OCOC Leadership development grant recipients

Integrated catchment management: Lessons learnt and shared Matt is the Bellarine Catchment Network (BCN) program manager with 20 years of experience within various community-focused natural resource management (NRM) organisations.

He sits on a number of local, regional, and state-level advisory committees that extends his support for NRM communities while exposing him to different methods of integrated NRM at the community level. The BCN model of integrated NRM leads to efficient and effective program delivery while providing benefits to staff in organisations and to community groups.

Matt will participate in a professional leadership course through the Leaders for Geelong committee. This course will provide leadership skills to impart the BCN integrated NRM model across Geelong and the Bellarine and other regions across Victoria.

Improving capacity for indigenous engagement in natural resource management sector communications.

Tracey is employed by the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority as a Catchment Management Officer, engaging a wide range of partners and stakeholders in projects she coordinates, including promotional videos.

Through a coaching program, Tracey seeks to develop leadership skills as a female indigenous employee at the catchment management authority and within her own Indigenous community.

Jenny is an Open Space Planner with Warrnambool City Council and has served three terms on the Glenelg Hopkins Advisory Group. Her experience in natural resource management is diverse, with over 18 years serving various roles in Landcare, 12 years in local government, reserve management, dairy farming experience and has completed an Honours and PhD research in the Glenelg Hopkins region.

Jenny is very passionate about the south-west Victoria region and is interested in using her wealth of experience to progress to NRM-related board representation in the future. Jenny plans to attend two courses run by the Australian Institute of Company Directors- the ‘Company Director’ and ‘Boardroom Effectiveness for Women’ training courses. The Company Director training course will cover understanding the role of a board member, compliance issues, leadership, process stream lining and strategic focus on financial and risk management. The Boardroom Effectiveness for Women training course will help Jenny better understand the unique qualities women bring to a board and effective board participation.

These courses will help Jenny develop the skills necessary to be an effective board member who is ready to take on an NRM-related board role and will complement her wealth of NRM experience in the region. She plans to share the knowledge and experience she gains through social media and other avenues.

Jacqui has studied and worked in natural resource management for over 20 years. She completed a PhD in Wetland Ecology in 2009 and has since worked as an Environmental Education Officer for the Clean Ocean Foundation and as a teacher of the Diploma of Conservation and Land Management at Chisholm Institute.

Since 2012 Jacqueline has been employed as a Landcare Facilitator for the Morning Peninsula Landcare Network. She supports 11 Landcare groups and collaborates with multiple government and not-for-profit agencies to deliver conservation projects.

Jacqui is passionate about promoting more women as role models in integrated catchment management and providing mentorship for those aspiring to become catchment leaders. Jacqui will attend the 2019 Women in Leadership program by Leadership Victoria, an intensive 3-day workshop that supports participants to develop the skills and confidence to achieve their leadership potential.

Jacqui will use the experience and knowledge she gains through this program to establish a mentoring program for women on the Mornington Peninsula and surrounds who are passionate about integrated catchment management and who would benefit from the support of experienced female leaders in the field.

The mentoring program will run for six months from October 2019 to April 2020. It will consist of workshops and one-to-one support during this period and will provide a space for mentors to gain leadership experience and develop their support networks and assist women just starting out in NRM to gain confidence in pursuing their career goals.

Danny aspires to be at the forefront of innovation and new methods in natural resource management. He holds a Certificate IV in Conversation and Land Management, qualifications in horticulture and has gained NRM experience through his role as Facilitator for the Loddon Plains Landcare Network. He also possesses experience in community engagement working with land managers and delivering proposals for environmental projects.

Danny plans to undertake training at the Australian Groundwater School and the Mulloon Institute to develop further his understanding of hydrology, natural sequence farming and identifying and capitalising on natural assets within landscapes to enhance production and maximise year-round vegetation ground cover.

Danny will then apply his new knowledge to conduct small-scale paddock research focused on water runoff, soil qualities, soil moisture and biodiversity of small vertebrates and invertebrates on-farm in the form of surveys as an indicator of on-farm biodiversity levels. He aims to compare conservation and vegetation coverage methods between a site under new management practices and a second farm as a control site.

The training will also allow Danny to better work with local farming enterprises and communities throughout the Loddon Plains area of central Victoria to raise awareness and introduce new practices to adapt to a drying climate.