Tycho Buningh is a port management and logistics consultant. Tycho has extensive experience in management and has held a number of senior executive roles in port administration and the shipping industry, including roles in port operations and port infrastructure planning, coastal shipping operations, business development, project management and commercial management. Tycho is also the founder of Winangali Logistics, an independent majority owned Indigenous logistics company providing road transport, warehousing, pick ‘n’ pack, inventory management, integrated logistics and supply chain solutions.

Aurelius Yan is a proud Mentawai elder from Siberut Island. In 1979, Aurelius began working as a teacher in the hinterland communities of Siberut. Within this role, Aurelius offered assistance in finding solutions for day-to-day issues, but as these were general problems relating to traditional culture, he found it difficult because he himself was not yet acquainted with his traditional Mentawai knowledge. In 1983, Aurelius was invited to guide a Dutch anthropologist on Siberut and through this, he himself became drawn to anthropology. Aurelius soon accompanied the anthropologist to the Netherlands and began studying anthropology at the Vrije Universiteit, in Amsterdam. In addition, he undertook studies in medical anthropology. Completing his study, Aurelius pursued multiple jobs in Amsterdam, including assisting Prof. Dr Reimar Schefold in interpreting Mentawaian transcriptions. Whilst relevant, Aurelius realised his purpose was, in fact, to do meaningful work for the people of the Mentawai Islands. In 2003, Aurelius was invited to coordinate healthcare projects for NGOs Kirekat and a Reimar Schefold Foundation funded by Cordaid, so Aurelius decided to move back to his homeland – Mentawai. For 7 years Aurelius coordinated expeditions through the rainforests of Siberut Island. The main objective was to combine modern healthcare with traditional Mentawai medical systems in remote areas. He coordinated doctors to visit several of these remote communities on a regular basis to provide medical examinations and essential medicine. Additionally, he provided consultation whilst coordinating various projects subsequent to tsunamis in Aceh and Sikakap; and made an unsuccessful attempt to be elected as Regent of the Mentawai Islands. Hence, in 2012 Aurelius took a step back and pursued a role managing a tourism resort in Bunaken island, North of Sulawesi. Missing Mentawai, Aurelius moved back home again after a year and built a traditional Mentawaian longhouse called a Uma on a beautiful bounty island, called: Karangmajat. After a few years, his daughter Sitta joined him and Umata Village was born. When Aurelius is not providing his support to Mentawai’s grassroot cultural-based education initiatives, he is sharing his expansive knowledge of the history, culture, traditions and ecology on Siberut with guests.

Tri Duc Nguyen arrived in Australia from Vietnam by boat as part of the UNHCR Refugee Program in the early 1980s, at a young age. Having benefitted greatly from growing up in strong supportive communities that encouraged cultural diversity and importantly retention, he is particularly keen to ensure that Indigenous cultures are maintained wherever possible and through empowerment. Professionally, he is currently the General Counsel and Company Secretary of Redundancy Payment Central Fund Ltd (Incolink), a redundancy fund for the Commercial Building and Civil Construction industry in Victoria and Tasmania.  He is an accomplished corporate lawyer with substantial commercial and legal experience, particularly in the areas of M&A, Capital Raising, Litigation, Corporate Law, Corporate Governance (ASX listed entities & Government), Company Secretarial & Compliance (ASX listed entities & Government), General Commercial Law, Property, Industrial Law and Intellectual Property. Tri has been in practice for over 22 years with 18 years in various senior in-house roles at ASX listed entities and Federal Government. He is a founding Board member of the Vietnamese Australian Benevolent Foundation (SA) and a Director of Clean Swell Dreaming Pty Ltd.

Jade Preston has dedicated twenty years of her career to supporting disadvantaged individuals in align with her strong sense of social justice. Within her current role in the Department of Health and Human Services she is tasked with supporting vulnerable individuals with complex needs who are experiencing significant challenges navigating disability and mainstream systems. Jade works with people at risk of homelessness, justice involvement, children in the protection system and those unable to leave mental health facilities due to a lack of support in the community. An integral element of Jade’s work is to empower each mainstream interface by building capacity, and ensuring each intersect is held accountable to their responsibilities. Jade brings a wealth of hands-on experience and knowledge to the IEF Board.

Damian Sutherland is Senior Director at a leading Australian Accounting firm, William Buck, and holds numerous Board positions.

Rob Henry has worked with marginalised groups at a grass-root level for over a decade. Since 2008, Rob has lived and worked with the Mentawai community in western Sumatra, conducting anthropological research focused on Indigenous cultural knowledge, oral literature and the cause and impacts of loss of connection with their culture, land and its resources. In 2014, Rob founded the Indigenous Education Foundation (IEF) to empower the Mentawai community and other Indigenous peoples across the globe to reconnect with and further strengthen their culture as a means to prevent poverty. In 2017, Rob produced and directed award-winning documentary film, As Worlds Divide, which, filmed over the course of 8 years living with the Mentawai, explores the impacts of displacement and provides a compelling insight into the value of Indigenous knowledge in relation to some of today’s greatest global challenges. Rob has held the position of Chairman of the IEF board of Directors from 2014 – 2018. He continues volunteering his time as IEF President and working closely with our Indigenous partners.

Samantha Lee is currently studying a Bachelors in Forest Science and Management and is passionate about humans and their relationship to their forests – both economically, socially and spiritually. With a B of Digital Media also under her belt, she brings to IEF many years of experience leading and inspiring teams. When not busying herself with the operational ins and outs of IEF (volunteer), she spends her time enamoured by biodiversity and eucalypts.

With over 7 years professional graphic design experience across Sydney and London, Lizzy Medynskyj has a real passion for learning and strives to live a selfless life helping others through her creativity and compassion. Lizzy has voluntarily offered her services as IEF’s Creative Designer to support positive change for Indigenous cultures and the planet at large.

Isabelle commenced volunteering with the Indigenous Education Foundation in 2021, providing support in the revision of the Mentawai Rereiket-Indonesian dictionary. Isabelle graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2018 after completing the Bachelor of Arts (Linguistics and Indonesian) and Master of Speech Pathology. These degrees developed Isabelle’s interest and passion for indigenous languages, in particular the role of language in preserving culture and knowledge for First Nations communities. Isabelle currently works as a paediatric Speech Pathologist, a role which has highlighted for her the importance of exposing children to ancestral languages, and the benefits of immersing children in language-rich environments. Isabelle strongly believes in the relationship between indigenous language learning and self-identity, and is excited to support the Mentawai community to empower the next generation of Mentawai Sarereiket speakers.

TBA