Our People

Dave is an experienced campaigner and community organiser who has spent 20+ years organising for social change in Queensland.  He has been the Director of Queensland Conservation Council since 2021, and loves to push Queensland to be a climate and biodiversity leader, not a laggard. He was the founding lead organiser of the Queensland Community Alliance, and before that has worked as a union, human rights and pro-democracy campaigner and a political advisor. Dave's family have worked for generations to protect Queensland's natural wonders as environmental activists. He is committed to building people power to change Queensland and lives in Brisbane with his partner and two kids. 

Email: [email protected]

As Deputy Director at Queensland Conservation Council, Anthony has responsibility for the organisation's climate and nature campaigns, as well as its work in fundraising and communications.A strategic leader with extensive experience in environmental campaigning and communications, Anthony has more than eight years of experience in leadership roles across the movement. Anthony has worked closely with conservation groups, First Nations communities, and values-aligned businesses across the country on campaigns around environmental law reform & litigation, nature conservation, and ethical divestment. Prior to joining the environment sector, Anthony was a journalist at Queensland’s Courier-Mail covering finance and business.

Jen’s new role as Organising Coordinator is focused on bringing an organising approach to how we work together across QCC’s member groups. She has over 20 years’ experience in the union movement and in community organising. Jen has worked with a broad range of community organisations, faith organisations and unions to help identify and nurture leadership potential and build collaborative power to run campaigns for long lasting change. She co-founded the Sydney Alliance which is a broad-based coalition of civil sector organisations building relationships across diversity to act together for the common good. Jen is passionate about building power for justice, nature and our climate.

Email: [email protected]

Amy’s role as Organising Lead is to build people power to win our campaigns and protect the environment.

Amy has over 20 years experience in the social change movement including 15 years in leadership roles in campaigning, community organising, fundraising and data. Prior to that Amy worked as a journalist and in the ethical investment industry.

She is passionate about building people’s capacity to engage in decision making processes and make change in their communities.

Jen’s role with the Queensland Conservation Council is Climate Organiser. She has had diverse experiences over her career, including in law, the public service, community and project development, policy and advocacy. She has worked with Government, Indigenous led organisations, community NGOs and faith-based organisations, in Victoria, the ACT, NT and across Queensland.

She now lives on Turrbal and Yuggera country in Brisbane. She loves being out amongst nature and is passionate about the health and flourishing of both human and non-human life.

Email: [email protected] 

Cass is QCC’s all-rounder who comes with years of experience in administration and has wide-ranging skills in all things organisational. Her role includes office management, supporting event logistics, communications, supporting HR processes and more. Cass has recently been working her way through a Health Science Degree at The University of Queensland and is passionate about the health of people, the planet, and all the creatures we share it with.

Jenny is QCC’s Climate Lead. She has expertise in climate and environmental policy along with a passion for building diverse coalitions. Jenny experience working for government, environmental NGOs, and most recently for the World Bank where she developed targeted interventions and national GHG transition plans to enhance climate ambition across the transport sector.

Email: [email protected]

As Philanthropy Manager at Queensland Conservation Council, Nina is responsible for growing our network of supporters from Nature Guardians to Philanthropists, Trusts and Foundations. She joins us from the Karrkad Kanjdji Trust (an Indigenous-led conservation organisation) where she spent five years developing her fundraising expertise and helping grow the organisation alongside her team. 

Prior to working in conservation, Nina was a primary teacher, who worked in Naarm, Berlin and Kabulwarnamyo in West Arnhem Land. She holds a Graduate Certificate in Aboriginal Studies and is focussed on decolonising practices. 

Natalie joins QCC as the Nature Campaigner, leading the land clearing campaign and the Queensland Forests Alliance. Natalie is an ecologist with over 10 years experience in ecological assessments and monitoring, project management, community engagement, campaigning, advocacy and events. Natalie has previously worked for multi-national consulting companies, environmental charities and recently the Sunshine Coast Environment Council.

Steph has been campaigning to accelerate Queensland's uptake of clean and affordable renewable energy since 2019. Before joining QCC, she worked to change hearts and minds in regional Queensland by campaigning to turn Townsville into a clean manufacturing hub - unlocking good future proof jobs in new renewable-powered industries.

She has a background in science and communication, and previous experience as a digital campaigner.

Ellie is the Media Manager at the Queensland Conservation Council, leading the organisation's media and external communications strategy to help advance the protection of Queensland's natural environment and climate. A strong storytelling and communication expert, Ellie has 13 years experience in journalism and content across digital, broadcast and print, including media spokesperson experience for a national publication. This is Ellie's first official role in the environment sector after years volunteering in the conservation space in Queensland, where she found a particular passion for helping community groups gain media traction in the lead up to elections. Prior to joining the environment movement, Ellie was a journalist and editor covering finance at organisations including Canstar and News.com.au.

Email: [email protected]

Campaigning to at least double Queensland’s protected area system by 2030, Nicky works with Queenslanders from all walks of life to achieve this. Passion to ensure we as a community leave a positive legacy for future generations underpins her approach.
A former journalist on the Sunshine Coast, Nicky also brings experience from private forestry and agroforestry, tertiary teaching in sustainability and natural resource management, and forest conservation campaigning.

Nigel Parratt, is QCC's Water Officer.  Nigel was the QCC Rivers Project Officer from 2005 until 2013 and has worked for WWF-Australia for the last 7 years has recently returned to QCC as the new Water Policy Officer, which is funded by the Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water for the next 3 years.   

Kanchana lives and works in unceded Jagera and Turrbal country in Meanjin. She has a background in psychology with a diverse career focused on equity and working with and empowering disadvantaged communities. She has worked with indigenous organisations, academic institutes, international aid organisations, Government, community NFPs, and multi cultural and multi faith community organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Australia and Queensland.

She loves being in nature and dancing. She is determined to help build diverse, inclusive and well resourced communities advocating to protect nature, and a fair and sustainable future for all.

Ben is an experienced campaigner, organiser and activist who has spent over 30 years working towards social and climate justice. He will bring passion and experience to the role of Coal and Gas Campaigner for QCC, challenging both government and business to lift their games towards a healthier future.

Ben's experience ranges from supporting marginalised communities to owning a large mental health service, from engaging Queensland Cabinet through to grassroots activism and travelling on the Rainbow Warrior II. His colourful life brings with it both respect and notoriety. Both are valuable in his greatest passion, protecting the lives and livelihoods of his children and beyond.

Yaamagara, nginda ngay gayrr Winanga-li Gii Burruguu creation.

Ngaragay ngaya yana-y dhi-bidi Cawubuwan Gunigal Bumaay ngaragay Ngarabal gumbu. 

Hello,  my name is Winanga-li Gii,  which means to listen and teach from the heart. 

I come from the big light Burruguu of Bumaay Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay nation of Northern NSW and Southern QLD, and also from the Ngarabal Nation of South Eastern QLD.

For over the past 45 years, I have been continuing the age-old practices of teaching the cultural knowledge and customs of the Gamilaraay and Ngarabal Nations, from preschool, primary,  secondary and through to universities.  More importantly within my Gamilaraay and Ngarabal Nations, we have been using the strict but highly unique educational tools that my parents and their parents and so on have passed down to me and have continued within our nations since Burruguu.

Hayley's role within the Queensland Conservation Council is Volunteer Coordinator and Nature Organiser, responsible for engaging and organising volunteers to increase capacity across QCC as well as organiser volunteers and supporters around our national parks for life campaign. Hayley has been working and volunteering in community organising roles within climate and environment campaigns for the last 9 years as well as having a background in ecology and Landcare. Previously she worked with Lock the Gate as a Brisbane Community Organiser and 350.org as QLD university divestment coordinator.

Email: [email protected]

Tim has worked for over fifteen years in a wide variety of digital roles including website content, digital marketing, communications, and social media. This is Tim's first role in the Environment sector after working in higher and further education.

As the Digital Communications Specialist for QCC, Tim will help to engage our existing audiences and find ways to reach new ones through email, websites, and social media.

After spending the last ten years working in the UK, he has moved back to Brisbane with his wife and 4 young children, swapping beanies and scarves for sunscreen and thongs.