Our Members

Business and community members

Stuart Locke – Chair

General Manager of Seymour Passenger Services which operates across multiple shires in the Goulburn Valley Region. He is a Country Group committee member of the Bus Association of Victoria (BAV) and is President of the Seymour Business and Tourism Committee “Go Seymour”.

Amanda McCulloch – Deputy Chair

Executive Officer of the Fairley Foundation, Co-Founder of Lady Boss Events and Principal Director of Big Rocks Consulting. Amanda is a former Board Director of Goulburn River Valley Tourism. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Media/Communications) and a Master of Marketing.

Paul Briggs OAM

Paul Briggs OAM is a Yorta Yorta man with a wealth of experience in community development. He is founding Chair of the Kaiela Institute and First Nations Foundation, as well as convener of the Algabonyah Community Cabinet. Paul has led numerous community organisations and played a key role in the establishment of many critical institutions. Paul was the first Indigenous man to join the Council of the University of Melbourne and was appointed as inaugural Chair of the Australian Football League's national Indigenous Advisory Board in 2015. Paul has been at the forefront of Aboriginal peoples’ rights and advancement since the early 1970s.

Jamie Lea

Jamie Lea is a young leader who is active in community arts and events in and around the Goulburn Valley. She holds a Diploma of Event Management and an Advanced Diploma of Music Industry (Business). While raising a young family in Shepparton with her husband Allan, Jamie continues to work with young people and the wider community to promote positive change and a safe, accepting and supportive community for all.

Peter Hall

Owner Manager of M J Hall & Sons P/L, a fruit production enterprise, CEO at Integrity Fruit P/L, director of Woodlands Horticulture an orchard management business, Chair of Prison Fellowship Australia and a teacher at Shepparton Christian College. He has a Bachelor of Applied Science, Applied Physics and a Graduate Diploma of Education, and Graduate Diploma of Divinity.

Elizabeth Capp

Head of Campus, La Trobe University Shepparton since 2018. Elizabeth is a Council Member for the Greater Shepparton Secondary College and Board Member of the Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project and Furphy Literary Award Advisory Board. She holds a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Commerce, a Graduate Diploma in Organisational Behaviour, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Colleen Furlanetto OAM

Current (Non-Executive) Director with Ambulance Victoria, small business partner for over 30 years, active community advocate including being a CFA volunteer working in various roles regarding diversity and inclusion and person-centred emergency preparedness.

Colleen`s personal and professional experience includes connection with the State and Local Government, these roles include her terms as the former Disability Commissioner, with Commercial Passenger Vehicles Victoria, also as a former councilor and Mayor in the Goulburn Region. Colleen continues to work collaboratively with government departments for the communities in which Colleen lives.

Colleen has a strong interest in equity in access to health, transport, education and employment and any necessary associated supports, with a focus on rural and regional Victorians. Colleen believes we are as individual as our finger-print as are the amazing opportunities for all of us across the Goulburn Region. #WeAreOneCommunity.

Marlene (Sissy) Hoskin

Executive Officer at Nagambie Lakes Tourism and Commerce since 2015, is a skilled writer and has had a successful career in the business and tourism industry. A diverse background, including wool classing, a nurse, hospitality and education. Sissy is a director of the Heathcote Nagambie Community Bank, a Fairley Fellow and believes that engaged and empowered communities and stunning environments complete the tapestry of the Goulburn Valley.

Brendan Mustica

Currently a Residential and Rural real estate agent. Brendan has experience in the agricultural sector and working internationally in import-export. He resides on and operates a 48.5 ha farm at Cobram East running cattle and growing feed.

Elaine Mallows

Elaine Mallows is the CEO of Yarrawonga Health. Elaine has 35 years’ experience in health care. Her career started as a Registered Nurse, she later trained as a midwife. Elaine first moved into health care management in 1998. Elaine holds a Masters in Public Health, and she is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Elaine is passionate about rural health care, in particular the delivery of high quality appropriate health care to rural people close to home. Elaine promotes the development of a flexible health workforce with the skills and passion for rural health care.

Matt Parsons

Matt has 24 years local government experience and is the former General Manager of Eildon Boat Club and former CEO of Couran Cove Island Resort in QLD. He is skilled in the areas of Tourism, Economic Development, Strategic Planning and has also worked closely with bushfire recovery and emergency services.

Regional Development Australia representative

Eliza Brown

Eliza Brown is from a prominent fourth-generation wine family in North East Victoria and has 20 years of experience in the wine, tourism, and accommodation industries.

Currently, she is the Director of All Saints Estate and Brown Family Wine Group, one of Australia’s leading family-owned wine companies, established throughout Victoria and Tasmania.

Eliza is a former Board Member of Wine Victoria, Wine Australia, and a former member of the Agricultural Industry Advisory Council for the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources.

Eliza continues to enjoy the entrepreneurial spirit of building regional businesses with her family. Her passion is to contribute to the agriculture industry and regional issues, aligning closely with GOTAFE’s mission to support regional communities to prosper and adapt as economies change and affect local industries.

Victorian Government representative

Lachlan McDonald – Executive Director Intergovernmental Relations, Department of Transport

Local government CEOs

Brett Luxford – CEO, Mitchell Shire Council

A strong leader with experience across economic development, planning and environment and revitalisation Mr Luxford will join Mitchell Shire Council from his current role as Director Economy Investment and Attraction at Greater Geelong Council.

He has been successful in executive leadership roles across a range of Councils with strong experience working in growth areas, peri-urban and rural areas. He also has a strong knowledge of our region having held senior roles with Hume City Council, Macedon Ranges Shire Council and Swan Hill Rural City Council.

Livia Bonazzi – CEO, Murrindindi Shire Council

Livia has 20 years senior executive experience in both the private and public sector, across multiple disciplines including public policy, business strategy, urban growth planning, customer-centric service design and delivery, operations and asset management.

Prior to joining Murrindindi Shire Council in June 2021, Livia was General Manager at Western Water since 2015 leading the Planning, Strategy and Innovation functions. Previously she ran her own management consulting practice for nine years, and was Director City Infrastructure at Moreland City Council from 2003 to 2006. Livia holds a Masters of Business Administration, and Bachelor Degrees in Architecture (Honours), Planning and Design, and Arts. She also completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors course in 2021.

Julie Salomon – CEO, Strathbogie Shire Council

Julie commenced with Strathbogie Shire in January 2020, having over 26 years’ service in both local and state government. This experience includes leadership and management of a diverse range of community services, public policy, strategic planning, community and stakeholder engagement, community development, facility development and sound governance. Previously, Julie spent over seven years as Director Community Development and Services at City of Monash. Before that, she was Director Communities at Greater Shepparton City Council for over two years, including a six-month period as Acting Chief Executive Officer. Julie holds qualifications in Management, Business and Leadership, Graduate Certificate Applied Business, Business Administration and Management, Graduate Diploma in Special Education and Teaching, and Diploma of Teaching, Education and Training. She also became a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors in 2019.

Matthew Morgan – CEO, Moira Shire Council

Matthew Morgan commenced as Chief Executive Officer of Moira Shire in January 2024. Matthew Morgan is an experienced Local Government executive with more than 20 years' experience, including five years at CEO level across two councils. Prior to this role he was with the City of Port Lincoln, South Australia, and he has also worked in Victorian Local Government at the Hepburn Shire Council.

Fiona Le Gassickv – CEO, Greater Shepparton City Council

Fiona Le Gassick joined Greater Shepparton City Council as CEO in early 2024. Previously she was the Director of Growth and Engagement at TasTAFE. Prior to joining TasTAFE, Ms Le Gassick worked at Greater Shepparton City Council for close to 10 years in a range of roles at a management and director level and oversaw key initiatives such as Greater Shepparton Great Things Happen Here regional development strategy and the Greater Victoria Commonwealth Games Prefeasibility Project. Fiona holds a Masters of Business and Administration, Masters of Marketing and a Bachelor’s Degree of Social Work and Psychology.