Professor Jane O’Leary has been appointed as Research Director at the Centre for Indigenous People and Work at the University of Technology Sydney.
Professor O’Leary has been appointed to the position for a two-year term to establish the centre’s research function. She will join the likes of Professor Nareen Young at the centre.
According to UTS, Professor O’Leary’s term will be focused on supporting and developing Indigenous employment researchers and working with the centre’s Indigenous leadership to develop a succession plan to hand over the position to an Indigenous researcher in two years’ time.
The Centre for Indigenous People and Work is a self-determined, joint initiative of the UTS Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research and the UTS Business School.
“Being appointed as Research Director in such a trusted and highly regarded organisation as the Centre for Indigenous People and Work is an honour and privilege,” Professor O’Leary said.
“I’m so excited to have the opportunity to work with Professor Nareen Young to again co-create an impactful industry research function.”
“I am very grateful for the trust placed in me and commit to doing all I can to work with this amazing team, listen, learn and support the Centre’s vision to reclaim the Indigenous employment narrative through rigorous, industry-based Indigenous-led research and set the Centre up for a flourishing future”.
Professor O’Leary has been influential in the area of diversity and inclusion employment practice in Australia. She has led research at the Diversity Council Australia and has also helped develop the groundbreaking Gari Yala research report.
“Professor O’Leary and I have worked together for many years, including over the last five as we worked on the first Gari Yala piece when she was Research Director at Diversity Council Australia, and we are delighted that she has taken up the appointment to work with us as we develop our research capacity,” said Director of the Centre for Indigenous People and Work, Professor Nareen Young.
“Not only is Professor O’Leary’s work in employment diversity research without peer, her respect for First Nations peoples, and indeed all peoples, and our ways and self-determination are exemplary in all our experience, which has been immense, as is her approach to deeply inclusive work practices.”
“We are very fortunate that Professor O’Leary has agreed to work with our Centre for this period to establish our research function, which will benefit our mob in Australia’s workplaces in every way.
“Gari Yala has had such impact, and as it now a project of the Centre for Indigenous People and work, her appointment could not have come at a better time and this team, including Centre Assistant Director Joshua Gilbert and our Advisory Council of Indigenous employment leaders, sets us up so well to truly change the ‘Indigenous employment’ narrative.”