Professor Hayward is a senior Noongar woman with more than 35 years of experience developing and leading programs to support and empower Aboriginal people in Western Australia. She has held senior appointments at a community, state and national level, spanning health, education, training, employment and law, including at Edith Cowan University where she is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Education. Colleen was awarded the 2008 National NAIDOC Aboriginal Person of the Year Award, the 2006 Premier of Western Australia's (WA) prestigious Multicultural Ambassador's Award and in 2009 was inducted into the WA Department of Education's Hall of Fame for Achievement in Aboriginal Education. In 2012, she was inducted into the WA Women's Hall of Fame and recognised as a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia. In 2015, she was awarded one of Murdoch University's Distinguished Alumni for her work in the areas of equity and social justice.
