Our Board

Carolyn Loton

Chairperson

A Nature Conservation Council board member since 2021, Carolyn is passionate about nature and Australia’s biodiversity. She believes that immediate action to address climate change is imperative. Prior to becoming the Chair of NCC in 2022 she held the role of Treasurer. As Treasurer, she led the formalisation of the NCC Evans Wetlands Bequest policy and associated initiatives; and was also involved in developing clearer internal reporting formats. Carolyn is a co-founder of Professionals Advocating for Climate Action, established in response to the 2019/2020 Australian Bush fires, and with a membership of over 400 people in NSW and across the country. Carolyn works fulltime in the marketing agency she founded in 2006. She is a Qualified Practicing Researcher (Australian Research Society) and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She originally trained and worked as an Occupational Therapist and holds an MBA from the University of Edinburgh Scotland.

Julie Taylor Mills

Vice Chairperson & Southern Regional Representative

Julie has spent the last 20 years of her professional life working in the field of Environmental and Social Governance - assessing, monitoring and advocating for better sustainability practice by corporations globally, and in Australia. She has long held a passion for the forests of the South East and holds the firm belief that they should be left standing and this commitment was strengthened from lived experience in the 2019/2020 fires. Julie joined the NCC Executive after the fires in 2020 as representative for the South of the State, held a former role on the Board of WIRES and is involved in a range of other environmental causes, ranging from impact investment, fostering independent candidates, committed to climate change outcomes, Australian Wildlife Conservancy support and membership of the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network.

Susheela Peres da Costa

Secretary

Susheela Peres da Costa is Chair of the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia and a director of US‐based think tank, The Shareholder Commons, and principal of the Stewardship Centre. Since 2006 she has advised financial institutions on responsible investment governance, strategy, and implementation. Susheela is a passionate believer in the power of community and deeply committed to the role of civil society in healthy democracies; and is experienced in shaping outcome-driven governance for not-for-profit organisations with diverse membership bases.

Luke Austin

Treasurer

Luke is a senior finance executive who has spent 21 years working to help multinational IT companies optimise their financial performance, including responding to changing stakeholder requirements, regulatory changes and other external events. He has a deep belief in the importance of sustainability and climate change action, including the key roles that individuals, corporations and governments need to play. He is a member of Professionals Advocating for Climate Action and brings a wealth of financial management and corporate governance skills and experience to the NCC board.

Johanna Lynch

Public Officer

Johanna is a Novocastrian hailing from Maitland in the Hunter Valley, passionate about biodiversity protection, the power of story-telling and a well-facilitated meeting. Johanna has been organising with Newcastle’s grassroots climate and environment movement since 2015, including the Break Free from Fossil Fuels Flotilla in 2016 and the Students of Sustainability Conference in 2017. Johanna has been the Coordinator at the Hunter Community Environment Centre since 2018, is the Secretary of the Hunter Jobs Alliance, and is an avid supporter of community led action and alliances for social change.

Prof. Don White

Don has been actively involved in the environment movement and with conservation issues his entire life. Though he semi-retired in 1998 from his life as an engineer, he now seem to be more active than ever with a part time position at the University of Sydney and environmental interests in Climate change, Sustainable living, Bushfire, Water (rural and urban), Forest conservation, waste and waste avoidance and local environment issues. As well as being an active member of many other organisations, Don has been Chair of the Nature Conservation Council board since 2005 and was Treasurer before this.

Kate da Costa

First elected to the NCC Executive at the AGM in October 2017 and part of the Board since then, Kate has served as Deputy Chair for the last two years. She has a strong commitment to the protection and enhancement of our natural environment, and a passion for advocating for action to avoid damaging climate change. She's had professional experience in campaigning and management, and appropriate financial and governance literacy. Kate has lived on the Central Coast for over 25 years, and recognises the particular pressures the large region (by size and population) faces. During that time, she has been part of several groups campaigning to protect natural and built heritage on the Coast.

Annie Nielsen

Annie was a science teacher with biology as her major in both the city and the country for 20 years. She is a member of the Wilderness Society and the Australian Conservation Foundation and a supporter of 350.org, the Climate Council, Tipping Point, Environmental Justice Australia and the EDO. She has been a member of Reconciliation for Western Sydney for 20 years. In 2019 she went on the Yaama Ngunna Baaka Corroboree Festival in Western NSW to learn about the crisis of our rivers and to listen to the Aboriginal Elders in the communities on the Baaka (Darling River). She is the convenor of a local bush care group with the City of Parramatta Council and Parramatta Climate Action Network. Annie has been involved in the Urban Bushland and Forest Working Group committees within the Nature Conservation Council.

Jim Morrison

North Regional Representative

Jim has been resident of rural NENSW for more than thirty years and active in regional conservation issues for most of this time. He has an extensive communication network with conservation groups and individuals across the North Coast and Northern Tablelands and works closely with indigenous groups including the Firesticks Alliance on regional Natural Resource Management projects. In addition to being a Nature Conservation Council executive member 15 years, Jim is currently the president of North Coast Environment Council, Member of North East Forest Alliance, President of Northern Rivers Fire and Biodiversity Consortium, and the NCC representative on Clarence Valley Bushfire Management Committee.

Julie Barnes

Julie has spent eight years volunteering for WIRES, rescuing and releasing hundreds of birds in the eastern suburbs, and periodically acting as the bird coordinator. She channelled her concern about land clearing and climate change into campaigning against the Biodiversity Act and volunteering with TEC and NCC. Professionally, Julie has a background is in law and finance, working as a corporate lawyer in New York before moving to Sydney in 2003. She went on to become a Director at Credit Suisse where she was head of investment banking legal for Australia.

Winsome Hall

Winsome is a highly experienced non-executive director with over twenty-five years of trustee and corporate board roles, largely in the finance sector. She brings a strategic, member focused outlook, and diverse thought leadership experience to the NCC board. Winsome was involved in the Franklin River campaign, has campaigned against forest logging and as a part of various climate actions. She is a member of the Australian Conservation Foundation, Australian Plant Society NSW, various bush care groups within the Southern Highlands, and a supporter of native habitat groups, in addition to being President of the Friends of Wingecarribee.