The Board
Pauline Siteaud
CEO & Board Director
Pauline is proud to be CEO and to be involved in raising awareness of the social and economic impacts of gender inequality.
Betty Ferguson
Treasurer & Board Director
Betty is an energetic leader with strong financial expertise and years of experience in the community sector.
Doris Tong
Board Director
Doris is a seasoned global engagement advisor and marketing leader with more than 15 years of experience working in Australia and Hong Kong, spanning across both the private and public sector.
Andrea Hogg
Board Chair
Andrea Hogg spends a great portion of her time travelling to amazing rural locations and hearing the stories of rural Australians. Andrea believes working with young people to develop their leadership is vital for the stewardship of rural Australia.
Meg Rice
Board Director
Meg Rice is a dedicated and passionate advocate for agriculture and rural communities, with a diverse range of expertise and experience. She holds a Bachelor of Agriculture/Laws, providing her with a strong foundation in both the legal and practical aspects of the agricultural sector.
Emily Blackburn
Board Trainee
Emily is a farmer, teacher and mother based in regional NSW. Emily along with her husband and two children runs a commercial mixed farming enterprise
Hannah Wandel
Board Director & Founder
Hannah is a gender equality advocate, public speaker and the founder of Country to Canberra.
Laura Cala
Board Director
Laura is based in Narembeen WA, on her fiances’ mixed farming enterprise. Laura loves being involved in rural, remote and regional Australia and prides herself on being able to sit on the board for Country to Canberra.
Merin Ward
Board Trainee
Merin grew up on the coast of regional Queensland in a small industry-based town called Gladstone. She was fortunate enough to participate in the Country to Canberra Power Trip in 2017.
The Team
Ellecha Thorp
Volunteer Director & Executive Officer to CEO
Ellecha was a winner of the Leadership Competition in 2015 and is currently studying a Bachelor of Social Work. She is incredibly passionate about helping other people.
Kate Johnston
Sponsorship & Grants Director
Kate is passionate about the voices’ of young people from remote, regional and rural areas being heard in the national conversations that impact them.
Paris Capell
Website Officer
Paris grew up in Orange NSW. Working on the website, Paris is excited to help reach young rural women and help to empower them to reach their potential.
Learn more about Paris in her bio
Prue Gordon
Newsletter Coordinator
Prue has a passion for regional, rural and remote communities and is particularly interested in empowering the next generation of future leaders.
Lara Sinclair
Media Producer
Lara is a strong believer that ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’, and media representation has a big part to play in the fight for gender equality.
LEADERSHIP COMPETITION
Lara Stimpson
Leadership Competition Director
Lara is incredibly passionate about storytelling and equality in the media, and elevating narratives not frequented in the mainstream.
Catherine Barbour
Leadership Competition Officer
Catherine grew up in rural town of Portland NSW. From here, her passion for providing opportunities to rural and regional areas has grown.
PROJECT EMPOWER
Hollie Hughes
Project Empower Director
Hollie grew up in regional NSW and moved to Newcastle to pursue tertiary education in 2018. She is a passionate community volunteer, feminist and survivor-advocate who strives to use her privilege to be a voice for those less fortunate.
Naia Robinson
Project Empower Officer
Naia grew up in Boise, Idaho in the United States. Growing up in a rural state, Naia is passionate about ensuring that opportunities reach young people from regional, rural and remote areas.
Tessa Campbell
Project Empower Officer
Driven by a passion for uplifting others, Tessa is excited to be working amongst the collaborative and supportive team environment of Country to Canberra. Outside of this, Tessa works at a marketing and brand agency.
POWER TRIP
Rachel Alger
Power Trip Officer
Country to Canberra has been a part of Rachel’s life since 2015, when she was one of the 2015 Leadership Competition winners. She joined the team in 2018 as the Blogger Team Director, and now works on the Power Trip program.
MENTORSHIP TEAM
Brigid Horneman Wren
Mentorship Program Director
Brigid is thrilled to be Mentorship Program Director, and to be leading a fantastic team to deliver a program to bring out the best in Australia’s regional, rural and remote girls and non-binary teens.
Imogen McDonald
Mentorship Officer
In 2019 Imogen was a winner of the Country to Canberra Power-trip competition and found this a beneficial experience to improve her confidence and knowledge to stand up for gender equality, especially in rural areas. Imogen has now joined Country to Canberra as the Mentorship Director.
Taylor Kelsey-Shueard
Mentorship Officer
Taylor is committed to providing equity for individuals and communities, particularly in the domains of gender and race.