Meet our CEO Jackson Chatfield (Berg)

"I would like to acknowledge our Elders past and present, and recognise the strength, resilience, and leadership of our community.

I am a Gunditjmara Kirrae - Whurrong man, born and raised on Country in Warrnambool, and now living in Port Fairy with my fiancée Madison, along with our four cats and one dog.

I’m the eldest son of Joey Chatfield (Berg) and remain strongly connected with my family, including my three brothers and two sisters. I enjoy getting out on Country, watching sport (a long-suffering Essendon supporter), reading, and keeping across world politics. I also have an appreciation for history, art, and music, I have a dark sense of humour and drink a dangerous amount of coffee.

In February 2026, I was appointed CEO of Gunditjmara Aboriginal Cooperative. After spending nine years working across State Government in courts, justice, cultural heritage, lands and waters, and other policy areas, I felt a strong pull to be more active in advocating for local Aboriginal community issues and to have a more direct impact on outcomes for mob - particularly in strengthening true self-determination and improving quality of life. Alongside my current role, I have also contributed to a number of boards and advisory groups. This has included being the inaugural Independent Aboriginal Delegate to the Southern Rural Water Board (2024–2026) and a member of Landcare Australia’s First Nations Landcare Working Group (since 2024).

Previously, I worked as Executive Officer of the Birrarung Council (2022–2026), supporting the Council, a bi-cultural statutory entity, to fulfil its responsibilities under the Yarra River Protection (Wilip-gin Birrarung murron) Act 2017. I was also a member of the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority Community Advisory Group (2018–2026), worked as the inaugural Statewide Aboriginal Landcare Facilitator (2017–2022) creating pathways for Aboriginal participation in Landcare and caring for Country, and earlier in my career, as a Koori Court Officer at the Melbourne Magistrate's Court (2016–2017) supporting Aboriginal people in contact with the justice system.

I’m genuinely excited about what the future holds for Gunditjmara and have started putting plans in place to develop a new community vision and organisational strategy, together with community.

This will be a critical piece of work that guides our organisation over the next five years and beyond. It will set our priorities and outcomes and will play an important role in strengthening our organisational capacity and capability - making sure we are not only working towards community needs and aspirations, but delivering real outcomes for our community, now and into the future. A big part of this will be listening to Elders and community, working together to shape a shared vision, and making sure we stay grounded in our core values and what we stand for.

I want to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of all our staff, past and present, for their contributions in getting our organisation into such a strong position. Now is the time to build on that foundation, refocus where needed, and ensure we are delivering in ways that reflect community expectations.

It is an honour and a privilege to have been appointed as CEO of Gunditjmara Aboriginal Cooperative. I remember running around the Harris Street building in the late 90s when my Dad was working here, so it’s a surreal feeling to now be leading the organisation more than 25 years later. I will do my best to make our Elders, community, and staff proud of what we achieve during my time here, and I hope the results speak for themselves. I look forward to working alongside our staff, Elders, and community, and to building strong, respectful relationships as we shape what our future looks like."