He tells us the most important leadership lesson he learned from his predecessor
Last month, barrister Timothy Goodwin became the new chair of Indigenous education organisation Aurora Education Foundation. The Yuin man has worked with the foundation for nearly two decades, and so he feels both daunted and satisfied in having now been placed in a position to lead the organisation for which he holds much affection.
In the first part of this interview, Goodwin shares with Australasian Lawyer which part of becoming chair he’s most excited about and tells us the most important leadership lesson he learned from predecessor Charles Prouse.
What was your reaction on learning that you were going to chair the Aurora Education Foundation?
A sense of excitement but also a feeling of the burden of responsibility. I’ve had such a long relationship with Aurora, from being an Aurora Intern at the Central Land Council in 2006, to being a Roberta Sykes Scholar at Harvard Law School in 2011, to being on the board since 2023. Over that time, I have built a deep affection for the organisation and pride in its journey. So to be the custodian of that story as chair is daunting but also has created a feeling of immense satisfaction.
What aspect of the role are you most excited about?
Working with the board and staff, led amazingly by our CEO Leila Smith, to continue to grow the organisation based on what we have learnt over the past two decades, is what I am most excited about. We have a wealth of talent on the board and in our executive team, many of them alumni of our programs. It is testament to the impact of the organisation that our alumni want to lead it.
In your new capacity as board chair, how do you hope to contribute to Aurora’s goals?
I want to make sure I unlock doors to support our amazing leadership in the organisation. Whether that is through my connections or networks, through testing our thinking, holding ourselves accountable or simply being an important support. What is the next structure we can build and how can I help us get there?
What do you consider to be the most important thing about leadership you learned from Charles Prouse?
The most important thing I learnt from Charles is to make sure our leadership is grounded in our own culture as Indigenous Peoples and to never lose sight of the communities we ultimately serve and are accountable to.
