Deborah is a descendant of Wakaid Clan, Badu Island, the Meriam people of Murray Island, and is also proud of her Scottish heritage. Born in Brisbane, her totems are Beizam (the shark) and the moth.

Deborah was a Senior Artist with Bangarra Dance Theatre, joining the company in 2003. She is a descendant of Wakaid Clan, Badu Island, the Meriam people of Murray Island, and is also proud of her Scottish heritage. Born in Brisbane, her totems are Beizam (the shark) and the moth.

In 2013, she made her choreographic and directorial debut, creating a short dance film titled dive paying homage to the pearl divers of the Torres Strait for Bangarra's season of Dance Clan 3, leading her to create I.B.I.S as part of the lore in 2015. lore was then nominated for Best New Australian Work at the Helpmann Award the following year. Her career highlights with Bangarra were returning to Country to Mer Island and Yirrkala, performing at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Harvey Theatre and partnering with The Australian Ballet at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.

Deborah has explored independent work as a Choreographer and Actor. As a successful recipient of Creative Australia funding through The Australia Council in 2015, Deborah directed and choreographed local talent in a short film - hide - in association with Campbelltown Arts Centre. In 2017, she returned to acting, as the lead in the short film Water, directed by John Harvey. 2018 she choreographed and assisted Spinifex Gum for performances at Dreamtime at the G, Adelaide Festival, Sydney Festival, and Garma Festival.

She has been Assistant Director for The Long Forgotten Dream (2018) and The Beauty Queen of Leenane (2019) both for Sydney Theatre Company, as well Belvoir's Winyanboga Yurringa (2019).

In 2013 Deborah won the Helpmann Award for Best Female Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production for Terrain after previously being nominated under the same category in 2010. She has recently graduated with her Masters in Screen Directing from AFTRS (Australian Film, Television and Radio School).