On May the 4th, 32 members of Permaculture Australia gathered in a Zoom call for the 2026 Annual General Meeting. The week prior, we also enjoyed a pre-AGM Online Soiree event that gave all the attendees a chance to meet the nominees to the board, which was a fun and interesting event to get together and look to the future of Permaculture.
The office bearers of Secretary and Treasurer were then peer-elected at the Mission Circle meeting on 25th May, and the members of the Mission Circle (following the Sociocratic Election Process to elect the Operational Lead of their sub-circle) elected the Chair of the Board at that meeting.
We are now very pleased to introduce you to our new Board of Directors, who will serve a term of 2 years from 2026 until the AGM in 2028.
NEW TO THE BOARD IN 2026:
KATIE REID
With over 20 years of experience advising boards, C-suite executives, regulators, and community organisations, Katie’s career has spanned multiple sectors across Australia, including small not-for-profit organisations, government, and some of the world’s largest companies. Across these contexts, her focus has remained consistent: helping people across systems collectively understand and navigate complexity with integrity, inclusion and new models of collaboration and contribution.
MOLLY HARRISS OLSON
Molly received the Yale Distinguished Alumna Award (2020) for her global work over more than 35 years to systematically re-design economic structures to ensure the protection of biodiversity, survival of humanity, and achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
SAM PARKER-DAVIES
Treasurer, Board of Directors
Sam has run for council, ran events, managed large aid and private projects and designed all over the world. He is a full time permaculture teacher, designer, farmer, project manager and landscaper, and actually hasn’t done anything else. He may not have been alive long, but he’s certainly put the hours in.
RE-ELECTED FROM THE 2025-2026 BOARD
CATHERINE REYNOLDS
Chair, Board of Directors
Catherine has served for the past 12 months as the Chair of Permaculture Australia elected by her peers to steward the board of directors at a time of great transformation for Permaculture Australia and the Permaculture movement, demanded by the conditions of the world at large.
Over the past year, the board has devoted much time to reaching out to listen and re-connect with the permaculture community and broader ecosystem, to align the organisation with the needs of our time.
JOHN CHAMPAGNE
Having served this past year has allowed John to witness a dramatic shift toward collective governance with the implementation of sociocracy as the model for collaboration and decision making.
He’s been involved in Permaculture activism since completing his PDC in 1992 in many areas, but strategically in his local region of the Bega Valley, NSW receiving an APT Diploma in Permaculture Design through Recognised Prior Learning.
TIM COLLINGS
Having 20 years+ of professional experience in consulting and corporate in organisational and leadership development, Tim works internationally across numerous sectors, hundreds of organisations and his work directly impacts 1000s of people. This work includes many examples of strategic advisory work related to organisational design, development and culture generation for statutory boards including Charities and Peak bodies and Associations, as well as corporates, NGOs, government agencies and departments.
BRONWYN CHOMPFF-GLIDDON
Secretary, Board of Directors
Bronwyn had had the honour of this role for the past year, and she feels that the work she has undertaken is only just beginning. Something that has deeply impressed her is the potential that she has seen within this organisation for making a real difference on a national scale. She has observed the obstacles we face, and also the opportunities. She has developed precious relationships with people right across the country that have so much to offer.
At this time, we wish to offer our sincere thanks to the 2025-2026 board members who will continue their Permaculture Australia journey in other areas of the organisation.
Departing Board Members:
Lauren O’Reilly (Left) stepped down from the board after helping the new board members transition into their current roles. She hopes to return in the near future to continue her contribution to the VET Circle
Fernando Moreno (Centre) continues on with Permaculture Australia filling a key role as our Operations Manager.
Felix Leibelt (Right) continues to be actively engaged in the Youth Circle as one of our Youth Ambassadors.
Congratulations to our new panel of Directors, and Thank You to all who have served in the past. We are excited to see the bright and promising future of this organisation and the broader permaculture movement unfold.
You must be logged in to post a comment.