Michelle Steele (Craigie) is a First Nations leader from the Kamilaroi people of the Gomeroi Nation, originally from Moree, NSW, and is the Chief First Nations Officer at the Paul Ramsay Foundation (PRF). Michelle works to support First Nations-led initiatives and incorporates community perspectives and cultural knowledge into the Foundation’s activities.
Before joining PRF, Michelle spent 18 years in the public sector, contributing to policies affecting First Nations peoples across areas such as social welfare, employment, justice, health, and ageing. As Assistant Secretary for the COVID-19 Indigenous and Remote Policy and Implementation Branch, her leadership was recognised as a best-practice model for effective engagement with First Nations peoples and communities.
Michelle also participates in international collaborations focused on global equity issues. She is a Fellow of the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity and serves as Co-Chair of the Global Fellows Advisory Board at the Atlantic Institute, Oxford University, where she works on cross-cultural leadership and global connections. Further, she is a founding Board Member of the Walking the Talk for Dementia global initiative supporting dementia awareness, prevalence and healthy ageing, highlighting experiences and challenges specific to First Nations communities in this area.
Michelle holds an Executive MBA from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), where she received the Community Impact Award at the 2024 MBA Australasia Awards and a Highly Commended finalist of the Association of MBA global awards for the Postgraduate Leadership category. She is also a Board Member for Hands Across Canberra, a community foundation.
She acknowledges her Elders, past and present, and supports the development of emerging First Nations leaders, with ongoing work to promote Indigenous knowledge and self-determination in community social and economic empowerment.