The Board
Vivienne McCollum
Board Chair
Pauline Siteaud
Board Director
Pauline is proud to be involved in raising awareness of the social and economic impacts of gender inequality.
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.
Kate Beddoe
Board Director
Doris Tong
Board Director
Doris is a seasoned global engagement advisor and marketing leader with more than 17 years of experience working in Australia and Hong Kong, spanning across both the private and public sector.
Emily Coggan
Board Director
The EXECUTIVE Team
Tahlia Burgoyne-Thorek
Chief Executive Officer
A proud Dunghutti woman, Tahlia brings a wealth of experience in leadership, communications, organisational change and stakeholder engagement across Indigenous affairs, healthcare and defence.
Catherine Barbour
Chief Operations Officer
Catherine grew up in rural town of Portland NSW. From here, her passion for providing opportunities to rural and regional areas has grown.
Mikaila Lipinski
Chief Finance Officer
Mikaila is an emerging leader in Australian agriculture and currently Chief Finance Officer at Country to Canberra. With experience in workforce development, project management, stakeholder engagement and HR, she is passionate about building the next generation of leaders and strengthening rural communities, with a strong focus on future-proofing Australia’s food and fibre industries.
Jarrah Ransome
Chief Communications Officer
Jarrah Ransome is a dedicated advocate for agriculture, with roots in the regional town of Gundagai, NSW, where her deep connection to the land and rural communities began.
THE VOLUNTEER TEAM
Madeline Hele
General Volunteer
Madeline is a third-year Political Science and International Relations Student at the ANU in Canberra. Madeline grew up on the Mid-North Coast of NSW in Port Macquarie where her experiences of natural disasters, educational inequality and limited healthcare developed her interest in rural and regional activism and policy.
Phoebe Vickers
Power Trip Officer
Maddi Creamer
Power Trip Officer
Maddi grew up in Corowa, NSW, and went to school in Albury. She now lives in Canberra, working as a project officer. Maddi is passionate about civic engagement and giving young people in rural areas as many opportunities as possible. educational inequality and limited healthcare developed her interest in rural and regional activism and policy.
Kimberly
Alumni Program Volunteer
Kimberly has seen the barriers remote communities create for women and non-binary people in Australia and beyond. They are excited to help build the alumni program so finalists and winners can continue accessing lifelong learning opportunities.
Katelyn Worsnop
Programs Team
Madeline is a third-year Political Science and International Relations Student at the ANU in Canberra. Madeline grew up on the Mid-North Coast of NSW in Port Macquarie where her experiences of natural disasters, educational inequality and limited healthcare developed her interest in rural and regional activism and policy.
Tom McIlroy
User Experience Director
Tom grew up on farms near Esperance, WA and Toowoomba, QLD, where he developed a strong connection to regional life and the people within those communities. Now based in Melbourne, he works across a range of sectors, including agriculture, helping organisations understand and strengthen their relationships with the communities they operate in.Â