A young Aboriginal woman from the Far North Queensland town of Hope Vale became CEO of Australia’s leading Indigenous education provider this month – for just one day.
Sha-Lane Gibson grew up in Hope Vale and is currently studying at University – completing a Bachelor of Business at Bond University – while also working as a consultant at Cape York Partnership and is a member of their Cape York Leaders Program.
As part of the CEO for a Day program, in recognition of her leadership potential, Sha-Lane has been handed the helm of the Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre.
“Giving young leaders like Sha-Lane the chance to step up and experience life as a CEO of a national education organisation is a really important step,” CEO Rachelle Towart said.
“Young Indigenous leaders need role models and opportunities to expand their skills and horizons if we are going to build the number of Indigenous people occupying senior leadership roles in Australian organisations.”
“After growing up in my community I found that things were never as they seemed,” Sha-Lane said.
“I found that there were a lot of things that needed to be fixed and the only place to start was right here in Hope Vale.
“Over the years I became really passionate about helping my community prosper and grow into a safe a reliable community.
“Education is the first step in the process, educating our youngest to inspire them to become whatever they want.
“I come from a line of passionate people who share the same values and beliefs and are dedicated to breaking the continuous negative cycles that unfortunately exist in our community.
“My dream is to one day step into a community leadership position – so this is a great start!”