Governance Board Current Members

Sue Davis

Creative education, community engagement, research and writing

• Why I am involved:
  Through using creative processes we can build people's connection to the community and their environment. To change attitudes we have to engage hearts and minds. People will make the difference.
• Current projects & activities:
  A project for 'Treeline' - art, nature, science program (2010) working with artists, teachers and young people in schools, as well as processes to engage creatives in the community through Sunshine Coast Creative Alliance 'Catalyst Club'.
• My relevant experience:
  I am a Lecturer and professional learning consultant at CQUniversity (Noosa). I am an arts educator with extensive experience in schools and universities. My research interests include pedagogy, creativity, arts education, new media and assessment. My Masters and PhD work has looked at creating drama online using digital technologies. I have experience working on various committees focussed on engaging communities in the arts, in Brisbane working on drama projects with the Brisbane Powerhouse and QPAC and more recently with the Sunshine Coast Creative Alliance (SCCA) and the Biosphere Cultural Sector Board. I have initiated processes to engage children and young people in community and cultural events including the Noosa Longweekend, Noosa Scrubs (2008), the Great Noosa Campout and 'Floating Land' (2009).
• I'm most passionate about:
  Using creative processes to engage people, providing tools and inspiration to enable people to connect to their own creativity, to ideas, their community, their environment.
• Pearls of wisdom:
  "Create what you will" - George Bernard Shaw
• Elsewhere:
  Linkedin Profile

Leah Barclay

Interdisciplinary artist, soundscape ecologist, curator & academic

• Why I am involved:
  Biosphere Reserves are ideal platforms to test and demonstrate innovative approaches to sustainability at the intersection of art, science technology and the environment. I see this as an opportunity for transdisciplinary thought and action in our current ecological crisis.
• Current projects & activities:
  I have initiated, managed and delivered a number of significant projects through the Noosa Biosphere including; Sonic Babylon (a global interactive garden of sound), two projects for TreeLine (one of Australiaís most ambitious green art projects) and Floating Land, a platform for interdisciplinary collaborations pivoting on a dynamic ten-day event in the Noosa Biosphere. As an artist, my works such as Sound Mirrors, Cypress Trilogy and Dhakan have showcased the environment of the Noosa Biosphere at national and international exhibitions and conferences.
• My relevant experience:
  I have been an active member of the Noosa Biosphere since its inception. I was the inaugural chair of the Noosa Biosphere Cultural Board and now serve as a Director on the Governance Board representing Culture. My work has a strong environmental focus, and often involves scientific collaborations exploring sound as a tool for understanding the environment. Iíve received major grants from state and federal funding bodies to produce ambitious community projects and have composed, directed and curated intercultural projects across Australia, India and Korea. In addition to my creative practice, I serve in an advisory capacity for a range of arts and environmental organisations, such as Ear to the Earth (New York). Iím currently completing an interdisciplinary PhD while directing a series of research projects exploring artists as agents of change in environmental emergency.
• I'm most passionate about:
  The global ecological crisis has become a catalyst for interdisciplinary collaborations at a time when a shift in thinking is urgently required. World leaders are now looking towards the validity and possibilities of creative methodologies as tools for change. This presents both a challenge and an unprecedented opportunity for creative thinkers to gain a critical understanding of the situation, and devise new processes for a sustainable future.
• Pearls of wisdom:
  "Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it." - Bertolt Brecht
• Elsewhere:

Greg Livingstone

General management, finance and strategic planning background

• Why I am involved:
  I haven't found anywhere in the world quite like Noosa. Being involved allows me to make a small contribution to the region's future.
• Current projects & activities:
  Having left a corporate career, my work with the Noosa Biosphere is my principal involvement in the community. I am a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
• My relevant experience:
  Limited in Australia and New Zealand. Initially trained in accounting, my career included administration, marketing, finance, government relations, strategy development, governance and general management across the agriculture, manufacturing and consumer goods segments. A major piece of work on promoting a sustainable sugar industry in the face of significant economic and environmental challenges has been beneficial to my work with the Noosa Biosphere.
• I'm most passionate about:
  ... ensuring that no single discipline dominates decision making in the Noosa Biosphere. We must take into account environmental, social, cultural and economic aspects if we are to maintain a truly vibrant sustainable community.
• Pearls of wisdom:
• Elsewhere:

Michael Donovan

semi-retired Company Director and former CEO

• Why I am involved:
  I am honoured to be confirmed as one of three Community Representatives on the Noosa Biosphere Governance board. Effective from November 2011. Prior to this appointment I used my organizational, corporate governance, tourism and environmental background as inaugural Noosa Biosphere Ltd Chair since 2008. After a very full and interesting international business career the ethic of the biosphere appeals to me as a contribution back into the community in which I now live.
• Current projects & activities:
  As Chair it was a privilege to work with many talented people across the six community sector boards of the Noosa Biosphere. The talent and commitment is amazing and, according to UNESCO this biosphere has achieved a huge amount after only a few years – this effort is formally recognised by UNESCO. All of the contributors have a right to be very proud of their early successes. In my new role I will work on special projects for the board one of which is an invitation to Eumundi, Doonan and Verrierdale communities to consider joining with the Noosa Biosphere to merge their areas into an enlarged biosphere geography. There are also a number of commercial initiatives to guide and some planning work around a Centre for Excellence concept.
• My relevant experience:
  My background is international arts, entertainment management and production - some 20 years across film, TV, theatre, opera, visual arts and dance. My biggest "gig" was as Executive Producer, NSW Bicentennial Arts and Entertainment Program. I then spent a few years in government service as a ministerial adviser in a transport portfolio which lead into two decades in tourism and the environment. I undertook specific ecotourism studies in the USA and worked on a number of world-class projects, one under Ramsar. My last pre-retirement full-time job was CEO, Best Western Hotel and Motel chain in Australia. I lecture for the Australian Institute of Company Directors and run a national business-mentoring service for ASX500 executives when not chairing Noosa Biosphere and Tourism Noosa.
• I'm most passionate about:
  I am passionate about corporate best practice and hope that the structure and systems we have created sustain Noosa Biosphere well in coming years.
• Pearls of wisdom:
  "We will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught." Baba Dioum (noted African environmentalist)
• Elsewhere:

Cr. Russell Green

• Why I am involved:
• Current projects & activities:
• My relevant experience:
• I'm most passionate about:
• Pearls of wisdom:
• Elsewhere: