Sarah Brown

CEO of Purple House

Sarah Brown AM is the Chief Executive Officer of Purple House, working with its board of Indigenous directors to run the organisation since its inception two decades ago. Sarah was recognised with an Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List “for significant service to community health, to remote area nursing, and to the Indigenous community”. In 2017 she was Hesta Australia’s Nurse of the Year and in 2018 made the AFR BOSS magazine’s ‘True Leaders’ list.

A fearless advocate for high quality, community-led healthcare for Indigenous Australians, Sarah has invested three decades of her life in this work across Australia. She holds a Master of Nursing, a Graduate Diploma in Aboriginal Education and a Graduate Diploma in Health Service Management. Prior to joining Purple House, Sarah worked as a remote area nurse in communities as diverse as Cape Barren Island (TAS), Balgo (WA), Yuelamu and Harts Range (NT). She has also been an Aboriginal health service manager in the Kimberley and a university lecturer.

Sarah paints, has exhibitions across Australia and overseas, has 3 grown up kids and drives a 1959 Morris Minor. She thinks ‘work/life balance’ is irrelevant if you love what you do!