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Dr Amanda Cahill
Amanda is the CEO of The Next Economy. She has spent over two decades working with inspiring people across Australia, Asia and the Pacific to create positive change on issues as diverse as economic development, public health, gender equality and climate adaptation.
The focus of her work at The Next Economy is to support communities, government, industry and others to develop a more resilient, just and regenerative economy. Most of this work involves supporting regional communities in Australia to strengthen their economies by embracing the transition to zero emissions. She is also widely sought after as a presenter and media commentator and has appeared in a number of books and films including the film 2040.
Amanda completed her PhD at the Australian National University on participatory action research approaches to economic development in the Philippines. She is an Adjunct Lecturer at The University of Queensland, an Industry Fellow at the Sydney Policy Lab at the University of Sydney, and a 2020 Churchill Fellow.
Professor John Wiseman
John Wiseman, our current Chair of the Board, is a Professorial Research Fellow at the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute and with the Climate and Energy College, University of Melbourne.
His other current roles include Adjunct Professor at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Research Fellow at the Centre for Policy Development and Climate Change Policy Adviser, Sustainability Victoria.
Colin Long
Colin Long is the Just Transitions Organiser at Victorian Trades Hall Council, Melbourne, Australia. He is also responsible for supporting Trades Hall’s work on cooperatives, and is a founder and Board member of Earthworker Cooperative, Power Australia (an energy retailer), and Hope Cooperative (a cooperative of young asylum seekers). He is a member of the Global Advisory Board of Trade Unions for Energy Democracy, and several other national and international union climate change organisations.
Colin previously worked with young homeless people at risk of drug and sexual exploitation and from 1998-2010 he worked extensively in heritage preservation in Southeast Asia through the Cultural Heritage Centre for Asia and the Pacific at Deakin University. Colin was Victorian Secretary of the National Tertiary Education Union from 2010 to 2018, and is a former Board member of VicSuper, and Chair of its Investment Committee.
Wendy Farmer
Wendy is the President of Voices of the Valley, a community advocacy group that formed during the catastrophic 2014 Hazelwood brown coal mine fire in Victoria.
Voices of the Valley’s advocacy work has led to, notably, the Hazelwood Mine Fire Inquiries, as well as a number of awards for Environmental Justice and for Health Equity. Over time, Wendy’s focus has shifted to supporting her community to explore how the Valley can transition to a cleaner energy economy. She is a dedicated campaigner, media spokesperson, community advocate and public speaker, and is passionate about social justice, health and just transitions for communities all around Australia.