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Dr Sharlene Leroy-Dyer

Senior Lecturer

School of Business
Faculty of Business, Economics and Law
s.leroydyer@uq.edu.au
+61 7 334 68016

Overview

Sharlene is a Saltwater woman, with family ties to the Garigal, Awabakal, Darug and Wiradyuri peoples, of NSW.

She is the Director of the UQ Business School Indigenous Business Hub and the Associate PRME Director - Indigenous Engagement for UQ Business School.

Her PhD is in Business, having obtained her Doctor of Philosophy (Business) in 2016. The thesis title is 'Private-sector employment programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: Comparative case studies'. Sharlene was the first Aboriginal person to gain a PhD in Business from the University of Newcastle.

She completed her Honours thesis in 2006, entitled 'Is mentoring an effective Human Resource strategy to redress labour market disadvantage for Indigenous Australians: A qualitative study of mentoring outcomes for Indigenous trainees at the University of Newcastle'.

Sharlene is a staunch Unionist and Activist with left wing political views.

Research Expertise Sharlene's current research areas include: Closing the Gap on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage in Education and Employment, Labour Market disadvantage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment strategies, Managing Diversity in Organisations, Employment Relations and the importance of unions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander labour history, Indigenous Entrepreneurship / Indigenous Social Enterprise / Indigenous Leadership, Indigenous Enabling education & Indigenous HDR success.

She is a member of the UQ Business School Social Impact Hub, Sustainable Infrastructure Research Hub, and the Business Educators Hub, in addition to leading the Indigenous Business Hub.

Teaching Expertise Sharlene is leading the Indigenisation of curriculum for the UQ Business School. Other teaching expertise are: Industrial relations, diversity management, negotiation and advocacy, Aboriginal studies, Aboriginal labour history, Aboriginal employment, enabling courses for Aboriginal students.

Administrative Expertise 13 successful grants

Collaborations Research collaborations include: Building resilience of Scoial Enterprises in QLD, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community engagement, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion in the workplace, Workplace mentoring for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Increasing participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Business Schools, Aboriginal leadership, Stolen Wages, Disability in employment, Indigenous research methods, Enabling Pedagogies, Enabling education.

Service / Leadership Sharlene is an active participant in university and community service roles. At a University level, Sharlene sits on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment Consultative Committee and the NTEU Branch Committee as the Aboriginal representative. At a Faculty level, Sharlene is on the Bel RAP Implementation Committee and the Indigenous Staff Network group. At a school level, Sharlene is the Director of the UQBS Indigenous Business Hub, the Associate PRME Director for Indigenous Engagement, and leads the Indigenisation of the curriculum within the UQ Business School. External to the university, Sharlene is the Treasurer and director of Hymba Yumba Indpendant School, the Chair of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy Committee, a member of the Queensland Council of Unions (QCU) First Nations Committee and the Deputy Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Committee of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). Sharlene is the secretary of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Consortium (NATSIHEC), the peak organisation for Indigenous Higher Education. Sharlene is the President of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Postgraduates Association (NATSIPA) and sits on the National representative Committee and the Board of the Council of Australian Postgraduates Association (CAPA).

Sharlene was an elected member of Academic Board from 2021-2023 and the HDR committee of Academic Board for the same period.

Awards Sharlene was the recipient of the Dr Robert (Uncle Bob) Anderson award in 2023 for outstanding contribution to the union movement, the BEL Faculty EDI Award in 2022, the UQ Business School Recognition of Outstanding Achievement Award for Excellence in Community, Diversity and Inclusion in 2021 and a UQ Commendation Award for Excellence in Reconciliaiton in 2021 and 2022. In 2008 Sharlene was the recipient of an Australia Day Award from the Council of Women NSW - Office of Women - Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Research Interests

  • Indigenous Entrenpreneurship
    I was a founding Director of the NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce and the Mandurah Hunter Indigenous Business Chamber. I am currently researching Indigenous Social Enterprises in QLD.
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment strategies
    I have developed an evaluative framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment programs within organisations as part of my PHD. I use this framework to assist organisations to develop culturally capable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment strategies.
  • Employment Relations and the importance of unions
    I have been a union member since the age of 15. I believe unions are the backbone of our working society and are a vital part of any workplace, ensuring that workers have fair and equitable working conditions. My current research looks at the important role unions play in social and workplace rights for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
  • Closing the Gap In Indigenous Disadvantage in Education and Employment
    I am passionate about Closing the Gap on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education and Employment. I research and teach into this area.

Research Impacts

My research output has increased since moving to the University of Queensland, I have had the opportunity to develop more publications, some of which are currently under review.

My research is multidisciplinary, and I am building my research career around my passion of closing the gap on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage in education and employment which also gives back to my community. Therefore, the overarching concepts around my research focuses on empowerment and self-determination of Indigenous peoples, which covers race, identity, policy, politics and knowledge creation.

My H-index in Google scholar is 4 which reflects my career to date, my publications are just starting to be indexed in Scopus (H-index 4) & Web of Science. The impact of my research is best seen in communities and organisations, especially government. I have been cited in the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report and The Higher Education Support Amendment (Response to the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report) Bill 2023 and I spoke at the Government's Jobs and Skills Summit and was cited in the Governments White Paper from that summit. In addition, large and small organisations are using the evaluative framework that I developed in my PhD to assist them to employ and retain Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The benefits of organisations using this framework are vital to our communities.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Newcastle
  • Graduate Certificate, University of Melbourne
  • Masters (Coursework), Melbourne Business School
  • Bachelor (Honours), University of Newcastle

Publications

View all Publications

Grants

View all Grants

Supervision

  • Exploring traditional Aboriginal knowledge and potential enterprise development of fungi in Northern Australia.

    Doctor Philosophy

  • Tokenism or Diversity: A critical view of identified positions through the voices and experiences of Indigenous peoples working in professional positions

    Doctor Philosophy

  • Integrating Indigenous & Western Models of Governance for Social Enterprises

    Doctor Philosophy

View all Supervision

Publications

Featured Publications

Book Chapter

  • Creatively Attending to Unfinished Business, Everyday Sexisms, Covid-19, and Higher Education

    Blaise, Mindy, Gray, Emily, Pollitt, Jo, Acton, Renae, Barraclough, Shanee, Bodén, Linnea, Cullen, Fin, Dekker, Karien, Gröndal, Hedvig, Leroy-Dyer, Sharlene, Murray, Peta, Nordstrom, Susan, Rahm, Lina, Sjödin, Elin Sundström and Tudor, Raewyn (2024). Creatively Attending to Unfinished Business, Everyday Sexisms, Covid-19, and Higher Education. The Routledge International Handbook of Transdisciplinary Feminist Research and Methodological Praxis. (pp. 380-412) London: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003303558-45

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion in the workplace: Challenging racist policy and practice

    Leroy-Dyer, Sharlene and Menzel, Kelly (2023). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion in the workplace: Challenging racist policy and practice. The Routledge Handbook of Australian Indigenous Peoples and Futures. (pp. 81-102) edited by Bronwyn Carlson, Madi Day, Sandy O'Sullivan and Tristan Kennedy. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003271802-8

  • The leadership virtues of Aboriginal women in Australia

    Jordan, Ree and Leroy-Dyer, Sharlene (2023). The leadership virtues of Aboriginal women in Australia. Leadership and virtues: understanding and practicing good leadership. (pp. 163-180) edited by Toby P. Newstead and Ronald E. Riggio. New York, NY, United States: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003212874-16

  • Closing the gap on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment disadvantage in Australia

    Leroy-Dyer, Sharlene (2022). Closing the gap on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment disadvantage in Australia. A Field Guide to Managing Diversity, Equality and Inclusion in Organisations. (pp. 33-46) edited by Subas Dhakal, Roslyn Cameron and John Burgess. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing. doi: 10.4337/9781800379008

  • Employing Indigenous Australians: strategies for success

    Leroy-Dyer, Sharlene (2010). Employing Indigenous Australians: strategies for success. Managing diversity in Australia: theory and practice. (pp. 137-152) edited by Glenda Strachan, Erica French and John Burgess. Sydney, NSW Australia: McGrath Hill.

Journal Article

Other Outputs

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Note for students: Dr Sharlene Leroy-Dyer is not currently available to take on new students.

Current Supervision

  • Exploring traditional Aboriginal knowledge and potential enterprise development of fungi in Northern Australia.

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Tokenism or Diversity: A critical view of identified positions through the voices and experiences of Indigenous peoples working in professional positions

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Integrating Indigenous & Western Models of Governance for Social Enterprises

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • An Auto-Ethnographic Exegesis study of the Gongan Business Model

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

  • The Australian Mining Industry and Indigenous Engagement

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

This staff member is a UQ Expert for media in the following fields:

Aboriginal employment, Closing the Gap, Aboriginal Disadvantage, Sexual Violence, Reconciliation Action Plans, Indigenous Entrepreneurship, Indigeneity and Inclusion, Industrial Relations, Unions, Aboriginal Higher Education

They are happy to lend their expertise to your articles or broadcasts and share their research discoveries and insights with the community via media channels.

For additional assistance with story ideas, general advice and information or help with seeking further experts, please email the UQ Media Team or telephone (07) 3365 1120.

Links

ORCID: 0000-0002-3755-0837

Scopus ID: 57219996048

Google Scholar ID: Qv0bYV0AAAAJ

Personal Profile: Link

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