Norma Ingram

Norma Ingram is a Wiradjuri woman born in Cowra, NSW. She has lived most of her life in inner-city Redfern.

With a life-long passion for education and Aboriginal politics, Norma has been part of the Aboriginal political movement since the Foundation for Aboriginal Affairs in the 1960s. A natural networker, Norma uses any occasion to share her culture with others and educate non-Aboriginal people about its importance in today’s society.

The first Aboriginal person to graduate from Harvard University attaining a Master’s Degree in Education, Norma continues to update her qualifications. She believes that education and healthy lifestyle is key for Aboriginal people and Norma has developed programs that focus on helping provide this for Aboriginal women. These programs are used in Aboriginal communities as well as in TAFE.

Norma has a rich and varied resume: she has been CEO of both the Metropolitan Local and the State Aboriginal Land Councils; she managed projects with NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet and has run training programs at QANTAS, TAFE and the University of Technology, Sydney.

Norma has also shared her expertise sitting on numerous committees and boards of Aboriginal organisations. Her role as Chairperson of the Wyanga Aboriginal Elders Program continues to remind her that Aboriginal stories are essential to the continuation of Aboriginal culture and must be passed on to the younger generation.