Board & Executive Team Page -

Board & Executive Team

Meet the Rivmed Board

Riverina Medical and Dental Aboriginal Corporation’s Board is made up of community elected Directors and Skills Based Directors.

Rory McKenzie
Chairperson

Rory McKenzie is a proud Wiradjuri man, former combat medic in the ADF and nurse who had worked in the first aid industry for over 10 years. Holding multiple qualifications including a Diploma of Nursing and Diploma of Work Health and Safety, he is passionate about improving the health and wellbeing of First Nations peoples living in Wagga Wagga, on Wiradjuri Country. Rory also owns and operates Wagga Wagga First Aid Training to help with upskilling individuals and organisations in emergency response.

Maxine Honeysett
Deputy Chairperson

Maxine Honeysett, a proud Ngiyampaa/Wiradjuri woman on Wiradjuri country, serves as the Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Manager at MPHN, drawing on her extensive qualifications as an Enrolled Nurse, Aboriginal Health Practitioner, and Mental Health Clinician. Recently completing certifications in Leading with Emotional Intelligence and Mentoring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Maxine combines her clinical expertise from hospital and community settings with a passion for promoting quality healthcare and education in the community. Committed to increasing the representation of First Nations people in healthcare, particularly in nursing, Maxine envisions a future where younger generations actively contribute to healthcare systems and education, fostering positive change within their communities.

Simone Sheriff
Director

Simone Sherriff is a Wotjobaluk woman, currently working at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health at the University of Sydney, based in Wagga Wagga. She has a Graduate Diploma of Indigenous Health Promotion, a Masters of Public Health and has just finished her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). Simone is also on the committee for the Wurega Aboriginal Corporation in Horsham. She brings skills in community-led research and program design in child and maternal health, food security, and breastfeeding, and has extensive connections in Aboriginal health research across Australia. Simone is passionate about supporting Aboriginal organisations and peoples to gain further skills and training in research to develop and apply for funding grants to lead their own research around community priority areas to inform programs and policies.

David Mandel
Independent Director

David Mandel is one of the independent Directors of the RivMed Board. Based in Melbourne, David has a considerable business acumen, having garnered experience across executive leadership roles and a portfolio of non-executive appointments in both ASX listed, private and not-for-profit organisations.David has made valuable contributions to Boards across the health service, medical therapy and devices, biotech, software and FMCG sectors. After nine years on the Board of the Melbourne Children’s hospital and his time on this and another ACCHO, he brings the best of Clinical Governance in a culturally safe manner, to RivMed.

Bernard Higgins
Director

Bernard Higgins is a proud Wiradyuri man who was born in Wagga Wagga. His family moved to Leeton when he was 4 and he grew up there but with family connections in Wagga Wagga they would always visit. Moving back to Wagga Wagga in 2013, Bernard attended Charles Sturt University where he has so far completed a Bachelors of Animation and Visual Effects, A Bachelor of Science (Honours) First Class, and the Graduate Certificate in Wiradyuri Language, Culture, and Heritage.His Honour Exegisis was on Co-designing an Educational Animal Healthcare Animation with a Remote First Nations community in Far North Queensland with a focus on Hendra Virus in horses. He is currently the owner of Birdyulang Animations where he focuses on creating Wiradyuri Language and Cultural Animations working with Elders and community in Wagga Wagga and Leeton. He is also co-founder of Miil Miil Productions, a Wiradyuri owned Film Production company based in Leeton. With experience working in Local Government as well as his passion for the Wiradyuri community he recently gave a TEDx talk about the importance of Wiradyuri Nation Building and Language Reclamation. This passion for his community is why he sits on not only RIVMED’s board but also the Local Land Services Advisory Group, is the Secretary of the Wagga Wagga Aboriginal Interagency, and assists the Elders with the administration of the Mawang Gaway Elders Consultative meetings each month.

Hasantha Gunasekera
Independent Director

Professor Hasantha Gunasekera (Has) is the Professor of Paediatric Priority Populations for the Children’s Hospital at Westmead Clinical School (University of Sydney), where he trained and then worked as a paediatrician for the last quarter centuryHe has worked in Aboriginal health since 2000 and has a particular interest in Aboriginal ear disease, refugee health and the importance of improving child health for a health lifecourse.He was a Chief Investigator on SEARCH (Study of Environment on Aboriginal Resilience and Child Health) and from that work, set up and still helps manage HEALS (Hearing Earhealth And Language Services) partnering with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services across NSW, including Rivmed since 2013, to provide much needed ENT and speech services.Has is on the Board of the Academy of Child and Adolescent Health, has been an advocate for #KidsoffNauru, and also teaches medical students in the Sydney University Medical Program, including Aboriginal health sessions alongside our Aboriginal faculty.He will bring his passion, clinical, academic and advocacy experience to the Board to hopefully help advance the goal of positive health and wellbeing across the Lifecourse for First Nations children in the Riverina

Michelle Kennedy
Independent Director

Michelle Kennedy proud Wiradjuri woman currently working at the University of Newcastle as the Assistant Dean Indigenous Strategy and Leadership and Research Fellow in the College of Health Medicine and Wellbeing. I am also the Executive Manager of Research and Knowledge Translation at the Lowitja Institute.Michelle holds a PhD in Aboriginal Health, Masters in Social Science Majoring in Social Work. She brings skills and expertise in Social Work, particularly from her experiences working in the Out Home Care Sector leading the Case Management Transfer of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, developing and Implementing Cultural Support Planning and Family Restoration.Michelle is also skilled in health research and funding acquisition. She is passionate about contributing to improving the lives of our people and paving a better path for our future generations. Michelle believes that by leading the research we can direct the narratives about us and ensure our voices contribute to policy and practice.