Dr Jessa Rogers

Biography

Jessa Rogers CF GAICD MAIATSIS is a Wiradjuri researcher, educator and board director with over fifteen years of teaching experience in schools and tertiary education. Based in the Digital Media Research Centre (DMRC) as an Australian Research Council (ARC) DECRA Fellow (DE230100140), she is an Honorary Associate Professor in the School of Culture, Language and History at the Australian National University (ANU). Jessa’s research focuses on Indigenous research methods and methodologies, and Indigenous peoples’ experiences of education. She has attracted over one million dollars of research funding for projects she has led (or co-led) in Australian universities. Jessa's publications can be found here.

Jessa was the founding principal of Australia’s first boarding school for Indigenous young mothers and babies in Far North Queensland. She has been a Fulbright Scholar (Harvard University), a Churchill Fellow, and was awarded a National NAIDOC Award for her contributions to Indigenous girls’ education. Jessa’s research draws attention to the voices of Indigenous students, with a specific focus on Indigenous boarding school experiences in Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and mainland USA.

Jessa is an experienced board director and graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). Her ministerial appointments as a board member include the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (2018-2024), and the board of the Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) (current). Jessa was appointed to the national Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee (RTIRC) in 2024.  Jessa is a member of several committees, including the ACCAN Indigenous Steering Committee, and serves on the Aboriginal Australian Studies Journal Editorial Board among several journal and editorial boards. Jessa previously served on the board of Hato Paora College, a Maori boarding school in New Zealand and St Phillip's College (Alice Springs), a boarding school that serves Central Australian and remote/regional Indigenous students.

Jessa has extensive experience in pre-service teacher education. She has contributed nationally to Indigenous education programs including the 3Rs Framework, MATSITI and Narragunnawali (Reconciliation Australia). She is the co-author and co-editor of best-selling education texts including “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education: An Introduction to the Teaching Profession” (3rd Ed) (Cambridge University Press), and “Teaching: Making a Difference” (4th Ed) (Wiley). Jessa’s work in schools as a teacher spans primary through high school, and her many years of community engagement in Indigenous communities across Australia has led to her voice being nationally respected in Indigenous education. Jessa writes for IndigenousX, NITV, SBS, The Guardian, and The Conversation, and frequently contributes to media stories on Indigenous education.

Jessa is the proud mother of three sons. Her whanau (family) connections through marriage are to Ngati Kauwhata and Ngati Raukawa in Aotearoa. Jessa speaks te reo Maori, and is passionate about supporting Kohanga Reo and Kura Kaupapa Maori (Maori education), and Kaupapa Maori research methodologies and approaches.