Our Steering Committee members are representatives from our key partners and offer a broad range of experiences and expertise in Education for Sustainability.
Facilitator – Ian Ayre, University of Tasmania
Ian has been involved with sustainability for three decades. He has worked as a project officer for a peak NGO, the Queensland Conservation Council, has more than 20 years of experience as a secondary school teacher advocating for environmental and sustainability education in schools, as well as 6 years as a tutor and lecturer in sustainability-related education units at UTAS. Ian has a Masters in Environmental Education and is completing a PhD investigating the experiences of high school students with sustainability learning.
Since 2022, Ian has worked at UTAS as Sustainability Projects Officer (North & North-West). When he is not working as part of the Sustainability Team, you will probably find Ian in his vegetable gardens or bushwalking and camping with his family.
Kim Barker, Sustainable Living Tasmania
Kim has an Interior Design & Architectural practice and is a Project Manager with the Tasmanian Catholic Education Office. Kim manages the brief development, design and construction and refurbishment of schools.
The evidence that sustainable schools have a positive influence on wellbeing and educational outcomes drives Kim’s goal to achieve the goal of embedding sustainability deeply into the education system, where the environment, health, and social values are core to all decision making.
Kim is on the Board of Sustainable Living Tasmania and is currently working to bring back an annual sustainable living community event.
Rachele Carnevale, TasTAFE
Rachele works at TasTAFE in the Campbell Street Library. She began her work in libraries at the Yarra-Melbourne Regional Library corporation in 1997 and has worked at many libraries since. She has completed a BA with a double major in Sociology and a Graduate Diploma in Information Science.
Her interest in sustainability has led to TasTAFE libraries implementing recycling systems for up to 6 types of waste. She sees her role as helping students and staff to become more aware of sustainability through the recycling system and presenting talks in the library from organisations such as Sea Shepherd. She practices sustainability in her own life by recycling, consuming less, choosing an earth friendly diet, reducing her transport use and having an awareness of doing as little harm as possible.
Carmen Primo Perez, University of Tasmania
Carmen is Senior Sustainability Officer at the University of Tasmania. Following her undergraduate and postgraduate studies (MSc and PhD) in marine science in Spain, Carmen came to Tasmania to work as an academic in marine conservation. During this time, she progressively developed an interest in the balance of humanity and nature and both environmental and social conservation issues.
The understanding that living sustainably is essential for the wellbeing of individuals, communities, and the planet that sustains us led her to change her career path and became Sustainability Officer at the University of Tasmania in 2012. In this role, she was a core contributor to the development of the application to recognise Education for Sustainability Tasmania as a UN Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development. She is also a member of the University’s Education for Sustainability Community of Practice.
Nabaraj Mudwari, Nepalese Society of Northern Tasmania
Nabaraj is a Cultural Advisory Member of the Launceston City Council, and the past president of the Nepalese Society of Northern Tasmania Inc. Nabaraj has experience as a lecturer in Health and Physical Education at Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal, as well as two Masters degrees in education.
He is currently a PhD Candidate at the University of Tasmania, exploring integration experiences of adolescent Bhutanese refugees in Tasmania. Nabaraj’s most recent publication is Views of Adolescent Bhutanese Refugees on Home Learning During School Shutdown Across the Period of COVID-19, Journal of Cultural and Ethnic Studies, 2021 (8)4.
Sherridan Emery, Northern Early Years Group Tasmania
Sherridan Emery is a Launceston-based researcher who works across numerous research spaces at the University of Tasmania including the Peter Underwood Centre and the Faculty of Education on projects that focus on learning and wellbeing. Sherridan’s doctoral research investigated the concept of cultural wellbeing in classroom communities. Through this research Sherridan engaged teachers and educators in research conversations about supporting cultural wellbeing.
Sherridan is the Deputy Chair of Northern Early Years Group which is a partner organisation of EfS Tasmania and she is a member of the EfS Tasmania steering committee. Sherridan has a particular interest in early childhood education for sustainability and is actively involved in the international research collaboration ‘Transnational Dialogues in Early Childhood Education for Sustainability’.
Craig Deegan, University of Tasmania
Craig is Professor of Accounting at the University of Tasmania. Craig was formerly a Chartered Accountant in practice.
Craig has published in many leading international accounting research journals, predominantly in the area of social and environmental accountability. His work has attracted in excess of 25,000 citations (as per Google Scholar) making him one of the most highly cited accounting researchers internationally. He has been the recipient of numerous prestigious national research and educational awards. Craig regularly provides research expertise to corporations, government, and industry bodies on issues pertaining to financial accounting and corporate social and environmental accountability.
Craig is also the author of the leading financial accounting textbooks, Financial Accounting (now in its 9 th edition with Mc Graw Hill), Financial Accounting Theory (now in its fourth edition with Mc Graw Hill), and An Introduction to Accounting: Accountability in Organisations and Society (with Cengage Learning). In September 2020, one of Craig’s book was awarded the prestigious individual award of Outstanding Tertiary and VET Resource across all disciplines by Educational Publishing Awards Australia.
Nel Smit, Huon Energy Hub
Nel is currently coordinator of the Huon Energy Hub, leading a team of students from Huonville High School in sustainability actions addressing climate change. Nel is also working with Sustainable Living Tasmania on Energised Learning, involving 5 Tasmanian secondary schools focussed on renewable energy projects with mentors, supporting career pathways.
Nel is convenor of Nipaluna Nursery, a native plant nursery, with a team of volunteers and involving schools. The focus is growing and planting for farmers in the Midlands Biodiversity Hot Spot.
Jenny Dudgeon, Department of Education
Jenny is the manager of Sustainability Learning Programs for the Department of Education. Jenny’s based at the Department of Education’s Sustainability Learning Centre at Mt Nelson which is an innovative, sustainably designed building, surrounded by 65 hectares of bushland. Jenny’s role is to develop and manage sustainability programs at the Sustainability Learning Centre and provide leadership and support to schools state-wide. Also, to liaise and network with sustainability education stakeholders and partners, to make opportunities available to schools.
The Regional Centre for Excellence provides a great opportunity for Tasmanian learners/schools in their communities to be involved in hands on real world research investigations and provide mentoring and leadership from experts from within industry, business or research organisations.