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Confirmed speakers and guests include:
Hon Steve Chadwick, Minister of Conservation, New Zealand
http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/MPP/MPs/MPs/3/e/e/48MP30531-Chadwick-Steve.htm
http://www.stevechadwick.co.nz/
Mark Camley, Chief Executive, Royal Parks, UK
http://www.royalparks.org.uk/
Al Morrison, Chief Executive and Director-General, Department of Conservation
http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/page.aspx?id=41952
Carol Sheedy, Director, External Relations and Visitor Experience Directorate,Parks Canada, Canada
http://www.pc.gc.ca/index_E.asp
Steve Coleman, Executive Director, Washington Parks and Chair of City Parks Alliance, USA
http://www.washingtonparks.net/staff.html
http://www.cityparksalliance.org
Associate Professor Mardie Townsend Associate Head of School (SPD), Deakin University
http://www.deakin.edu.au/hmnbs/hsd/staff/index.php?username=mardie
Russell Watkinson, Director, ACT Department of Territory and Municipal Services
http://www.tams.act.gov.au/
Dr David Wratt, Principal Scientist with the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in Wellington and Leader of the National Climate Centre
http://www.niwa.cri.nz/
http://www.niwa.cri.nz/ncc
Dr Michael Looker, Director - Australia Program, The Nature Conservancy
http://www.nature.org
http://www.nature.org/wherewework/asiapacific/australia/files/dr_michael_looker.pdf
Dr David Cochrane, Economic Advisory Group, Ernst and Young
http://www.ey.com/
Peter Lee, Chair, Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi
http://www.tiritirimatangi.org.nz/
Dr Dermot Smyth, Consultant in Indigenous involvement in protected area management and member of the Australian Government's Indigenous Protected Area Advisory Group, Smyth and Bahrdt Consultants
http://sbconsultants.com.au
Dr Jennifer Marohasy, Institute of Public Affairs
http://www.ipa.org.au/
Basil Sharp, Associate Professor and Deputy Head of Department, Business & Economics, Auckland University
http://staff.business.auckland.ac.nz/bsharp
Sorrel Wilby, Adventurer, Filmmaker and Author
http://www.celebrityspeakers.com.au/brspeaker_bio.asp?Speaker_Index_Text=264
Cr Sandra Coney, Chair of Parks and Heritage Commitee, Auckland Regional Council
http://www.arc.govt.nz/council/councillors/cr-sandra-coney.cfm
Cr Mike Lee, Chairman, Auckland Regional Council
http://www.arc.govt.nz/council/councillors/cr-michael-lee.cfm
Facilitated by:
Kelvyn Eglinton, Strategy Director, Auckland Regional Physical Activity and Sport Strategy
http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/documents/aksportstrategy/default.asp
Biographies:
Mark Camley, The Royal Parks
 Mark was appointed Chief Executive of The Royal Parks in May 2005. Prior to that he was the Director of the Supreme Court in Her Majesty’s Courts Service. His responsibilities included the administration and management of the Royal Courts of Justice, the Principal Registry of the Family Division, the London County Courts and the Probate Service across England and Wales. Other previous roles included Customer Service Director and Director of the Crown Court, with responsibility for operational policy across all of the Crown Court centres in England and Wales.
During his career he has led a number of IT, building and other projects. He led work on behalf of the UK Government in Estonia, Latvia, Guyana and Spain. He was responsible for the administration of the Hutton Inquiry, including IT and security. In his current role he was responsible for venue delivery, including crowd safety, for Live 8 and Tour de France.
Mark is married and lives in east London. He has chaired the Governing Body of two inner London Secondary Schools. He is a Member of Film London’s Executive Task Force, a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts and an ex-officio Commissioner of the Crown Estate Paving Commission. His interests include all sports, culture and art.
Al Morrison, Chief Executive and Director-General, Department of Conservation
Al Morrison joined the Department of Conservation in 2002 and was appointed as Chief Executive and Director‑General in November 2006.
Al began his working life as a teacher, graduating from the Dunedin Teachers College. He then moved into journalism, spending several years in newspaper in reporting, commentary and management positions before joining Radio New Zealand in 1996, where he became Political Editor.
Al is a graduate of Otago University, where he studied philosophy and education. During his time as a journalist he spent a post graduate year under a Rotary Foundation Fellowship studying science writing at the University of Columbia, Missouri. He is an alumni of the public service Executive Leadership Programme.
He has contributed to several journalism texts on the issue of objectivity, reporting the news and commentary and opinion writing, and to political texts on the issue of reporting under MMP, and the 2002 General Election.
Al is 59 years old and is married with four adult children and one grandchild.
Carol Sheedy, Director General, External Relations and Visitor Experience, Parks Canada
In 1979, Ms. Sheedy was hired as an Education Officer with the National Gallery of Canada. This was the first assignment in a long career dedicated to offering enjoyable and memorable experiences to visitors at heritage attractions in Canada. In 1981, she accepted a position with the National Capital Commission before joining Parks Canada’s Interpretation and Education Branch in 1983.
In 1989, Ms. Sheedy accepted the position of Program Advisor to the Assistant Deputy Minister, Parks Canada. In 1993, she joined Parks Canada’s management team as Director of Heritage Presentation providing functional direction and support to the education programs in the 196 national parks and national historic sites. She also led the development of Parks Canada’s internet Web site, the second most visited federal government sites. In January 2001, she was appointed Executive Director, Heritage Communications, providing direction on national marketing, education and stakeholder relations for the organization.
Between 2001 and 2005, Ms. Sheedy assumed the position of Director General, Operations Eastern Canada, responsible for providing direction to 17 field units in the achievement of Parks Canada’s mandate.
In October 2005, Ms. Sheedy was appointed as the first Director General, External Relations and Visitor Experience for Parks Canada, responsible for providing national leadership in the development of plans, strategies, programs, policies and initiatives to increase the understanding and appreciation that Canadians and visitors to Canada have of the country’s important national historical, natural and cultural assets. She also provides national leadership in the implementation of the Parks Canada Corporate Image and External Relations Strategy; the development and implementation of corporate communications strategies and plans; the direction of socio-economic research; and the planning, organization and conduct of outreach activities as well as stakeholder relations.
This last assignment represents for Carol Sheedy a convergence of all the responsibilities held during her public service career with the objective of bringing to life the many stories of Canada’s nature, history and culture for the enjoyment and learning of Canadians.
Steve Coleman, Washington Parks & People
Steve Coleman is the executive director of Washington Parks & People, the U.S. capital’s award-winning alliance of community park partnerships. He has been working on park revitalization since he helped found a stream valley reclamation initiative 35 years ago. In 25 years of professional non-profit service, he has been a vice president for development and director of research for a national business association working to reverse the arms race, program director of an international environmental advocacy network founded by Ted Turner, staff officer for a national foundation, a fundraising consultant for environmental journalism initiatives, a lobbyist with the American Friends Service Committee, and an intern reporter for Public Broadcasting’s MacNeil/ Lehrer Report.
Steve has been an elected officer of the Committee of 100 on the Federal City, Washington Innercity Self Help (WISH), the Reed-Cooke Neighborhood Association, and the Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners Assembly. A speaker and consultant on urban park revitalization, Steve has appeared in media stories about the urban parks movement across the U.S. and abroad. His writings about city parks have appeared in Places: A Journal of Environmental Design, the UK’s Spaces and Places, and Urban Parks Online, and his work is featured in The Great Neighborhoods Book, released in the summer of 2007.
Steve is a Trustee of the City Parks Alliance and chairs the working group of the International Urban Parks Alliance. He has served on the faculty of the American Planning Association’s City Parks Forum and the Urban Open Space Leadership Institute, and appeared as a keynote speaker at parks conferences in New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston, Charlotte, Portland (Oregon), London, and Barcelona.
Born in India, Steve has lived in Adams Morgan, Washington’s most diverse neighborhood, for 25 years.
Associate Professor Mardie Townsend
Dr. Mardie Townsend is an Associate Professor in the School of Health and Social Development at Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia where she teaches in the area of ‘Public Health’, with a particular focus on the links between ‘People, Health and Place’. Mardie was a foundation student in the multidisciplinary Bachelor of Social Science (Socio-Environmental Assessment and Policy) course at RMIT, and completed a Ph.D. in environmental sociology in 1996. Her research interests include: the links between human health and contact with nature/natural environments; social capital and its influence on health; ecological and social sustainability; and building healthy housing and neighbourhoods.
With Parks Victoria and other organisations, Mardie is leading research on such topics as: the motivations for and benefits of environmental volunteering; the use of nature-based therapies to promote recovery in people with acquired brain injury; the role of parks and green spaces in promoting social capital and community engagement in urban areas; and the benefits of hands-on contact with nature for people experiencing depression.
Mardie has a substantial list of publications relating to her work, including being a co-author and editor of the ‘Healthy Parks, Healthy People’ literature review, a second edition of which will be available soon. In addition to having a range of articles published in peer reviewed journals, she is also co-author and co-editor of ‘Sustainability and Health’ published by Allen & Unwin in 2005, and author of a chapter in ‘Urban Design Futures, published by Routledge in 2006.
Russell Watkinson, Director, ACT Department of Territory and Municipal Services
Russell Watkinson is the Director of Parks, Conservation and Lands in the ACT Department of Territory and Municipal services. Previously, Russell held the position of Director of Parks and Places. From 1998 to 2004, Russell was the Executive Director of the Wet Tropics Management Authority in Cairns.
Prior to joining the Wet Tropics Management Authority, Russell was Regional Manager (Coastal Program) for Far North Queensland with Queensland Department of Environment. From 1992 to 1996, Russell held the position of Deputy Director – Victorian Fisheries – Department of Natural Resources and Environment. Previous to that, Russell worked as a Senior Executive in Parks and Land Management with the Melbourne Board of Works and with Victorian National Parks at the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Russell gained his MSc in Landscape Ecology, Design and Maintenance at London University and is an Associate Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, an Associate of Leisure Australia and is also an active member of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand.
Dr David Wratt, Principal Scientist with the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in Wellington and Leader of the National Climate Centre
David Wratt is the General Manager responsible for climate and climate change work at NIWA , Director of the New Zealand Climate Change Centre , Chair of the Royal Society's New Zealand Climate Committee, and a Bureau member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
David has been involved in national and international climate change research and assessment since the mid-1980s. His work has included collaborating with colleagues to develop regional climate change projections, preparing material to help Local Government staff identify climate change impacts and adaptation options, and contributing to IPCC climate change assessments.
Dr Michael Looker, Director - Australia Program, The Nature Conservancy
Since joining The Nature Conservancy in 2005, Michael has assumed leadership roles at both the national and international levels. He helped to identify the Conservancy’s worldwide conservation strategies as a member of goal-setting teams for two major habitat types: arid lands and grasslands. Michael also led the Conservancy’s regional Australasia team in the development of an operational plan outlining initiatives for conservation, operations, fundraising and government relations.
Prior to his role with the Conservancy, Michael served as the Director of Trust for Nature for five years, during which time he spearheaded that organisation’s transition to a landscape-scale conservation approach. Under Michael’s leadership, the Trust for Nature acquired Ned’s Corner Station—the largest private conservation purchase in Victoria—spanning 30,000 hectares on the Murray River in the northwest portion of the state.
A botanist by training, Michael spent three years studying public open space management at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, and another five years as the Superintendent of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne. Michael also spent eight years as a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Horticulture at Burnley College, University of Melbourne. His major areas of interest and research have focused on public open space management, especially vegetation management.
Dr David A Cochrane, Partner, Economic Advisory Group, Ernst & Young
David is the national leader for the Economic Advisory Group at Ernst & Young. He is an economist and accountant with over 30 years practical experience. David has extensive experience in advising Government and the private sector on economic and financial policy including in regulatory reform, industry development, project evaluation and the development of business strategies for public and private sector organisations and capital evaluation projects
In early 2007, after 5 years of research, David completed his doctoral thesis entitled “Maintaining Environmental Values in a Commercial Environment – a framework for Commercial Development in Victoria’s National Parks”. The topic of this thesis indicates one of David’s primary interests – the protection of our natural environment while still ensuring these vital assets are accessible to the community.
In the past David has provided services to a wide range of public and private sector organisations including Parks Victoria, Queensland Water Commission, Department of Sustainability and Environment (Victoria), various Catchment Management Authorities, Monash Energy, Vic Forests, various Tourism and Industry organisations and regulatory bodies such as IPART.
A particular area of focus is the assessment of the economic and social impact of Government programs and initiatives with work completed including an assessment of the economic value of national parks, a consideration of the economic impact of open market pricing on forestry harvesting, an evaluation of the alternative uses of recycled water and consideration of the economic impact of research activities in a number of areas.
Peter Lee, Chair, Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi
Peter Lee is Chairperson of the Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi, one of the largest single-site conservation volunteer projects in New Zealand. He has been involved with the Supporters since 1990 in a number of roles, including chairperson from 1999 to 2002 and again since earlier this year. He has also been a board member of other conservation organisations and founded the Auckland Conservation Forum. In 2002 Peter developed the Supporters' inaugural 5-year Plan, since used as a model by other conservation volunteer groups. In his professional life he is the marketing manager for a financial services organisation.
Dr Dermot Smyth, Consultant in Indigenous involvement in protected area management and member of the Australian Government's Indigenous Protected Area Advisory Group, Smyth and Bahrdt Consultants
Having trained as a biologist and undertaken field research in northern Australia, PNG, Indonesia and West Africa, Dermot developed an interest in the relationship between Indigenous peoples and their environments. For the last 20 years Dermot has worked as a consultant in Indigenous environmental management in Australia, with a particular interest in Indigenous involvement in natural resource management, protected areas and coastal management. Previous consultancies for the Australian Government include the development of the Indigenous Protected Area Program in the mid 1990s and recently completed pilot Sea Country Plans in Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory. From 1993 to 2004, in his capacity as an Honorary Research Fellow at James Cook University, Dermot delivered an annual Caring for Country course to final year environmental studies students, introducing them to the cultural, legal, resource management and policy implications of Indigenous peoples’ relationship with Australia’s environments. In the early 1990s Dermot developed and delivered the initial Aboriginal Ranger Training modules for the Cairns College of TAFE involving Aboriginal Rangers from Cape York Peninsula, many of whom continue to play an important role in the operation of the Land and Sea Management Centres. Dermot is currently involved in the development of “Country-based Plans”, which take a tenure-blind approach to supporting Indigenous peoples’ use and management of their traditional land and sea Country.
Dermot Smyth’s membership of organisations relating to Indigenous people’s involvement in protected areas include:
- The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
- World Commission on Protected Areas
- IUCN Inter-commission Theme on Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities, Equity and Protected Areas (TILCEPA)
Dr Jennifer Marohasy, Institute of Public Affairs
Dr Jennifer Marohasy joined the Institute of Public Affairs in July 2003.
Concerned that public policy on environmental issues is increasingly driven by moral crusading, rather than objective science or need, Jennifer works to provide an important counterpoint in public debate and discussion. Jennifer contends that if we really care about the environment, we will want to understand how it really is, and not deny "good news" stories.
After completing a science degree at the University of Queensland, she worked for many years as a field biologist in remote parts of Africa and Madagascar. During the 1990s, Jennifer published in international and Australian scientific journals on weed biological control, plant and insect taxonomy, insect behaviour and risk-management.
In 1997, Jennifer started with the Queensland Canegrowers Organisation as Environment Manager. During this time she developed an interest in environmental campaigns and, in particular, the anomalies between fact and perception regarding the health of coastal river systems and the Great Barrier Reef.
Jennifer writes a fortnightly column for The Land newspaper. She has a Ph.D. on procedures used to assess risks associated with introduction of biological control agents. |
