Chris Sarra is a professor of education at the University of Canberra, a commissioner with the NRL and the founding chairman of the Stronger Smarter Institute. He was awarded Queenslander of the Year in 2004, nominated for Australian of the Year in 2011, and named NAIDOC Person of the Year in 2016. He is an internationally recognised Indigenous education specialist, and his development and advocacy of the Stronger Smarter approach has inspired dramatic transformation in schools across Australia.

Chris grew up in Bundaberg, Queensland, and is the youngest of ten children. He experienced firsthand many of the issues faced by Indigenous students throughout their schooling. Encouraged and supported by some teachers and mentors, Chris successfully completed a Diploma of Teaching, a Bachelor of Education, a Master of Education and a PhD in Psychology with Murdoch University. His published thesis is titled Strong and Smart: Towards a Pedagogy for Emancipation Education for First Peoples (Routledge, 2014). He has also written an autobiography, Good Morning, Mr Sarra (UQP, 2012).