The Ember Connect board guides the organisation’s strategic direction, oversees management, and ensures compliance with our goals, purpose and strategic objectives. All of the board’s members are independent non-executive directors. Our current directors bring with them a wealth of personal, professional and community experiences and are passionate about our work. They act voluntarily and receive no payment for their services.
Our independently reviewed annual financial report to 31 December 2025 can be viewed by clicking here.
As a strategist, facilitator, and advocate, Ann-Maree brings close to a decade of experience leading national programs that champion students and promote healing through storytelling, creativity, and collaboration. With an unwavering commitment to amplifying young Indigenous voices, her leadership spans designing and delivering training for students, mentoring emerging leaders, and driving community-informed strategies for sustainable change. Ann-Maree is the Co-Founder of Sandpoppy Weaving, a small business focused on craft and creation for healing alongside her mum Aunty Barb. Her dedication extends to Board roles and Advisory groups focused on climate justice, health equity, and youth empowerment. Ann-Maree’s work is grounded in gratitude, truth-telling, and a vision for strong, happy, and connected communities. As a self proclaimed ‘neuro-sparkly career cupid’ she is excited to connect community with opportunities to grow, learn, expand, share, and connect.
Susan Chew is a solicitor admitted in the Supreme Court of Western Australia, having over 20 years of experience advising a number of multinational corporations in the engineering and resources, technology and utilities sectors on commercial and corporate law. Susan has a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) and a Bachelor of Laws from Murdoch University. She is also a corporate governance specialist, having completed a Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance with the Governance Institute of Australia and serves on several boards in the not-for-profit sector. Susan is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Associate Professor Sadie Heckenberg is the Pro Vice Chancellor Aboriginal Leadership and Director, Institute of Indigenous Knowledges at the University of Tasmania. Prior to that she was the Academic Director (Indigenous Research) and a Senior Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research Fellow within the Moondani Toombadool Centre (MTC) at Swinburne University of Technology. Sadie is the President of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Consortium (NATSIHEC) and sits on the Universities Accord Ministerial Reference Group and the Australian Research Council’s College of Experts.
A Wiradjuri scholar, Sadie was awarded her PhD in 2018, entitled Nothing About Us Without Us: Protecting Indigenous knowledges through oral histories and culturally safe research practices. Sadie was a Fulbright Scholar based in the Kamakakūokalani Centre for Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawai’i Mānoa, has been a Columbia University Oral History Institute Summer Fellow, a National Library of Australia Norman McCann Summer Scholar, has held a Confucius China Studies Program Young Leaders Fellowship as well as attending Columbia University’s International Summer Program on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Policy.
Sadie also sits on the board of Black Duck Group, on the Universities Australia DVC Corporate Committee, and she has held a ministerial appointment on the Higher Education Standards Panel (2018-2021). Sadie is the Lead CI for Australian Research Council’s Linkage Project: Empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Girls, Changing Communities.
Lisa Sarago is a trailblazing Bundaburra Yidinji/Western Yalanji woman, and the CEO of Land on Heart.
An award-winning Indigenous leader, Lisa has dedicated her career to promoting cultural awareness and nurturing tech talent within Indigenous communities. Her strategic leadership and advocacy for disadvantaged groups have earned her industry-wide recognition.
With a focus on empowering individuals, particularly Indigenous women, and fostering inclusivity, Lisa’s vision extends to her role as a non-executive director on the LiveTiles Limited Board. Her experience as Chief Executive of various organisations, including Goanna Education and Goanna Solutions, underscores her commitment to creating opportunities for marginalised groups.
Sharna is a proud Yued Whadjuk woman, and a highly accomplished financial expert specialising in Indigenous organisational sustainability. She brings over two decades of experience as a fully accredited financial planner, leveraging her robust academic background, a Bachelor of Business and a Masters in Financial Planning to focus on strengthening the capacity of Indigenous entities. Sharna’s core specialisation lies in developing effective governance frameworks and investing strategies that drive long-term economic independence and sustainability.
Driven by a profound, personal commitment to financial literacy, a passion grounded in early lessons learned from her father, Sharna’s mission is to demystify complex financial systems. She is dedicated to making powerful financial knowledge and tools accessible to Indigenous leaders and communities. Sharna’s unique understanding of the regional landscape, having spent her formative years in centres including Darwin, Kalgoorlie, and Karratha, informs her approach. Currently based in Boorloo (Perth) on Whadjuk Country, she also serves as a Director on the board of the Yued Aboriginal Corporation.
Maryanne is a qualified Fellow of the CPA, with a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Information Technology) Degree from Curtin University. She has worked in the sport and the not-for-profit sector in Western Australia for over 25 years.
She was previously the Chief Financial Officer for Richmond Wellbeing one of Western Australia’s leading mental health service providers; the inaugural Finance Manager for Optus Stadium, Financial Controller for Clontarf Foundation, and the Chief Financial Officer at the Western Force and RugbyWA.
Maryanne is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, is currently the Chair of the UWA Sport Advisory Group and previously served as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of the Western Australia Institute of Sport, where she was a member of the Audit and Risk Committee and also served on the PrideWA Committee.
Throughout her career, Maryanne has maintained a clear focus on working with organisations that support people as they strive to be the best that they can be in their life and remains dedicated to helping build a society that is inclusive, mindful, and considerate.
Ember Connect wishes to acknowledge the many Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and we honour their deep continuing connection to land, sky, waterways and community.
We pay our respects to our Elders past, present and emerging who illuminate our journey to truth-telling, culture and conservation, which remains stronger than ever.