Team Profile
Lenka Vanderboom
Lenka is a multicultural Yawuru woman who grew up on Country in Broome, Western Australia. From an early age she learnt about sales and managing family businesses, including in the pearling industry where, as a pearl grader and technician in the West Kimberley and Cook Islands she observed differing international farming standards. She understands the impacts on biodiversity, on the global market and the social and cultural effects on local communities businesses have. Lenka’s passion for community engagement and strategic partnering has seen her deepen community agency in her roles as Community Development Officer for regional Local Governments, Project Coordinator for back to Country and Bush Medicine trips with Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre and as an Indigenous Learning Facilitator for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Victoria. Lenka is a Director of Magabala Books, Australia’s leading Indigenous publishing house and has been engaged across Australia as a Facilitator, CoDesign Advisor and Project Curator by organisations including Phunktional Ltd, ILBIJERRI Theatre, Parkville Youth Justice Centre, Global Gardens of Peace, and peak health organisations EmergingMinds and Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO). For the ISFMI, Lenka is leading the Women in Fire Initiative.