Donald Betts
Acting CEO, Kinaway Chamber of Commerce
Biography
Donald Betts, Jr. served as a U.S. Kansas State Senator, Kansas State Congressman in the Kansas House of Representatives, and prior to moving to Australia, Donald was nominated to represent a major U.S. political party for a bid to the United States Congress.
As Managing Principal of Betts Law Company, he has extensive knowledge in dealing with business transactions, organizational structure, legal disputes, advocacy, Indigenous law and an overall view of the Australian Legal System.
Donald serves on multiple boards and committees. His strengths are governance, relationship building, and leadership development. Before joining Kinaway Chamber of Commerce as Acting CEO, he served as CEO of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation, Jaramer Legal (Australia’s first national Indigenous owned law firm) and global #4 law firm Norton Rose Fulbright in Australia.
Donald specializes in commercial transactions, corporate advisory and corporate structuring in the energy and resources and agribusiness sectors. His strengths are economic development, governance, relationship building, and leadership development. He is driven to help Indigenous communities around the globe to be self-governing, independent, and growing.
Donald is an inaugural member of the RMIT Global Indigenous Trade Routes Program, the first graduating class of the AMCHAM Global Leadership Academy, past president, co-founder and Ambassador of the North American Australian Lawyers Alliance (NAALA – based in Melbourne, VIC), founding member and Vice President of the Australian United States Lawyers Alliance Inc. (AUSLA – based in Miami, FL ), founding member of the South Asian Public Affairs Council (SAPAC – based in Melbourne, VIC), Monash Law Clinics – director, founder and Director of Desert Springs Octopus, Director of Akana Ittatoba (Australia’s first privately owned Native American Company), Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated, and Alpha Nu Boule amongst others. In addition, he is an U.S. political correspondent on Australian news media outlets, contributing writer for the World Round-up section of the International Law Quarterly magazine and motivational speaker.