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Aurora staff

Leila Smith | Chief Executive Officer
Leila is the CEO of the Aurora Education Foundation and has experience in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and education sectors, in policy development, organisational growth, and program delivery in the not-for-profit sector, private sector, federal government, and academia. Leila is a Wiradjuri woman whose family is from central New South Wales. Raised in Canberra, Leila holds a Masters of Public Policy from the University of Cambridge and a Bachelor’s degree with first class honours in Sociology from the Australian National University. Prior to Aurora, Leila was the Knowledge Translation Manager at the Lowitja Institute, and a Senior Management Consultant at Nous Group. She also led the Policy and Programs team at the Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association, and worked in data analysis and research roles at the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the Australian Social Science Data Archive, and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. |

Kim Barlin | Internships Manager
Kim has managed the Aurora Internship Program since June 2006. The Program benefits from her strong organisational skills, stakeholder relationships and ability to coordinate the various components of the Program. Kim’s experience as a senior administrator and project manager has seen her successfully undertake roles in a range of organisations in both New York and Sydney, as well as establish and operate her own educational business. Phone: (02) 9310 8413 |

Ashanti Fogden | Internships Program Officer
Ashanti is our Internships Program Officer, with responsibility for all day-to-day program activities and is a key point of contact for our interns and host organisations. Working previously in arts management and the higher education industry, she has experience in delivering client-focused events and projects, and establishing and maintaining stakeholder relationships. Ashanti completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) majoring in Art History & Theory from the University of Sydney, and is committed to continually developing her skills to an ever-higher level. She has prioritised learning, understanding and embracing Indigenous knowledge, culture and histories and has completed Cultural Competency and Awareness Training with Nura Gili and Your Mob Learning.

Taylor Wild | Internships Support Officer
Taylor is a Wiradjuri/Darug woman from Cowra, NSW who has recently joined the Internships team as our Internships Support Officer. Taylor's previous role with Aurora was as a High School Program mentor over the past year. Taylor is currently studying her Bachelor of Education and although her degree focuses on primary education, she is keen to further her knowledge and embrace the work of Aurora more broadly. Outside of work, Taylor recently launched her own performing arts company in the Western Sydney area. Phone: (02) 9310 8418 |