Rona Glynn-McDonald is a Kaytetye woman and founder of First Nations-led not-for-profit Common Ground who is now a board director of it and the director of First Nations Futures which she also co-founded. [1] She is also a music produced and DJ who goes under the artists name RONA. [2]
In 2019, she received the Diana Award for her work in creating and sustaining positive change for Australia through the sharing of First Nations stories and about First Nations people. [3] [4]
Glynn-McDonald grew up in Alice Springs (Mparntwe) and she is the daughter of film-makers Warwick Thornton and Penelope McDonald; she is also the granddaughter of Freda Glynn and the sister of Dylan River. [1] [5] [3]
She later studied economics at in Melbourne where she begun to think about the role that cultural capital plays in sustainable development for First Nations communities and why western economic systems were not serving her people. This led her to realise the importance of storytelling in shaping the understanding of both the present and the past. [6]
She established Common Ground, which aims to amplify and back First Nations voices, strengthen the storytelling ecosystem and educate and build accountability amongst the wider community; this is often done through campaigns and advocacy work. [7] Another aim of Common Ground, which Glynn-Maloney works towards, is redistributing wealth to First Nations communities. [2]
Glynn-Maloney was also the executive producer on her mother's (Penelope McDonald) 2023 documentary film Audrey Napanangka. [8] [9]