With over 28 years of experience working in all three sectors (private, non-profit and government) Mary works to improve economic opportunities for people living in rural areas. She is the co-founder and program developer for Rural on Purpose, a social purpose business committed to strengthening rural communities worldwide through entrepreneurship. She is a writer, speaker and community builder.

While entrepreneurship is at the heart of all of her work, she sees it as a way of “thinking and acting” to bring about change in any area. She is fearlessly optimistic and challenges people to have faith in the future as they work to make a difference.

Franny is a filmmaker, historian, author, and musician. Her most-recognised films are Vote Yes for Aborigines (2007) and Tent Embassy (1992). Her most notable publications are, Passionate Histories: Myth, Memory & Indigenous Australia, co-edited with A. Curthoys J. Docker (ANU Press, 2010); Indigenous Biography and Autobiography, co-edited with P. Read and A. Haebich (ANU Press, 2008); and ‘Exchanging Histories’, Aboriginal History 30 (2006), co-edited with A. McGrath and I. Macfarlane. Frances is a visiting research fellow at Jumbunna at the University of Technology, Sydney and Managing Director of the Jimmy Little Foundation. Today Franny lives in Lightning Ridge and writes for the Australian Dictionary of Biography.

Les has held numerous senior executive roles within the Financial Services Industry and holds a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA). He brings a wealth of experience to the executive having previously served as a member of the executive management team of Holiday Coast Credit Union as Chief Risk Officer. Les is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Syntropic Enterprise is creating a world with a future. A world where integrity, values and human connection are driven through considered positive productivity for the Earth. For over 20 years, Christine McDougall has committed herself to working with leaders and enterprises globally to invoke change. She experiences a deeper level of truth by questioning the basic assumptions that drive us as humans. At the core of her work is the mantra…leave everything you touch, better.This is the principle of Syntropy.

Dianna Jacobsen grew up on a mixed farm in southern NSW, and has spent over 30 years working with rural families and businesses. She now lives on her cattle property in NE Victoria, and specialises in all aspects of business strategy, from money management to farm succession planning. Combining a background in accounting, financial planning, small business management, and personal empowerment coaching, Dianna works with families Australia-wide to streamline their financial affairs and manage their money in a SIMPLE and empowering manner, combining debt reduction, business growth, tax planning and superannuation,…. in PLAIN ENGLISH, customised to meet your personal circumstances.

Bernice is Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of New England and a Certified Practising Accountant. She has published on a range of management issues affecting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the impact of the macro-environment on their operations. Her research covers especially strategy and human resource management in SMEs. In relation to context, she has examined SMEs in local, regional, developing and developed economies and has supervised several Higher Degree Research students in these areas. Professor Kotey’s outstanding contribution to student learning over several years was recognised with an AAUT award in 2018.

My life has taken me on an amazing journey – to live rurally, raise a family, work as a health practitioner and manager and now as a life coach. My heart has helped direct the path and when I didn’t listen my body gave me sterner instructions! Each part of the journey has held gifts, challenges and keys along the way. My passion lies in stewarding others along their journey and in helping them reconnect with their unique gifts in service of wellbeing and flourishing for self, others and our Universal home.

Inspired by her experiences as a part-time carer for her disabled father as a result of his life’s work in agriculture, Alex is the Founder of the globally acclaimed #PlantASeedForSafety Project and is a fierce advocate for the health and safety of those in rural industries and communities. A self-employed consultant, Alex’s core objective is to help her clients re-calibrate the value proposition of work health and safety from ‘box-ticking’ to empowering people, reducing risk and ultimately preventing people from getting hurt. In hot pursuit of challenging the status quo, Alex adopts concepts from applied psychology, neuroscience, sociology and modern health and safety to help facilitate safer, healthier outcomes for people.

Passionate about regional Australia, Megan has been CEO and Director of Regional Development for RDA Orana, since November 2017. Megan brings over 20-years’ experience in regional development including local government, strategic planning, major project development, facilitation, community economic and events development, funding strategies and business development. Prior to 2017, Megan’s work experiences included senior management, market research and economic & demographic analysis, policy development, change management, marketing and brand development, budget development and reporting, financial and feasibility analysis, and major project management. Megan has also specialised in Economic Development, developing and implementing advice and policy in regional communities. Megan holds an Executive MBA from the University of Technology Sydney, a Bachelor of Commerce degree majoring in Agriculture Economics and Economic Analysis and Policy from the University of New England, and an Associate Diploma in Applied Science from the University of Queensland.

Dr Kylie Bennett is the co-founder of e-hub Health which delivers online self-help programs for mental health. These include moodgym, a cognitive behaviour therapy training program (moodgym.com.au) and Mental Health Guru, a workplace induction about mental health (mhguru.com.au). She previously worked as part of a team at the Australian National University which developed and evaluated e-mental health interventions, and subsequently led a commercialisation process resulting in the spin-off of e-hub Health. Kylie is passionate about empowering individuals to manage their mental health through quality and accessible resources, and works with organisations around the world to provide access to online self-help.

Chad Renando has been visiting regions across Australia to better understand the key ingredients to creating a successful regional innovation ecosystem. His work can help regions understand the effectiveness of current support measures and importantly where they can be more targeted in addressing weaknesses.

Kevin brings a strong economic background to Regional Australia Bank. Kevin has over 25 years’ experience in the customer owned banking sector, including 22 years at Regional Australia Bank. Prior to entering the customer owned banking sector, Kevin spent 14 years as a Director in various economic and socioeconomic policy units in the Federal Government.

Michelle brings a well-rounded wealth of knowledge to the Executive Management team at Regional Australia Bank. She has over 25 years’ experience in the financial sector, 22 of these spent in various Management roles within the Regional Australia Bank.

Since I was a young girl I have hoped that rural Australia, a place that I am, would be a thriving, healing, evolving place full of people who are blooming where they are planted. Though my expression of this desire may have been slightly different through my decades, everything I’ve ever done in life, in business and in community contribution has been to fulfil this desire..in others. At my lowest ebb though, I realised this wasn’t going to work and that in order to even hold true to that vision and make any impact at all, I realised I had to become a thriving, healing, evolving person myself. I recognised that, in order to affect the change I was desperate to see, I had to take Ghandi’s advice and ‘be the change I wanted to see the in the world’. And so I did. I threw everything at my own thriving, healing, evolving journey.