The TNQ Hub team will help deliver drought resilience and preparedness activities across the TNQ region.
Director
Throughout her career, Karen has lived and worked with regional and rural communities working in Extension and Rural Industry Development across Queensland. She has owned businesses in rural and regional areas, as well as being a primary producer. After living in western and regional Queensland through years of drought, Karen made her own drought resilience move in 2022 to the Cassowary Coast and now lives near Innisfail, north Queensland. Karen enjoys creating opportunities to support farm businesses to mitigate risks and develop strategies to be more resilient.
Program Manager
Simon was born and bred in Townsville and has many years’ experience working in complex, large and geographically dispersed organisations based from both Townsville and Brisbane. Simon’s previous experience includes working with JCU Connect, Queensland Country Health Fund and many years with the Department of Health. Simon brings a wide range of skills to the TNQHub and is looking forward to being involved in a program that will help Australian farmers and communities prepare for, and become more resilient to, the impacts of drought.
Program Communications
Emily grew up on a cattle and sheep station near Richmond, North West Queensland and has worked in communications and administration roles across the non-for-profit, ag tech, transport and health care industries. Bringing her professional skills and lived experience of growing up on the land to her role as Program Communications, Emily is passionate about agriculture and enjoys working with a diverse range stakeholders.
Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer
Sophie supports the delivery of data collection and analysis of the hub’s activities through the Monitoring, Evaluating and Learning reports.
Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer
I am an anthropologist specializing in complex human-environment relationships and working with communities to achieve inclusive and just socio-environmental change. I have over 15 years’ experience applying social scientific insights to help enhance climate adaptation, community resilience, wildlife conservation, natural resource management, and the adoption of sustainable technologies. Alongside my academic experience, I have held research positions with the Queensland Government and the CSIRO, where I have explored the cultural aspects of drought adaptation in the Queensland grazing industry, best practice community engagement and knowledge adoption in agricultural extension programs in the Great Barrier Reef catchments.
The Program Leads are experts in complex project design and deployment, with specific experience in agriculture, drought, rural communities and tropical environments. Each Program Lead has developed overarching activities that seek to improve decision-making; encourage new technologies and practices adoption; offer innovative financing and insurance options; support diversification; and enrich human capital within the TNQ region.
Sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Enterprise
Transformational Agricultural Systems and Innovation and Commercialisation
Building Human Capacity
Our Node Drought Resilience Coordinators (DRC) are working closely with the Program Leads to support the delivery of localized program activities and events. The DRC are also the key point of contact for drought resilience queries within each of their region.
Fitzroy Basin Association
Cape York NRM
Reef Catchments
Southern Gulf NRM
NQ Dry Tropics
Gulf Savannah NRM
Our Adoption Officers are working together with the DRCs to advise on and improve land holders’ awareness and uptake of existing and innovative drought resilience tools/platforms.
Knowledge Adoption Officer
Technical Adoption Officer - South
The role of the Regional Soils Coordinator is to increase the adoption of best practice-sustainable agriculture through soil workshops and seminars.
Regional Soils Coordinator
Dhiraj is an experienced Agronomist with a demonstrated history of working in the farming industry. Dhiraj is highly skilled in Negotiation, Business Planning, Sales, Agronomy, product innovation and Food Safety and Quality management. Dhiraj has a Bachelor degree in Agricultural Science, Majoring in Entomology and Plant Pathology from Gujarat Agricultural University, India.
As the Regional Soils Coordinator, Dhiraj will provide networks for researchers, primary producers and community groups to work together to enhance drought resilience practices, as well as work with service providers to deliver more integrated and targeted soils services to communities, broker partnerships with industry and stakeholders to build capability, and to coordinate service delivery and share the latest soil science and tools to support the Smart Farms Small Grants: Soil Extension Activities program and the Communities of Practice (CoP).
The TNQ Drought Hub Steering Committee’s role is to provide advice, ensure delivery of the project outputs and achievement of project outcomes. The Steering Committee will be responsible and accountable for the strategic prioritisation of the Hub.
The TNQ Drought Hub is led by a Director with solid project management experience who also has geographic familiarity and relevant domain expertise. A Specialist Knowledge Broker supports the Director and the Program Lead’s will help drive the Hub’s mission.
The TNQ Drought Hub Steering Committee will guide the Hub’s establishment and operations in line with the goals and desired outcomes of the project.
Professor Iain Gordon
Scott Crawford
CEO – NQ Dry Tropics
Katrina Dent
CEO – Reef Catchments
Zoe Williams
CEO – Gulf Savannah NRM
Jenny Seddon
DVC Research, James Cook University
Stewart Lockie
Director – The Cairns Institute, James Cook University
Ron White
Dean – College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University
CEO – Torres Cape Indigenous Council Alliance
Kieran Macdonell
Director – Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry