Michelle Deshong draws her connections to Kuku Yalanji nation and lives on the lands of the Wulgurukaba & Bindal people in Townsville, North Queensland. She has committed most of her professional life to the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples asserting their traditions and culture through the pursuit of effective leadership and self-determination. 

  

Michelle is recognised globally for her efforts in political advocacy, cultural governance and gender justice having worked across Indigenous affairs for over 30 years.   

 

She is among a generation of Indigenous Leaders pushing the boundaries of change, to overcome the challenges that have long beset Indigenous communities and organisations. A large body of her work has also been in executive roles within the Federal government, NGO, and community sectors. Michelle has also held several governance roles including Chairperson of Supply Nation until September 2024, and is currently the Deputy Chairperson of AIATSIS, is a member of the Ministerial Trade Taskforce 2020 and the DFAT Indigenous Advisory committee. 

  

Michelle has been running her own consultancy firm for over 17 years, which has enabled her to work across the areas she is passionate about, as well as supporting the potential and growth of the Indigenous Business sector nationally.  Through her consultancy, she has many years’ experience facilitating leadership programs independently, as well as in conjunction with the Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre (AILC), the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (ARLF).   

 

Michelle’s other passion is governance, both from a corporate and cultural perspective.  She has been a strong advocate for a shift in self-governance for Indigenous organisations and communities.  From 2017 to 2022 Michelle was the CEO of the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute (AIGI) implementing innovative approaches to self-governance (through a cultural lens) and best practice across the Country, building on international collaborations. She has presented extensively on this work. 

 

Michelle is also an accomplished academic, completing her PhD on the participation of Indigenous women in public and political life.  She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 2015/2016 to work with Native communities across US, Canada and New Zealand to explore models of cultural governance and nation building.  She was also awarded a Churchill Fellowship to continue her research internationally. 

​

​

​