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Chair - Chris Matthews

Professor Chris Matthews is from the Quandamooka people of Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island) in Queensland, Australia. Chris received a PhD in applied mathematics from Griffith University and was a Senior Lecturer in applied mathematics at the Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University. Over the last ten years, Chris developed a deeper interest in mathematics education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners and exploring the connections between mathematics and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge.

Chris is currently the Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mathematics Alliance (ATSIMA) that aims to transform mathematics education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners. He is also a senior curriculum advisor for the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) for the National Mathematics Curriculum working to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in the curriculum. Chris has recently been appointed the Associate Dean (Indigenous Leadership and Engagement) in the Science Faculty at University Technology of Sydney (UTS). As part of this role, Chris will be leading a team of academics to transform the Science curriculum to meet the Indigenous Graduate Attribute and develop a Community of Indigenous STEM professionals at UTS.

Mark Rose

Prof. Mark Rose is an Aboriginal man traditionally linked to the Gunditjmara Nation of western Victoria. With a forty-year career in education, Mark has contributed to a broad range of educational settings within the state as well as nationally and internationally. At a state and national level and with community endorsement Mark has served on five ministerial advisory committees.

In 2003-2005, Mark co-chaired the Victorian Implementation Review of Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. In the last fifteen years Mark has held senior academic potions and in 2020 he became the inaugural Pro-Vice Chancellor at Deakin University. Mark’s commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education is seen in his role in community groups such as the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc (VAEAI) and the raft of statutory bodies he sits on. Mark is often drawn upon for keynotes and media.

Jessica Jeeves

Jessica is the Principal, Traditional Owner and Indigenous Procurement at BHP. She has spent the last 20 years in a mix of community, government and business roles in Indigenous affairs. She was most recently leading Partnerships and Stakeholder Relations at the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC) which she joined after five years at the Business Council of Australia (BCA) where she led increases in Indigenous employment and procurement among large Australian corporations.

Jessica also spent five years at Reconciliation Australia as a part of the team that developed the Reconciliation Action Plan program. Jessica has lived and worked in remote Aboriginal communities and across corporate, not-for-profit and government sectors to support Indigenous-led enterprise and opportunity. Jessica lives on Kaurna country with her family and camp dog.

Will Morony

Will Morony retired as Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers in 2018. He came to the Association in 1997 after a twelve year career as a teacher of secondary mathematics and physics in South Australian schools, and ten years as a senior mathematics officer in the curriculum section of the South Australian education department, during which time he was involved in several national initiatives in mathematics.

As AAMT CEO, Will had oversight of the Association’s activities. He took an active national leadership role in AAMT’s work to represent and support the Association’s members in a range of areas including curriculum and materials development, policy, professional learning, progressing national agendas such as numeracy, Indigenous students’ learning of mathematics and integrated STEM education.

Will’s direct engagement in supporting the learning of mathematics began in the early 1990s when he taught mathematics in the early years of the Aboriginal Summer School or Excellence in Technology and Science (ASSETS), an initiative of the University of SA. While at AAMT he led several significant projects in the area and helped facilitate the establishment of ATSIMA, becoming an inaugural Board member.

In retirement, Will has continued his involvement in the field as a consultant to several national initiatives and as a member of the ATSIMA Board. He is the Chair of the Local Organising Committee for the Fifteenth International Congress on Mathematics Education (ICME15) to be held in Sydney in July 2024.

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Mathematics Alliance

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