Ian Perdrisat, Dip Teaching (PE), BPhysEd, MEd, MPHTM, MA(Indigenous Social Policy) is Barkinji, Wangkamurra, and European heritage. He has a long and respected academic career in senior leadership roles in several prominent Indigenous academic centres. Currently he is the Director of Operations for Madjulla Inc. a local Indigenous community research and development agency in the Kimberley region WA. and a PhD (Education) candidate at the University of Newcastle, awarded a VC’s Scholarship. Ian has led innovative Indigenous development programs on the ground and a committee member, advisor and evaluator for local and national suicide, mental health, education, community violence and youth development and research projects.  

For over thirty years Ian has lived and worked in Aboriginal communities in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia. His networks include local Aboriginal Elders, leaders and community members, the pastoral industry, prominent national and international Indigenous academic researchers and educators, senior health and medical researchers as well as local and national industry expertise. Ian is an active family member at an Aboriginal community level, and he continues to advocate for holistic Aboriginal community driven responses to complex colonial imposed social, cultural and economic challenges.