Jilpia Nappaljari Jones Oration - NATSIEHC22
Indigenous Eye Health (IEH) at the University of Melbourne are pleased to announce The Jilpia Nappaljari Jones Memorial Oration for the 2022 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health Conference (NATSIEHC22).
Jilpia Nappaljari Jones Memorial Oration
IEH is honoured to announce that the family of the late Jilpia Nappaljari Jones AM have provided their blessing for an annual invited, keynote presentation in memory of Jilpia by a female Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander leader in eye health.
The Jilpia Nappaljari Jones Memorial Oration acknowledges the significant contribution Jilpia made to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander eye health and her inspiration for a whole generation of amazing leaders in eye health who are female.
The inaugural Jilpia Nappaljari Jones Memorial Oration will be presented at the 2022 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health Conference by Jaki Adams.
Jaki was born and raised in Garramilla (Darwin), on Larrakia Country, and is of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, with ancestral links to the Yadhaigana and Wuthathi people of Cape York Peninsula, traditional family ties with the Gurindji people, and extended family relationships with the people of the Torres Straits and Warlpiri (Yuendumu).
Jaki has over 25 years’ experience in the government and international development sectors.
Jaki has held many leadership roles in Australia, including Chair of Vision 2020 Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Committee; and currently is a Vision 2020 Australia Board Member; The Fred Hollows Foundation’s lead representative on the national Close the Gap Steering Committee (Health Equity and Social Justice); an Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR) Board Member; and more recently, becoming a Board Director of Thirrili Ltd (Indigenous Suicide Postvention Service).
Jaki has been at The Fred Hollows Foundation for close to 10 years. Her current role as Director of Social Justice and Regional Engagement within the Office of the CEO sees her continuing to champion her drive and passion for health equity, elevating the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and progressing true allyship; supporting strategic eye care relationships across the Pacific; and progressing a global network to improve eye care access for Indigenous and Tribal Peoples (including recently establishing a First Nations Special Interest Group through the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB)).
In previous roles at The Foundation, Jaki has overseen the Indigenous Australia Program and eye care programming across the Pacific, Timor Leste, the Philippines and Indonesia.