Our team at the Carumba Institute is composed of academic and professional staff members who bring years of experience, forming a dedicated teaching, research, and supervisory team committed to building Indigenous research capability.
Meet our academics and professional staff of Carumba Institute.
Academic team
Executive Director
Professor Chelsea Watego
Chelsea Watego (formerly Bond) is a Munanjahli and South Sea Islander woman with over 20 years of experience working within Indigenous health as a health worker and researcher. She is currently Professor of Indigenous Health at QUT’s School of Public Health and Social Work. Her scholarship has drawn attention to the role of race in the production of health inequalities and her current ARC Discovery Grant seeks to build an Indigenist Health Humanities as a new field of research; one that is committed to the survival of Indigenous peoples locally and globally, and foregrounds Indigenous intellectual sovereignty.
Chelsea is a prolific writer and public intellectual, having written for IndigenousX, NITV, The Guardian, and The Conversation. She is a founding board member of Inala Wangarra, an Indigenous community development association within her community, a Director of the Institute for Collaborative Race Research, and was one half of the Wild Black Women radio/podcast show, but most importantly, she is also a proud mum to five beautiful children. Her debut book Another Day in the Colony, published by UQ Press, was released in November 2021 and met with critical acclaim.
Chelsea works at Carumba Institute’s Head Office at Gardens Point Campus.
Indigenist Health Humanities Academic Director
Dr David Singh
David is a settler. Originally from the UK, where he was a community organiser against racial violence and saturation policing and director of several municipal policy units, he is now the Academic Director of the ARC Indigenist Health Humanities project. He has taught refugee and social policy at Birkbeck College, University of London, and as a researcher specialises in race critical theory and its application in a range of policy areas including Indigenous health, education and policing.
He is the co-host, with Professor Chelsea Watego, of 'Let's Talk - Blacking Knowing' on Triple A Radio. He also a principal researcher and co-director of the Institute of Collaborative Race Research.
David works at Carumba Institute’s Head Office at Gardens Point Campus.
Lecturer
Francis Nona
Francis Nona is a descendant from the Dhoeybaw Clan of Saibai Island with strong ties to Badu Island in the Torres Strait. Francis is a lecturer and early-career researcher at the Queensland University of Technology, Carumba Institute. His work is informed by a strong cultural upbringing, balanced with a career as a Registered Nurse and Director of an Indigenous community-controlled health service in the Darling Downs. Francis has worked in clinical settings as a Registered Nurse including juvenile detention centres, aged care, rehabilitation units, brain injury rehabilitation, and Aboriginal Medical Services.
He has also managed and led Aboriginal Medical Services in his role as acting CEO and Clinic Manager. He has his nursing degree, Master of Public Health and is now enrolled in a PhD with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Queensland. He brings to academia a strong understanding of cultural engagement and protocol from his Country, an understanding of the health system as it applies to First Nations and other Australians.
Francis works across both the Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove campuses.
Lecturer
Dr Angela Baeza Peña
Dr Angela Baeza Peña is Diaguita First Nation from the north of Chile.
She is a lecturer at the Carumba Institute. Angela is a math teacher and holds a Master's degree in Education from Monash University and a Master's degree in Learning Disabilities from PUC. Her PhD focused on understanding the experiences of teachers and Indigenous community members in providing Indigenous education in rural and remote areas.
As a lecturer at Carumba Institute, she has actively contributed to significant research initiatives, such as the Queensland research project facilitated by the National Indigenous Research and Knowledges Network (NIRAKN). This ARC (Australian Research Council) funded project seeks to understand the social determinants that influence the completion of university by Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Angela is the project's chief investigator, creating partnerships for integrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge in Australian classrooms.
Angela’s research interests include Indigenous education, teacher professional development and higher education with Indigenous peoples. She has published several books and journal articles in English and Spanish. Angela enjoys her free time travelling and exploring nature with her beautiful daughter.
Angela works across both the Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove campuses.
Lecturer
Kevin Yow Yeah
Kevin Yow Yeh is a Wakka Wakka and South Sea Islander man, born and raised on Butchulla/Badjala Country in Queensland's South East. Kevin completed his social work undergraduate degree at QUT and has recently returned as a lecturer within the Carumba Institute.
Kevin is also a research student at QUT, investigating ways to best support First Nations peoples through complaint processes. As a Director of the Institute for Collaborative Race Research, Kevin is interested in race, racism and the pursuit of justice and is an active member of the Magan-djin community where he enjoys collaborating with other First Nations peoples across academia, activism and the arts.
Kevin is a regular on Triple A's Let's Talk radio show and enjoys a laugh as a TV commentator on network Ten's Gogglebox series.
Kevin works at Carumba Institute’s Head Office at Gardens Point Campus.
Professional team
Manager, Carumba Institute
Renita Anderson
Teaching and Research Operations Coordinator
Talitha Love
Talitha is a proud Kamilaroi woman with Papua New Guinean heritage. Her mob’s connection is located at the southern QLD and northern NSW border. She was born in Meanjin (Brisbane) and raised in Logan on Yugumbeh Country where she currently raises her small family.
Talitha’s background comes from Local Government and after the development of a successful Indigenous university pathway program, Talitha decided to transition into a full-time career working with mob to focus on advocating for change and making a difference in Indigenous equality. Talitha is a member of the professional team at Carumba Institute as the Teaching and Operations Coordinator. With over a decade of experience in events, human resources, finance, projects, and media, Talitha provides operational administrative support to the Carumba Institute’s academic team for teaching and research programs, research partnerships, projects, and consultancies.
Talitha works at Carumba Institute’s Head Office at Gardens Point Campus.
Indigenous Postgraduate Programs Officer
Kia Warkill
Kia Warkill is a descendent of the Yidinji people and a South Sea Islander woman, born and raised on Dharumbal country (Rockhampton, QLD). From a young age, she has always had a passion for community work and working with mob.
As the Indigenous Postgraduate Programs Officer (IPPO), Kia provides university-wide support to Indigenous Higher Degree Research students, students enrolled in an Honours Program and those that apply for the Indigenous PhD/Professional Doctorate to Postdoctoral fellowship (P2P) program in collaboration with University Faculties, Divisions, and Institutes. She also forms part of the Carumba Professional Team to perform administration tasks including day-to-day office duties, and system processes and procedures.
Kia works across both the Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove campuses.
Executive Assistant to the Executive Director
Marleya Isua
Marleya Isua is a proud Gangulu and Saibai Koedal woman who grew up on Yugumbeh Country. As the Executive Assistant to the Executive Director, Professor Chelsea Watego, Marleya’s role is pivotal in ensuring the smooth operation of high-level executive functions and strengthening connections and relationships.
Marleya has achieved several key milestones on her journey to this role, including providing secretarial support to the Faculty of Health leadership team in the Executive Dean's Office and to the Directors of Indigenous Health with her attention to detail and proactive approach were instrumental in driving success.
Before joining QUT, Marleya gained invaluable experience at the ANU College of Law Office of Student Administration at the Australian National University where she further honed her skills in student administration management and stakeholder engagement and completed her traineeship in Business Administration with the ANU National Centre for Indigenous Studies.
Research Project Officer
Helena Kajlich
Helena is a settler, born in the United States and with family connections in Slovakia. She lives and works on the sovereign lands of Turrbul and Yagara people. As a Research Project Officer at Carumba Institute, Helena collaborates with a multidisciplinary team of researchers, academics and community partners on research led by Professor Chelsea Watego that addresses state racial violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. With a background as a legal practitioner and with research interests across law and political science, Helena brings a critical and interdisciplinary lens to the analysis of racism and anti-racist strategies and interventions.
She recently submitted her PhD at The University of Queensland that interrogates racism in the health and coronial systems.
Helena works at Carumba Institute’s head office at Gardens Point Campus.
Project Officer
Joyrah Newman
Joyrah Newman was born on Waiben (Thursday Island) and is a member of the Kaurareg people. Her upbringing was on Angkamuthi, Atambaya, Gudang and Yedhaykenu country (Cape York Peninsula), in particularly remote communities like Ichurru of the Angkamuthi language area. A Wulgurukaba woman, she is part of the canoe people of Yunbenun country (Magnetic Island), with an extensive ancestral connection to the island and nearby mainlands (Townsville). Her great grandmother is Morgor of Erub village (Darnley, Torres Strait), while her ancestors were raised in Argan and Upai village (Badu, Torres Strait), although she spent most of her time with her grandmother of Injinoo. Her grandmother would narrate stories of their totem, Waleku, which is known in English as the frilled neck lizard, while searching for bush yams.
In 2015, Joyrah left her community and family to work in the Australian Public Service (APS) in Canberra. Her focus was on federal tax administration, state and federal finances, fiscal reforms, and social policy building. Before this, she primarily worked on delivering employment programs in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Later, she decided to return to finance and was accepted into the School of Accountancy at the Queensland University of Technology. Currently, Joyrah is pursuing a new journey into research and works as a Project Officer at the Carumba Institute. In this role, she project manages the delivery of various research projects with the Institute’s research partnerships. In November 2021, Joyrah completed her first marathon, where she celebrated the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, their cultures, values, and significant contributions to society and she began her most recognisable role as an international marathoner in October 2022.
Joyrah works at Carumba Institute’s Head Office at Gardens Point Campus.
Our team
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