National Executive Council

 

PRESIDENT  –  Phil Smith NSW
president@aaee.org.au

A dozen years in high school teaching, train-the-trainer programs, outdoor and environmental education. A dozen years with state government environment agencies, including nine years with the NSW EPA and three years as Manager Education at Resource NSW. Eighteen months as Director of the Sutherland Shire Environment Centre, during which time, I coordinated local and regional community campaigns. I am currently Secretary of the SSEC.

 

VICE PRESIDENT  -  Gayle Seddon VIC
vicepresident2@aaee.org.au

Gayle Seddon is an environmental scientist and sustainability consultant, writer, television producer and presenter and internationally recognised environmental educator with
over 22 years experience spanning NGOs, professional associations, government and private sectors.
Her Work and voluntary contributions include local community organisations such as Keep Australia Beautiful, Moreland Energy Foundation, CERES and the Gould League, the Australian and Victorian Associations for Environmental Education, Association for Waste and Resource Education, Live & Learn International, Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand, Environment Business Australia, Australian Environment Business Network, Waste Management Association of Australia, Metropolitan Waste Management Group, Department of Education, City of Melbourne and major corporations such as Visy Recycling and Citywide Service Solutions.
Key Achievements:
- Facilitation and production of Citywide’s 2008 corporate sustainability business strategy & inaugural sustainability report
- Development, auditing and certification of Citywide’s ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems
- Production of a national public waste awareness media campaign on behalf of Live & Learn International for the Republic of the Maldives
- Design and implementation of corporate EMS training and EcoChampchange management program
- Design and implementation of local government community based environmental education campaigns for CBD multi storey residential buildings
- Organisation of Waste Educate& Learning for Sustainabilityconferences
- Production and presentation of live & interactive Science & Technology Education in Primary Schools STEPSand EnviroPluckC31 community based environmental television series.

VICE PRESIDENT  -  Dr Sandra Wooltorton WA
vicepresident3@aaee.org.au

TREASURER  -  Cam Mackenzie QLD
treasurer@aaee.org.au

In 1980 Cam was appointed the principal of the Education Queensland’s Townsville/Paluma Environmental Education Centre until 1987. From 1982 to 1987 Cam was appointed the President of the Townsville Town Common Natural History Association and in 1987 he was elected President of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Qld – Townsville Branch. From 1988 he was a marine studies and biology teacher for three years in a high school on the north side of Brisbane. From 1988-2002 Cam was a member of the State Council of the Wildlife Preservation Society – Qld. In 1992 he was elected the inaugural President, Queensland Gould League for Environmental Education and in 1995-97 was elected National Director, Australian Council of Gould Leagues. From 1998 to 1999 Cam was the Vice President, of the Queensland State Wide Network of Environmental Education Centres. From 2000 to 2002 he was the National Treasurer – Australian Association for Environmental Education. From 2001 to 2004 he was the Chairperson of the Mountains to Mangroves Corridor Committee and was the president of the North West Brisbane Branch of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland until recently. He is currently the National Treasure (again) of the Australian Association for Environmental Education.
Cam was appointed the principal of the Bunyaville EEC with Education Queensland in 1991 until 2005. He is currently the Principal Advisor – Environmental Sustainability for the Department of Education, Training and the Arts. This role includes the development and management of the Queensland Environmentally Sustainable Schools Initiative. Since 2003 Cam has represented Education Queensland on the National Environmental Education Network and also the Australian representative on the international Environment and School Initiatives network.

SECRETARY  -  Vacant

COMMITTEE MEMBER  -  Jenny Dudgeon TAS

Jenny works part time for the Tasmanian Education Department as a Project Officer for the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative, AuSSI and part time as a Prep teacher. Jenny trained as primary school teacher and majored in environmental education. Jenny has been teaching for over 30 years and taught in rural, disadvantaged and now a city school. In 2006 Jenny was part of a team that was awarded a Hardie Fellowship by the Tasmanian Department of Education. This fellowship enabled our early childhood team to study inquiry learning, positive behaviour support mechanisms and the latest in brain research. Jenny is enjoying the opportunity to develop the AuSSI Initiative in Tasmania., raising community awareness, providing opportunities for teachers, students and parents to be informed and cause them to reconsider their practice. Part of this has involved studying Asian cultures and Jenny has been involved in developing links with a sister school in India. Jhyoti Paul a teacher from Springdales School in New Delhi visited our school. Jenny has been awarded an AEF Scholarship to India to work with Jhyoti in her school in 2009. Jenny is married with 3 adult daughters who all enjoy bushwalking and exploring the Tasmanian bush.

COMMITTEE MEMBER  -  Jem Hansen NSW

Jem is Manager, Education and Sustainability Projects at Impact Environmental Consulting where has worked since 2000. He has managed a variety of projects in the waste, sustainability and environmental education fields, working with government, business and community sectors. In the event management side of the business Jem has been involved in the planning and implementation of over 25 events aimed at improving environmental awareness and management, including Sustainable Procurement, Waste Management, Geothermal Energy, Waste Educate, Education for Sustainability, Learning for Sustainability and NSW Environmental Education conferences.
Jem has a B Env Sci, is active in a number of local and regional professional and community environmental groups, and lives on the beautiful mid north coast of NSW with his wife and young family.

 COMMITTEE MEMBER  -  Frank Fisher VIC

Currently Prof. of Sustainability at Swinburne UT & AAEE’s inaugural National Environmental Educator of the Year [2007]; was Director of the Grad. School of Environ. Sc. At Monash U. from 1990 – 2005; teaches & writes on the social construction of reality and its uses as environmental science; recent book: Response Ability: Environment, Health & Everyday Transcendence, Vista, 2006. Also involved in over a dozen national, state & local health consumer committees.

COMMITTEE MEMBER – Pearl Tassell SA

Pearl has a Bachelor of Science, with a major in Environmental Science and a secondary major in Chemistry and a Graduate Certificate in Environmental Management and Sustainability, both from the University of South Australia.
Pearl has worked for The Wilderness Society campaigning many environmental issues. From 2003 until 2007 Pearl was involved in the organisation of the South Australian Youth Parliament Program.
Pearl has a high level of community involvement, spending five years on her Local Council’s Youth Advisory Committee, and was named the 2006 City of Salisbury Young Citizen of the Year, and 2006 Living Legend. In these roles Pearl gave many speeches to young people, encouraging youth empowerment and participation.
Pearl was hired by Carbon Planet in 2007 to research and design a program to engage young people. She continues to develop and implement the now award winning program, Operation: Coolenation.

COMMITTEE MEMBER – Sheila Brown SA