeing services, family participation programs, NDIS support services, foster and kinship care as well as Aboriginal medical service Gunyah of Wellness.
Under Darcy’s leadership REFOCUS has delivered much-needed services to a substancial portion of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in the Gympie, Sunshine Coast, and Moreton Bay regions including:
- The provision of Family Wellbeing Services to over 1,600 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Families comprising of nearly 4,000 individuals
- Support for over 350 Parents/Carers through the Family Participation Program
- Placement of over 120 children in Community Kinship Care.
- Current providing Delegation of Authority services for 18 individual children in scope for reunification.
- Provision of primary healthcare services to nearly 5,000 patients, including 1,800 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members through the Gunyah of Wellness Medical Centre.
- Over 1,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 715 Health Assessments conducted by Gunyah of Wellness in less than three (3) years of operation.
- Promotion of the First Nations approach to healthcare as well as reconciliation through opening our medical clinic to Non-Indigenous patients.
- Provision of NDIS package support for 35 clients, with the capacity for substantial growth.
- Provision of a responsive, frontline service delivery throughout the COVID-19 crisis.
Darcy is driven by the goal of seeing the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community achieve the fullest expression of their true authentic selves and to leave a heart print of Aboriginal in every interaction leaving people touched moved inspired and informed.
Jason Field
Director, Central Queensland
Jason Field is the Chief Executive Officer of Central Queensland Indigenous Development (CQID) and has worked in CQID for the past 17 years. As a proud descendant of the Wiradjuri people, Jason is an accomplished Indigenous Affairs professional with over 26 years’ experience in the private, public and community sectors.
Jason’s passion is to improve services to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in Central Queensland. He has spearheaded major strategic shifts that have transformed CQID from an employment agency to an enabler of innovation in the Child Protection space. This has enabled CQID to support families and children and empowers Indigenous families in local decision-making.
He was the Chairperson of the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Peak Limited (QATSICPP) for 6 years, and also sat on the Community Legal Centre Board in Rockhampton. Prior to Jason’s appointment as CEO of CQID, he held the position of State Manager of the Indigenous Home Care and Disability Services in NSW and after three years in this position relocated to Rockhampton in 2005.
Rachel Atkinson
Director, North Queensland Region
Rachel is a proud Yorta Yorta woman who has dedicated her working life to improving the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Rachel has extensive lived experience in working in rural, remote and regional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This includes over 25 years’ experience as CEO of large community-based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations delivering health and social services.
She has been CEO of PICC since its incorporation in 2007 and has overseen its growth to become the larger service provider and employer on Palm Island.