Dr Raylene Nixon

2022 Cohort

Pronouns: she/her

Raylene is working to address the lack of inclusion and afforded value of Indigenous peoples in their own country; advocating for the elimination of deaths in custody of Aborginal people.

Raylene is a Gunggari woman based in Yorta Yorta, Shepparton, Victoria, Australia where she is a lecturer in Rural Aboriginal Health at the Department of Rural Health, University of Melbourne. She has many years’ experience working in welfare, health, project management, Indigenous community development and education. Raylene is skilled in Research, Ecological Evaluations, Strategic Planning, Leadership Development, Governance, Organizational Development, Community Development and Engagement.

Her interests are in strength-based research and leadership in Aboriginal communities. She has Certificates in Community Services, Indigenous and Youth Mental Health and Indigenous Research, a Diploma in Aboriginal Family and Community Counseling, a Masters in Health and Social Science, and a Doctor of Philosophy with the University of Melbourne that considered Prosperity on Country: re-imagining and re-positioning the social, cultural, economic and political value of Indigenous people in the Goulburn Murray region.

“My interests are in strength-based research that addresses the lack of inclusion and afforded value of Indigenous peoples in their own country.”

Social change work

Further research is required to understand the community-driven approach better to address Indigenous peoples' position both living on Yorta Yorta country and comparing their approach to other Empowered Communities sites across Australia. Drawing on her existing research as well as through the development of two new case studies, Raylene will examine the Indigenous community's prosperity plan in more detail. She will re-visit what key leaders have found to be the challenges and successes in the Goulburn Murray region's approach to repositioning value and the relationship it has with governments and industries. She is particularly interested in the impact of government policies and interventions.