Our Team

STAFF:
Our staff play the role of "Network Support Team" and strive to ensure our membership is working as strategically and collaboratively as possible.

about Ross

Ross Macdonald

is the Parliamentary Engagement Manager at Solutions for Climate Australia. Ross’ career has included service in the Australian Defence Force, the Australian Public Service and most recently working for various Senators and Members of Parliament as a Senior Adviser. In addition, Ross was involved in the campaign for marriage equality, working to bring together politicians and advocacy groups. Ross lives on a property on Ngambri and Ngunnawal land in regional New South Wales.

about Sarah

Sarah Devlin

is the Operations Manager for the Solutions for Climate Australia project, providing administrative and financial support to the  team. She has 20 years’ experience in financial management. Having worked over several industries Sarah brings experience in analytics, relationship management and process streamlining. Sarah is based on the lands of the Quandamooka people (Brisbane Moreton Bay Region). She spends her spare time hiking and exploring the outdoors with her family.

about Marty

Marty Middlebrook

is the Better Futures Australia Program Manager. Marty has over 20 years experience working in the for-purpose sector, collaborating with businesses, educators, community groups and government to achieve environmental and social outcomes. Marty lives and works on the lands of the Eora Nation (Sydney)

about Brooke

Brooke Phillips

is CANA’s Network Coordinator. She facilitates and supports members' capacity to participate & collaborate across the network. Brooke has several years of experience working within the non-for-profit human rights and health sectors including developing strategic relationships, campaign planning and advocacy, executing large campaigns and events and fundraising. Brooke is passionate about safeguarding human rights for all people, especially those affected by climate change. She is based on the Sunshine Coast on the land of the Gubbi Gubbi people. In her spare time Brooke enjoys spending time with her young family and cooking for her friends and family.

about Bethany

Bethany Richards

Is a Network Support Officer within the Operations team at CANA, and she administers the Brown Bag Lunch program. A Master of Social Policy graduate from the University of Melbourne, Beth is a proponent of equitable and sustainable policy for a just decarbonisation journey. She has published a guide on the Australian Government’s emissions reductions policy architecture, which was met with resounding commendation from the network. She will also convene a Legal Sector Working Group within CANA. Beth is based on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country (Melbourne).

about INARI

INARI SALTAU

is CANA’s Director of Operations and Network Coordination. They manage the organisational development, financial planning, legal compliance and staff management of CANA alongside membership coordination. Inari has over seven years experience in Climate Justice advocacy alongside their experience in operations management, administration, event planning and movement building. They have a background in community development and organising and are particularly passionate about the Climate movement prioritising justice for First Nations peoples. Inari enjoys training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, camping and gardening and is based on Gubbi Gubbi Country north of Brisbane.

about Barry

Barry (BJ) Traill

leads the Solutions for Climate Australia project, working to create enduring bipartisanship in federal politics for decisive action on climate. An ecologist by training, BJ is one of Australia’s most successful environmental advocates and has led and co-led work on many major environmental campaigns. This has included work with Indigenous peoples to protect Outback landscapes, greatly expanding Australia’s marine park network, and getting in place controls on land-clearing in Queensland, which greatly reduced Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions. BJ has lived in country Australia all his life and is especially passionate about protecting nature, and working with people in regional and remote Australia. He lives on Jinabara lands in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.

about Sophia

Sophia Walter

is a senior campaigner working on advocacy for bipartisan Federal Parliament action on climate change. Sophia’s role involves working with people and organisations to shift the dial on the Federal Government’s current commitments to act on climate change. Sophia’s professional background includes working with a range of environmental organisations in Australia, China and Botswana, including most recently the Pew Charitable Trusts. Sophia has worked in journalism, at a native title organisation and at a campaigning electorate office. She is particularly passionate about supporting people to be empowered to make decisions about and care for their country, in particular land justice for First Nations peoples. Sophia is a Queenslander and lives on Yuggera and Turrbal country in Brisbane.

about JAMES

JAMES WHELAN

is CANA’s Climate Strategist, facilitating and supporting alignment and collaboration. He has been a public interest advocate and climate campaigner for thirty years. James is inspired by people power and the vision of a genuinely participatory democracy. Decisions that impact our climate impact our lives. He co-founded the Change Agency and has trained and strategised with climate action groups throughout Australia, Asia and the Pacific region. James lives on the land of the Awabakal people in Muloobinba (Newcastle). 
about Glen

Glen Klatovsky

is CANA’s Chief Executive Officer. Glen has worked in the climate and environment sectors for more than 25 years including as 350 Australia’s Campaigns Strategist, Director of the Places You Love alliance and Director at WWF-Australia. As Energy Strategist for CANA Glen will help coordinate and align the sector’s positions on policy and regulation and support advocacy for improved government policy and action on climate change. Glen is based on the land of the Eora Nation (Sydney).

about Lisa

Lisa Cliff

is CANA’s Program Director for Better Futures Australia. Lisa engages a broad range of organisations to drive ambition across society and the economy and amplify diverse voices calling on the federal government to do more. An environmental scientist and climate policy professional by training, Lisa has several years of experience working across sectors to co-design and deliver solutions to environmental challenges. Prior to CANA, she was working with The Climate Reality Project - Australia and Pacific Branch to enable a community of 1,600 trained leaders. Lisa has also worked with the Queensland Conservation Council and the ACT Government. Lisa loves exploring the outdoors. She is based on the land of the Jagera and Turrbal Nations (Brisbane).

about Alison

Alison Platt

is CANA’s Finance and Governance Officer.  She manages the accounts and legal compliance for the organisation, as well as handling HR functions and Service Agreements.  After leaving the UK’s financial sector and moving to South Australia in 2004, Alison spent some time as Office Manager at Trees For Life, who work both to protect bushland and to help landholders and farmers with their revegetation projects.  She has also worked at Sustainability House, who provide energy assessments and design services to help their clients to create environmentally sustainable homes and commercial buildings.  Alison enjoys singing, Latin and ballroom dancing and nature photography.  She volunteers at Trees For Life and Freedom Hill Animal Sanctuary and is based on the land of the Ngarrindjeri people in South Australia’s Lower Murray and Coorong region.

 

BOARD:
Our board is democratically elected by our membership and provides strategic, governance, and financial oversight to the network.

about Neil

Neil Pharaoh

Neil has been Chair of the CANA board since October 2021. He splits his professional time between leading the Corporate Affairs for a disability provider, and his own business-for-purpose government engagement consulting firm, Tanck. Neil sits on a number of community, government and private boards, and brings his passion for stakeholder and government engagement, as well as extensive governance skills to CANA. Neil lives in regional Victoria, with his two dogs and many greenhouses, and in his spare time snowboards and kayaks. Neil also lectures leadership and governance at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney.

about Thomas

Thomas Duggan

A highly experienced board member and climate activist, Tom Duggan is a highly regarded leader in the non-profit space. Currently Associate Director for Individual Giving and Plan International his professional background is in marketing and fundraising. During his career he has raised over $150 million for Plan, Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation, ACF and others. He has held governance positions with the Public Fundraising and Climate for Change. He holds an MBA from Melbourne Business School and CFRE. He lives in the Dandenong Ranges where he enjoys trail running.

about Clare

Clare Lakewood

works from Whadjuk Noongar land (Perth, WA) as the Legal Director of the Climate Law Institute at the Center for Biological Diversity, developing strategy to eliminate greenhouse gas pollution and speed a just transition to 100% renewable energy in the United States. Qualified as a lawyer in Australia and the United States, she has extensive experience with campaigns to phase out fossil fuel production in California, and for US federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. She was first introduced to the power of the Climate Action Network at the UNFCCC Conference of Party (COP) meetings in Paris, 2015. She subsequently engaged as a member with USCAN, and CAN International at the 2016 COP. In her spare time, Clare enjoys knitting and is teaching herself to identify birds by call.

about Amanda

Amanda Sturgeon

is the Head of Regenerative Design and leads the Climate Change Practice across the Asia Pacific region at global consultancy firm Mott MacDonald. As the former CEO of the International Living Future Institute in the US, she spent a decade creating and scaling regenerative and climate positive frameworks such as the Living Building Challenge. Amanda is an award-winning sustainable architect, author of Creating Biophilic Buildings, a TED Speaker on Bringing Biophilic Design to Life and has an essay in the anthology All We Can Save: Truth, Courage and Solutions to Climate Change (September 2020). She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and was honored as one of the Top Ten Women in Sustainability by the Women in Sustainability Leadership Awards in 2015.

about Luke

Luke Giuliani

is CANA's Treasurer and is the Deputy Executive Director at Greenpeace Australia Pacific. Starting from projects in technology and social impact, Luke's leadership approach, drive, and digital acumen have found life within environmentalism, civic engagement, national politics, and a range of board and advisory positions. Based in Melbourne, he is a keen cyclist, proud father, amateur squash player and sci-fi tragic. Luke is a strategically minded technologist who believes the climate challenge is significant, immediate, surmountable, and we are playing for keeps.

about Gavan

Gavan McFadzean

is the Manager of the Climate Change and Clean Energy Program at the Australian Conservation Foundation. Since completing an Economics and Politics Degree at Monash University, Gavan has been an environmental and climate activist in Australia’s NGO sector for 25 years. His career includes several positions within the Australian Greens, including Director of Campaigns and Communications for then party leader Richard DiNatale, and ten years at The Wilderness Society as both Northern Australia Program Manager and Victorian Campaigns Manager. In 2004 he was awarded ‘Wild’ magazine’s ‘Environmentalist of the Year Award.’ He enjoys surfing, hiking and cycling. Currently Gavan is Melbourne based.

about Stephanie

Stephanie Cunio

is currently leading climate justice work at the United Workers Union. This involves co-chairing the staff climate action group, establishing the member climate action group and collaborating with senior staff of other unions on climate justice projects. Prior to joining the United Workers Union (UWU) Stephanie was the Deputy Director of CANA and before then the Manager of the CANA Organising Hub. Stephanie also leads UWU's community organising work and is also on the board of the Sydney Alliance. Prior to working at CANA Stephanie was Organising Manager at the Public Service Association of NSW and before that she was Assistant Director of the ACTU Organising Centre.

about Linh

Linh Do

is the Director of Leaders for Global Sustainability at the University of Melbourne. Prior to this, she was the Australia and Pacific lead for Climate Reality, Al Gore’s leadership program. In the past decade, she has worked on energy efficiency with the United Nations Environment Programme, international policy communication around the Paris Agreement with Climate Action Network (CAN) International and The Verb, and on community organising at the Australian Conservation Foundation. Linh has been recognised as Australian Geographic’s Young Conservationist of the Year. Outside of thinking about social movements, she can be found at a music festival or practicing yoga. She is based in Melbourne.


Created with NationBuilder