Board Members
The Tom Farrell Institute Board
Brian Gilligan (Chair)
Brian Gilligan has spent three and a half decades working in education and environment protection roles in NSW government agencies. He retired from the position of Director General of the National Parks and Wildlife Service NSW in 2003 having also been one of the three members of the NSW Marine Parks Authority (1998-2003).
Throughout his career, Brian has been heavily involved in community conservation efforts, holding prominent positions with the Awabakal Field Studies Centre (1976-1992), the Shortland Wetlands Centre (1985-1992) and in the Asian Wetland Bureau based in Kuala Lumpur (1990/91).
In recent years, he has led an international evaluation team assessing management of protected areas in Finland and has provided advice to the Australian and NSW Governments on land management, planning and indigenous issues.
Brian currently sits on the Board of the Sydney Water Corporation, the Audit Committee for the Parks Australia, Chairs the Audit and Risk Management Committee for the NSW Department of Juvenile Justice and continues to provide advice to Governments in various jurisdictions and capacities.
Cameron Archer
Cameron Archer is the Principal of Tocal College and Director of the Tocal Agricultural Centre at Paterson. He is an agronomist by training and has been involved with the management and operation of the Tocal College and property for most of his career. Cameron has a Degree in Agriculture Science from the University of Sydney with educational degrees from the University of Newcastle.
Cameron has strong interests in environmental and local history as well as extensive experience in agricultural matters across the State. His current responsibilities involve the leadership of agricultural education and training throughout NSW with campuses based at Paterson in the Hunter Valley and Murrumbidgee Rural Studies Centre in the Riverina.
Cameron has written a large number of articles and publications associated with agriculture, the environment, local and agricultural history and education. He is currently undertaking doctoral studies in environmental history and ecosystem health.
Linda Connor
Professor Linda Connor is the President of Academic Senate at the University of Newcastle and the Director of the Newcastle node of the Centre for Asia Pacific Social Transformation Studies.
Linda is an anthropologist with extensive research experience in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia. Her research interests include medical anthropology and the study of transformation in local communities in situations of economic and environmental change. She is currently researching rural communities and large-scale industrial development in the Hunter Valley.
Joe Herbertson
Joe Herbertson has over 30 years in industrial research and development and general management experience in Australia, England and Canada. He worked for many years with BHP, where he held the positions of General Manager of Research for BHP Steel and Director of the Central Research Laboratories in Newcastle. Since 2001, he has been an Executive Director of The Natural Step, a science-based non government organisation.
Joe initiated the Sustainable Resource Processing project that resulted in a new Corporate Research Centre being established to focus on mineral processing and metal production. It brings together major resource companies, leading research organisations, service companies and government. Joe is an Independent Director of the Corporate Research Centre and Chairman of the Industry Steering Committee.
He is a Conjoint Professor of Chemical Engineering at Newcastle University, where he is Co-Director of "The Crucible", which takes a fundamental approach to both metallurgy and sustainability issues and seeks to enhance the link between sustainability, business strategy, innovation and science.
Bill Hogarth
Professor Bill Hogarth is Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Faculty of Science and Information Technology at the University of Newcastle.
Prior to his appointment in Newcastle, Bill was Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences at Griffith University. While at Griffith University, he was a Board member of four Cooperative Research Centres in the environmental areas: freshwater ecology, catchment hydrology, coastal and estuary management and sustainable forestry.
Bill is a mathematician by training and received his PhD from the University of Newcastle in 1976. His area of research is the modelling of soil surface and subsurface hydrology, as well as wind erosion. Professor Hogarth has over 100 journal publications.
Meredith Laing
Meredith Laing has been the Director of the Lower Hunter & Central Coast Regional Environment Management Strategy since June 1996. Her role is to ensure that local Government has appropriate assistance, support and resources to efficiently develop and implement coordinated, regional environmental management initiatives such as their Urban Water Cycle Management Program. Many aspects of this initiative have been emulated throughout NSW and in other states of Australia.
She is a member of the Australian Landcare Council's Coordinators and Facilitators Working group.
Wej Paradice
Doctor Wej Paradice is the Chair of the Hunter and Central River Catchments Management Authority. He has served as the Director of Research and CEO of The Hunter Valley Research Foundation since 1986, successfully maintaining the Foundation's profile and reputation in international research circles and participating in projects with affiliated organisations in the United States. Wej also serves as Chairman of the Hunter River Salinity Trading Operations Committee and Hunter River Management Committee.
Wej has extensive research experience in economic, business and social issues and has a vision of achieving positive on-ground change and a devotion to innovation in natural resource management.
Bruce Peterson
Bruce Petersen is the Environmental Services Manager for Port Stephens Council where he manages Council's regulatory and environmental resources sections.
Before joining Council, he was the Environmental Manager of Hunter Water Corporation where he was responsible for developing management systems, reporting mechanisms and relationships with external agencies and groups to help incorporate environmental management into mainstream business decisions.
