About
Liz’s career has been driven by a deep desire to bring about meaningful change for people, food production systems, and landscapes. She has a lifetime of involvement in various aspects of agriculture, sustainability, and natural resource management; as a policy advisor, practice-driven researcher, facilitator, educator, and farmer.
She is skilled at bringing together diverse people and perspectives to create synergies and collaborative approaches to address social and community challenges, to develop leadership skills and to facilitate dynamic networks for ongoing collaboration.
Liz has as worked as a practice-driven researcher, educator, policy advisor and mentor in the non-profit and private sector, across three levels of Australian government and with community and volunteer groups.
Liz is the former CEO of Soils for Life, and successfully implemented a targeted strategy to facilitate and support transformational, regenerative change for Australian farmers. She has led teams and organisations in Australia and internationally (including in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe). Liz currently holds visiting fellowships at ANU’s Fenner School of Environment and Society and the Institute for Land, Water and Society at Charles Sturt University. She also holds a PhD in Human Ecology from ANU.
Affiliations
Senior Visiting Fellow, Institute of Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University
Honorary Lecturer, Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University
Research
Liz’s research and practice has a strong focus on participatory and action research approaches, as well as inter- and transdisciplinary methodologies. In addition, she provides important insights into the challenges of creating dialogue and partnerships for sustainable rural development and change, and bridging between practitioners, policy-makers and communities.
Learning and facilitation
Liz has extensive experience in pedagogy and adult education, having taught extensively in the university system, as well as designing, developing, delivering and evaluating curricula for adult education programs and leadership development. She has extensive experience working with rural communities, both in Australia and internationally, as a facilitator, educator, researcher and mentor.
Design, planning and evaluation
Liz’s work also includes participatory project and program design, developmental and appreciative evaluation and impact pathway development, focused on creating synergies for learning, portfolio planning, and foresighting. She catalyses coproduction between diverse people and perspectives to create synergies and collaborative approaches to address social and community challenges (from both a content and a process perspective), to develop leadership skills and to facilitate dynamic networks for ongoing collaboration.