New Green Adelaide board to lead city-wide greening

MEDIA RELEASE

The inaugural members of Green Adelaide have been appointed to lead an innovative new metropolitan landscape board to transform Adelaide into a world-leading, sustainable, green and climate resilient city.

Green Adelaide is part of the Marshall Liberal Government’s historic Landscape SA reform and will focus on increased efforts to green and cool our backyards, streets, neighbourhoods and create better open space for everyone.

Minister for Environment and Water David Speirs said Professor Chris Daniels has been appointed as the Presiding Member, with Dr Felicity-ann Lewis deputy chair and a further seven board members.

“Green Adelaide will be responsible for the greening of metropolitan Adelaide, recognising the environmental challenges faced by a large capital city and exploring the opportunities to improve our sustainability,” said Minister Speirs.

“The newly appointed Green Adelaide Board will bring leadership, collaboration and strategic thinking to transformation of Adelaide’s urban environment.

“The Board will also be responsible for integrating the management of water resources and wetlands; the metropolitan coastline; nature education within the city; creating habitat for biodiversity; and the greening of streets, parklands and buildings.

“This includes exploring world-wide initiatives relevant to urban ecology and green cities, and the option of Adelaide becoming a globally recognised National Park City.”

Newly appointed Presiding Member Professor Chris Daniels said he was excited by the challenge and opportunities presented with the formation of Green Adelaide.

“Much of my work and personal life has been about environmental leadership focused on connecting people with nature, community involvement in environmental projects, and conserving wildlife,” said Prof Daniels.

“The opportunity to extend and expand that experience to the Adelaide metropolitan area is one that I’m looking forward to immensely.

“There is much to be achieved and I am keen for Green Adelaide to take a genuine role in leading the city’s progress towards a greener, more sustainable and climate-resilient future through urban greening, clever water management and the creation of biodiverse urban habitat.”

The Green Adelaide Board members are:

• Chris Daniels, Presiding Member, is CEO of the International Koala Centre of Excellence and Chief Strategic Adviser to Cleland Wildlife Park. He was the Presiding Member of the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges NRM Board from 2011 to 2018, and Chair of the Board of Nature Play SA from 2016 to 2018. Chris is also Adjunct Professor of Biology at UniSA and Adjunct Professor of Zoology at Adelaide University. He has published nine books, one DVD and over 250 scientific and community publications. His award winning books include Adelaide: Nature of a City (2005), Adelaide: Water of a City (2010) and Guide to Urban Wildlife (2011). Chris won the South Australian Premiers Science award for communication (2007) and the Medal for Natural History from the Field Naturalists Society SA (2010).
• Dr Felicity-Ann Lewis, deputy chair, is passionate about creating a better, healthier, more inclusive Australia. She was the 2014 SA Australian of the Year and served as Mayor of the City of Marion for 14 years, concluding her extensive local government experience in 2014 as National President of the Australian Local Government Association. Her passion for the community is matched by a commitment to health promotion. Felicity-ann has a Doctorate of Education and was an academic at Flinders University for 20 years. She has an ongoing commitment to further reconciliation with Aboriginal people, and to support for the settlement process for refugees and migrants. Felicity-ann is a former Presiding Member of the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges NRM Board and currently sits on the Australian Press Council.
• Claire Boan is the Mayor of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield, elected in 2018. She was previously the Deputy Mayor as well as a Ward Councillor for 8 years. Her involvement with Council committees over the 10 years includes the Audit Committee, Development Assessment Panel/Council Assessment Panel, Grants and Sponsorship Committee, Aboriginal Advisory Panel as well as involvement with wider local government committees. Claire is a leader with a strong background in education through her teaching and leadership roles. She is committed to providing responsible governance, enhancing relationships and environmental sustainability whilst generating and influencing programs to connect individuals and community groups with one another. Claire has three children and enjoys adventuring with them, exploring the great outdoors.
• Jeffrey Newchurch is a proud Kaurna man with blood connections from far Western Australia to Victoria and beyond. He is Chair of the Kaurna Yarta Aboriginal Corporation, the Kaurna Nations Cultural Heritage Association and co-Chair of Warpuli Kumangka, an advisory group established for the Green Adelaide Board. He has an extensive knowledge and experience of Kaurna and other Aboriginal community landscapes and cultural footprint Song-Lines. Jeffrey holds positions with an easy approach to working together, building relationships with councils and other partners, contributing to shared positions in valued input and positive outcomes. Jeffrey brings people together, forming meaningful relationships to better not just his community, but for all of our communities and to achieve better outcomes for everyone; Kaurna, Aboriginal, non-Aboriginal, Government, private businesses, he excludes no one.
• Louka Parry is an educator, strategist, entrepreneur and CEO/founder of The Learning Future. He works globally supporting schools and organisations to create thriving learning environments with a focus on innovation, future skills and organisational culture. Louka works at the global forefront helping schools, systems and organisations adapt for the future. As a school teacher, he was promoted to Principal at 27 years old and was named Inspirational Public Secondary Teacher of the Year for South Australia. He has spent the last six years working across systems globally to support positive change and impact. A rapid learner, he holds two Masters degrees, speaks five languages and has undertaken studies at Harvard and a fellowship at Stanford’s d.school.
• Adrian Skull is the CEO of the City of Marion and prior to that, CEO of the Yankalilla Council. He served six years as an officer in the Australian Army before taking up the role of Academic Dean of a hotel management college in Switzerland. Returning to Australia, Adrian ran his own training business before joining BAE Systems as People Development Manager responsible for a change program across the company’s Australian sites. He then worked in HR with the cities of Charles Sturt and Adelaide before starting his own leadership consultancy, which he ran for eight years. Adrian is also a Council member of the Institute of Company Directors and a member of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Selection Committee.
• Trixie Smith has wide experience from 20 years at senior levels of government and the private sector, including roles with the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Premier and Cabinet, the Land Management Corporation and Austrade. Trixie has a record of achieving results through collaboration across tiers of government and the private sector. In recent years Trixie has consulted in the fields of environment and renewable energy. She has also worked in a private role for the University of South Australia, WINNER (Western and Inner Northern Network for Economic Recovery), Rollerchair and the Business Enterprise Centre network. Now retired from full time work, Trixie engages in various volunteering roles more particularly in the aged care sector.
• Kelvin Trimper is the Principal of Kelvin Trimper Consulting facilitating productive partnerships between private and public sectors, particularly for urban development projects. Kelvin played a key role in the establishment and development of the mixed-use Mawson Lakes suburb, setting new benchmarks for sustainable urban development. He is also active in amenity horticulture which includes his international leadership in promotion and culture of roses. Kelvin is a Fellow of the University of South Australia, past President and a Fellow of the Urban Development Institute of Australia (SA Division). He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2018 for his significant service to horticulture, urban development and the community of Salisbury.
• Dena Vassallo is the Founder and Managing Director of Adelaide-based national marketing communications agency, SOCIETY. She is an experienced marketing professional with a focus on building consumer love for brands, protecting large enterprises and developing stakeholder campaigns. Dena has 20 years of international marketing communications and commercial operational experience, working with household brands such as Woolworths, Kraft Heinz, Unilever and Colgate-Palmolive, and with local, state and federal government agencies such as City of Melbourne, South Australian Tourism Commission, Department for Innovation and Skills, Department of Education, Department of Trade and Investment, Australia Post and federal government growth centre METS Ignited. She was awarded the Telstra Business Winner for Emerging and Energised in South Australia for 2019, and is also a 2020 Small Business finalist for the Telstra Business Women’s Awards.

For more information: www.environment.sa.gov.au/green-adelaide