Prof. Dennis Foley

Biography

Professor Dennis Foley researches and teaches across numerous academic fields related to Indigenous Australians. He directs his main research focus towards the emerging discipline of Indigenous enterprise and entrepreneurship.

Dennis’ career within the tertiary education sector began at Griffith University where he developed the Indigenous Career and Employment strategy and where he helped write the first Australian Indigenous Degree program in Indigenous Art. Several teaching appointments followed. This included MBA courses at the University of Queensland, Business and Management courses at the Australian Catholic University, and Indigenous Land-Use Management and Practice at the University of Queensland. Dennis has taught across Humanities, Education and Arts Faculties at the Universities of Queensland and Sydney, Queensland University of Technology and the University of Hawaii, as well as Financial and Strategic Management at Swinburne University while he held the position of Acting Director of the Masters program in Entrepreneurship. He currently teaches SPSW2001 Human Rights and Advocacy and Social Change; SPSW2002 Working with Communities; and HUMA3000 Indigenous Cultural Competencies in the Humanities.

Prior to joining the tertiary education sector, Dennis held senior management positions within the banking and finance sector. His experience included state manager of a merchant bank and commercial lending.

Dennis has written units of study at Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels, including Indigenous Politics, Land and Culture, Aboriginal Literature, and Language and Culture. In line with his key research focus, Dennis has written the first Australian university course in Indigenous Entrepreneurship.

Professor Foley is a Fulbright Scholar and dual Endeavour Fellow. His publications focus on social inclusion and cross disciples such as Indigenous Literature, Indigenous History, Indigenous Studies, Business Management (Entrepreneurship) and Indigenous Epistemology and Pedagogy.

Dennis identifies as Koori. His matrilineal connection is Gai-mariagal of the Guringah language group of northern Sydney, and his patrilineal connection is to the Wiradjuri people of the Capertree/Turon River region.

Dennis is active within the Indigenous community and Indigenous business associations. He is a Member of the Darug Tribal Aboriginal Corporation and Director of both the Mandurah Hunter Indigenous Business Chamber and the NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce. He has also received ministerial appointments to the Sydney Harbour Region Advisory Committee of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and to the Indigenous Business Advisory Group of the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

Qualifications

• PhD, University of Queensland, 2005
• Master of Business Administration, Griffith University, 1999
• Bachelor of Business, Griffith University, 1997

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Research

Research keywords

• Indigenous Entrepreneurship in Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii
• Indigenous business practices investigating leadership, management and the change process of the minority entrepreneur
• Indigenous education, pedagogies and epistemologies
• Indigenous social capital, human capital and networking linkages in post-colonial economies
• Indigenous social well-being
• The maintenance of cultural heritage management within the Indigenous tourism industry

Research expertise

Indigenous Entrepreneurship

• Aboriginal Entrepreneurship
• Entrepreneurship
• Minority Entrepreneurship
• Small Business
• Social Human Capital
• Qualitative Research Methodology
• Epistemology
• Indigenous Standpoint Theory
• Grounded Theory
• Ethnography
• Aboriginal Religions
• Hawiian Studies
• Maori Studies
• Aboriginal Studies Traveller Studies
• 1st Nations - American Indian Studies
• Aboriginal History
• Invasion History
• Native Title
• Cross Cultural Studies in Australia
• Indigenous Tourism
• Aboriginal Tourism
• Tourism in Australia
• Tourism in New Zealand
• Maori Tourism

Collaboration

As Australia’s first Professor in Indigenous entrepreneurship Dennis’s research collaboration is both national and international with recent Visiting Fellowships since his appointment as diverse as Kolding in Southern Denmark, Banff in Canada, Wellington and Auckland in NZ, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth and Adelaide based universities in Australia. As a Fulbright Scholar he has worked extensively in Hawaii researching Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs, he has won two Endeavour fellowships researching Maori entrepreneurship and following his second Endeavour in 2011, he will research the Irish ‘Travellers’ enterprises in and around Dublin. He was recently awarded a three year visiting Research Fellowship to the Australian National University at the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, commencing in 2012

His research interests revolve around:

1) Indigenous business practices investigating leadership, management and the change process of the minority entrepreneur on their entry into business to try and understand motivators and inhibitors of successful minority entrepreneurs, to increase academic and societal understanding of minority entrepreneurship reviewing wealth creation - human capital and the construction of social capital in marginalized people.

2) Indigenous Entrepreneurship.

3) Indigenous Education.

4) The maintenance of cultural heritage management within Indigenous tourism.

5) Indigenous Epistemology.

6) Indigenous Social Well-being.

Languages

• Australian Indigenous Languages
• Aboriginal English, So Described
• English

Fields of Research

Code	Description	Percentage
169902	Studies Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Society	45
160199	Anthropology Not Elsewhere Classified	35
130399	Specialist Studies In Education Not Elsewhere Classified	20

Centres and Groups

Centre

• Research Institute of Social Inclusion & Wellbeing

Memberships

ARC Committee member

• Member - Australian Research Council

Body relevant to professional practice.

• Member - Indigenous Forum, Australian Taxation Office
• Member - The Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Research Panel

Other

• Member - Australian-American Fulbright Association
• Member - Marsden Fund, Royal Society of New Zealand

Appointments

Panel Editor Asia Pacific Journal of Business and Management (New Zealand)	01/01/2009
Panel Editor International Journal of Organizational Innovation (Australia)	01/01/2009
International Editor Journal of Best Practice in Applied & Indigenous/Maori Vocational Education (Australia)	01/01/2008
Director Mandurah Hunter Indigenous Business Chamber Inc (Australia)	01/01/2008
Panel Editor Journal of Australian Indigenous Issues (Australia)	01/01/2007

Awards

Recognition.

2010	Visiting fellowship Australian National University (Australia) College of Business and Economics
2010	2010 Visiting Scholar: Department of Entrepreneurship and Relationship Management University of Southern Denmark, Kolding, (Denmark) Visiting Scholar to work with staff on combined research projects and lecture to students and staff on research, and resaerch methodology.
2008	Visiting fellow Monash University (Australia) Visiting fellow
2005	Inaugural Fellowship for graduating Indigenous PhDs Australian National University (Australia) National Centre for Indigenous Studies
2005	Visiting Indigenous Fellowship Australian National University (Australia) Centre for Aboriginal and Economic Policy Research
2003	Northern Territory History Grant Northern Territory Government (Australia) Grant

Research Award.

2010	ARC Linkage. LP110100698 Title: - Determining the Factors Influencing the Success of Private and Com Charles Sturt University (Australia) ARC Linkage. LP110100698 Title: - Determining the Factors Influencing the Success of Private and Community-owned Indigenous Businesses across Remote, Regional and Urban Australia
2010	Endeavour Research Fellowship for Indigenous Australians DEEWR (Australia) research into the enterprise and social conditions of the Irish 'Traveller' and undertake a comparative study with the authors previous research into other Indigenous entrepreneurs.
2007	ARC Discovery Title Australian Research Council (ARC) (Australia) Developing Aboriginal Social Capital for participants not spectators in the Australian economy.
2007	Dean's Commendation for Outstanding Research Higher Degree Thesis 2005 University of Queensland (Australia) Dean of Research, Professor Alan Lawson: University of Queensland theses are examined by world leaders in their field. The examiners of this thesis commended its substantial original contribution to the field of research. Deans Commendations are awarded to fewer than 10% of graduating research higher degree students. April 20.
2007	Endeavour Indigenous Research Fellowship Australian Government (Australia) Endeavour Indigenous Research Fellowship
2007	Best Paper 4th International Business Research Exchange (Australia) Indigenous Stream
2006	Best Doctoral Thesis Award World Business Institute (Australia) Gold Medal

Invitations

'Indigenous Entrepreneurship' Institute for Land Water and Society Research Forum, Chales Sturt Universtiy, Australia (Keynote Address)	2009
'Yennibue Eulogy' Margis World Youth Celebrations, St Ignatius College, Australia (Keynote Address)	2008
'Indigenous Standpoint in alternative modes of education' International Democratic Education Annual Conference & Annual Australasian Association for Progressive and Alternate Education in Australia Conference, Australia (Keynote Address)	2007
'Indigenous Standpoint in a Business School' Business School Equity and Diversity Annual Luncheon and Awards, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand (Keynote Address)	2007
'Indigenous Entrepreneurship in Australasia' Small Enterprise Conference, New Zealand (Keynote Address)	2007
'Indigneous businesses: not all in the bush and not all community' Koori Business Network Conference, Australia (Keynote Address)	2007
'A Sense of Place' 75% of Indigenous Australians live in urban environments: What are the challenges in service delivery? Conference, Institute of Public Administration Australia, ACT Division, Australia (Keynote Address)	2006
'An Indigenous Academic Voice' Indigenous Knowledge in the Workplace: A Workshop for Indigneous Practitioners. National centre for Indigenous Studies, AIATSIS, Australia (Keynote Address)	2006
'Indigenous Education' International Democratic Education Conference, Australia (Keynote Address)	2006
'Eora' A symposium with Keith Vincent Smith, Professor Peter Read and Tom Keneally, NSW State Library, Australia (Keynote Address)	2006
'Indigenous Australia: Sorry Day' St Ignatius College, Australia (Keynote Address)	2006
'Working Cross-Culturally, Rethinking Community' A symposium with Professor Marilyn Lake (La Trobe) and Professor Peter Read (ANU), The Royal Society of the Arts, The University of Sydney, Australia (Keynote Address)	2005
'Indigenous Knowledge' The Green Dialogues Forum, Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner School, Australia (Keynote Address)	2005
'Gai-mariagal' Lane Cove Historical Society, Australia (Keynote Address)	2005
'The Voice of Indigenous Poetry' Sorry Day, The Australian National University, Australia (Keynote Address)	2005
'Indigenous Australian Entrepreneurs: Successful and Invisible' Enquiry into Indigenous Employment, House of Representatives Standing Committee on Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Australia (Keynote Address)	2005
'An Indigenous Perspective' IGL 2005 Conference: Safe Families and Healthy Relationships, Australia (Keynote Address)	2005
'Beyond Reconciliation' Reconciliation Week Address, Queensland University of Technology, Australia (Keynote Address)	2003
'Indigenous Standpoint Theory' Presidents Guest Speaker Forum, University of Hawaii, United States (Keynote Address)	2002
'Black Literature in Australia' English Faculty Winter Guest Lecture Series, University of Hawaii, United States (Keynote Address)	2002
'Indigenous Health in Australia' East-West Centre, Guest Speaker Forum,Winter Lecture Series, University of Hawaii, United States (Keynote Address)	2001

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Teaching

Teaching keywords

• Aboriginal literature
• Cross cultural studies
• Entrepreneurship
• Human Rights
• Indigenous Enterprise & Entrepreneurship
• Indigenous Research Methodology
• Indigenous Studies