To contact individual Councillors, you can contact them via email. Addresses are written as [email protected]
NEW SOUTH WALES
Annie Lane
Annie Lane is an ecologist with an extensive career in environmental management and biodiversity conservation. She has worked across research, policy, and practice for various governments and private industries. Passionate about leading and collaborating in teams, Annie believes that people are central to finding nature-based solutions. An active volunteer in Landcare and citizen science, Annie works closely with communities to better understand, maintain, and conserve natural environments. As a leader in citizen science, she advocates for its inclusion in policy and practice, highlighting its immense value to both science and society.
Stephen Lightfoot
Stephen is a doctor who brings an important medical perspective to the Council. His focus is on the relationship between nature, a safe climate and our physical, mental health and wellbeing. He is uniquely qualified to lead the Council’s work in this space, having postgraduate degrees in health and environmental management.
Stephen is an advocate for sustainable healthcare, and experienced in NGO governance, having served previous terms on ACF Council. He has extensive experience in community engagement leading the ACF Eastern Sydney group. Stephen is passionate about protecting our natural places and working towards a healthy environment, where both nature and Australian communities thrive.
Jonathan King
Jonathan is an environmentalist, a political scientist, author, multi-media journalist, lecturer and film and event producer, with environmental campaigning experience. He has served previous terms on the ACF Council and Board and is actively involved in other organisations in the sector. Jonathan is a strong advocate for phasing out fossil fuels, stopping coal and gas production, and fast-tracking clean energy from sun, wind and waves.
QUEENSLAND
Joachim Ribbe
Joachim is a physical oceanographer and environmental scientist having worked at institutions in Australia, USA, Germany and Chile. He participated in research expeditions into the Indian, Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, explored coastal waters of southeast Queensland and investigated freshwater systems of the Murray Darling basin. Joachim researched Australia’s variable climate and weather, and for more than 25 years, he developed and taught climate science courses as a university lecturer. In his work, Joachim advocates the use of scientific evidence in educating the public and to inform policy decision making processes that aim to limit and cease the unsustainable exploitation of Australia’s environment.
Jo Fraser
Jo’s many years of experience as a teacher means she values education for its ability to change minds, raise awareness, and she brings that understanding to her advocacy for nature. Her passion for saving threatened species led to her volunteer work for several community environmental groups, including ACF Brisbane South and Logan. She hopes to build on the incredible work of ACF volunteers nation-wide taking action against the crises of climate change and species extinction. Jo is keen to ensure all Australians experience the incredible biodiversity that this country has to offer, now and into the future.
Narelle McCarthy
Narelle has been actively involved in conservation, natural resource management, sustainability, environmental activism and related fields for the past 15 years. She combines extensive experience in environment-related legal matters, with broad advocacy across community, industry, academia and government. Narelle is committed to being effective in protecting the environment and is passionate about seizing opportunities to protect nature and wildlife through laws, clean energy investment and transition, and sustainable development.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Kirsty Bevan
Kirsty is the CEO of the Conservation Council of SA and chair of the South Australian Nature Alliance, bringing 20+ years of experience in management and advocacy within the environmental community. Prior to this role she worked as a leader with the Nature Conservation Society, the State Herbarium, and the Department for Environment and Water in SA and at the Great Barrier Reef Foundation in QLD. Kirsty plays a critical role in advocating for nature conservation, demonstrating her deep understanding of the importance of having an independent voice and creating a pathway for passionate people to work together in the pursuit of better outcomes for nature.
Leon Cermak
Leon has worked in policy roles in energy, climate change and sustainability. Currently working at Tesla across VPP and DER policy and programs, Leon has extensive knowledge of energy systems, economics and finance. Prior to joining Tesla, Leon worked in various ministerial, policy and political roles across state and federal government. Leon is passionate about ensuring that the transition to sustainable energy is socially equitable and that Australia leads the world in supporting nature. Leon has been an ACF Councillor since 2018, is a BA (Public Policy), MBA, GCM and AICD graduate. He lives and works on Kaurna land.
Leon Lack
Leon is a research scientist and clinician in the areas of sleep, circadian rhythms, and insomnia. He has had a long career of university teaching, public education, and commercial invention in these areas. He has also been a long term supporter of conservation, climate change action, and democratic political reform. He believes that a ‘green new deal’ can provide solutions and also stimulate a sustainable economy without fossil fuels. In his personal life he has ecologically reforested two denuded properties while maintaining long term hobbies of choral singing and jogging. He will enthusiastically devote energy to the ACF.
TASMANIA
Erica Maginnis
Erica Maginnis is a progressive, people- first HR specialist with over 13 years of experience in the non-profit and environmental sector. She has a deep passion for driving positive change through innovative and sustainable solutions. With a strong background in HR for ENGO’s, Erica has now transitioned into the cutting-edge field of environmental biotechnology. She currently works at an enviro-bio tech company that develops science-based solutions for methane reduction in agriculture. Erica is committed to fostering inclusive, forward-thinking workplaces where both people and the planet thrive, leveraging her expertise to support mission-driven organisations.
Joana Cubillos
Joana is a Chilean migrant, who fell in love with Tasmania’s natural environment 21 years ago. Joana has been an organiser and promoter of cultural cohesion and Latin America Culture in Tasmania and, along with facilitating cultural events, aims to add an environmental connection for her community. Joana is keen to see the policy change that is paramount to creating a thriving clean economy and stopping environmental degradation.
Shar Molloy
Shar Molloy is the Co-Director of the Environment Centre NT and has led the organisation since 2017. Shar has over 25 years working in environmental organisations and her qualifications are in finance, management, governance, mediation and campaigning. Shar has served on the board of the Environmental Defenders Office (NT) and is currently a Board member of the Darwin Asylum Seeker Support and Advocacy Network (DASSAN). Shar designed and delivered the 10GW Vision in collaboration with Beyond Zero Emissions, and the successful and award-winning Repower NT campaign in 2020, which changed the conversation about renewable energy in the Northern Territory.
VICTORIA
Liz Reen
Liz trained in both physical sciences and Information Technology,and worked for over 25 years in the water industry. She combines her science background with an active approach to advocacy, community engagement and politics. Since retiring, Liz has been a leader in ACF’s Chisholm Community Group and is passionate about growing its influence in her local community. She uses her hobby of photography to relax in nature and for social media promotion of community activities. An active environmentalist since the 1970s, Liz is working towards a sustainable world where humans live happily and comfortably within the limits of our planet.
Melanie Birtchnell
Melanie has worked in diverse areas of Ecology for over 20 years. Amongst this, Melanie completed a PhD in landscape-scale flowering ecology based on observational (qualitative and quantitative) data. Melanie is a consultant, providing professional mentoring and development services for ecologists and biodiversity planners as well as consulting on threatened species conservation. She has extensive experience in research; professional development training and facilitation; consulting; education; biodiversity planning; and community engagement, and is a recognised leader in environmental advocacy. Melanie is passionate about connecting people and place, and in systems change that increases communities’ ability to be effective changemakers.
Sally Fisher
Sally is a Community Organiser with the Real Deal Geelong Alliance on Wadawurrung country. Being raised on a farm increased her appreciation of how fragile our land is and how we all need to care for it.
Her interest in community organising comes after a career in health which saw her work across three states. Living in SA during the Millenium drought increased her understanding that our economic systems are drivers of climate change and inequality and need to be urgently addressed. Sally is an ACF Geelong Community group leader and passionate about a just transition to a fair economy.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Alex Hillman
Alex has degrees in Chemical Engineering and Finance. He spent 15 years working in oil and gas, including five years as Woodside's climate change advisor. Alex has expertise in the energy transition, asset and company forecasting, climate policy, emissions and climate reporting and financial analysis.
In his role at the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility, he assesses the climate and business plans of heavy-emitting companies, with a particular focus on new oil and gas projects. He then uses this research to support institutional investors to reduce emissions from these companies.
Liam Lilly
Liam has a background in environmental science, climate science, and economics.Liam is a committee member of Nuclear-Free WA and is the former executive director of Society- Environment-Economy Change, Canberra. He has been involved in various climate and anti-nuclear campaigns since his days at university. Liam works at the Conservation Council of WA where he provides research and analysis to inform climate and nature campaigns, whilst building local networks and community alliances to help the WA environment network. Liam lives in Fremantle and is an avid trail runner.
Sarah English
Sarah has led campaigns and communications in environmental, human rights, and political organisations for fifteen years, working with both grassroots groups and national organisations like Amnesty International and GetUp. Sarah is an advocate for a fast and fair transition to renewable energy in order to address the climate and nature crises, generate jobs and affordable energy, and prevent further damage to First Nations sites. Sarah has served on the ACF Council since 2018, and was elected to the Board in 2022.
NORTHERN TERRITORY
Jonathan Pilbrow
Jonathan is the part-time Executive Officer for the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN), commencing this role in May 2023, having previously spent eight years on the IPAN national coordinating committee as a NT rep. Jonathan has lived in Mparntwe/Alice Springs for over 25 years, working in social work and policy/advocacy roles during this time. He is currently a full-time carer and also works part-time for himself (‘Just Change’) in a policy advisory role, in the NGO sector, which includes advocating for fairer, more affordable and more sustainable access to electricity for low-income households in the NT.
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
Kelly Tanner
Kelly brings to council her lived experience as a mother and disability carer, her medical and business training, and her strong connection and commitment to mob. Kelly is truly passionate about setting solutions towards solving the climate and extinction crisis. Kelly advocates tirelessly for community awareness and has been recognised for her environmental and human rights research and action campaigns when living and working in the NT, WA, QLD and the ACT where she now resides with her two beautiful daughters, husband and camp dog Ace.