Our people

Mookai Rosie is only as good as the dedicated people who work here. Our team is made up overwhelmingly of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, so we understand the needs of our clients and can provide a safe, friendly, and culturally responsive service.

Mookai Rosie’s professional staff include highly qualified clinicians who make sure you have the care and information needed to get healthy and stay healthy.

Our catering, transport, maintenance and administrative teams help make sure our services are as comfortable and stress-free as possible.

Meet our Executive

Theresa Simpson

Chief Executive Officer

Theresa grew up in Cairns, with proud family connections to Cherbourg (Wakka Wakka) and Mount Isa (Kalkadon).

Theresa was raised by her strong and compassionate grandmother Bonnie Simpson, who was one of the original house mothers that had helped establish Mookai Rosie. Her upbringing immersed Theresa in positive cultural and family values, shaping her into the family-orientated person she is today.

Theresa has worked at Mookai Rosie for over 20 years, continuing in her family’s footsteps with a passion for improving women’s health. She has extensive experience in both government and private sectors, with expertise in business management and administration, human resources, finance, and leadership.

Theresa is determined to build on the legacy left by the women who built Mookai Rosie before her. This legacy encompasses professional, evidence-based health care and accommodation services combined, guided by strong and respectful cultural governance.

In 2022, Theresa was awarded ‘Leader of the Year’, at the QAIHC Awards for Excellence, in recognition of her outstanding achievements within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community-Controlled Health Sector in Queensland.

Nicole Dorante Mookai Rosie Bi-Bayan Chairperson

Nichole Levers

Chairperson of the Board

(Portfolio: Primary Health Care)

Nichole Levers is the granddaughter of both Rose Richards and Bonnie Simpson. Nichole says she feels as if the baton, and her grandmother’s fighting spirits, have been passed on to her. Now it’s her responsibility to keep Mookai Rosie heading in the right direction and to teach the younger generation as her Elders taught her.

“I am so proud to be a part of an organisation that I remember so well as a little girl. There’s nothing else like Mookai. Its uniqueness is that it’s run and staffed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. When our own mob come here, they have a place to stay where they can feel safe and comfortable, like a home away from home. No other service can give these ladies that and no one can do it better than us!”

Nichole is actively involved in the expansion of Mookai’s services to include men and other family members in our service models. “They come as a family unit so we need to help build on their strengths as a family. The families will have goals that they might want to work towards and we can help them achieve those goals”.