After 12 months of leading the LGAQ’s Advocacy team – advancing and promoting policy positions and funding priorities critical to Queensland councils and their communities with State and Federal governments – Alison became the LGAQ’s first new CEO in almost three decades in November 2021.

Prior to that, Alison led the corporate affairs functions of ASX-100 companies from 2007-2020; as Group Executive of External Affairs at The Star Entertainment Group and, previously, in media and corporate affairs roles at Rio Tinto’s coal and uranium businesses in Australia, Africa and Canada.

Alison has worked in the public and private sectors in ICT, transport, energy, police and corrective services, and worked 14 years as a print, radio and television journalist before spending two terms as a senior media advisor in the Queensland Government.

With degrees in Arts, Education and holding a Masters of Diplomacy and Trade, Ali has held executive positions within the Victorian Public Service and Local Government in Victoria. She is the CEO of the City of Greater Geelong, Australia’s premier regional city and one of the largest and fastest growing municipalities in the country.  She is the inaugural Chair of Alpine Resorts Victoria and the Independent Chair of the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds.  

Ali is known for creating high performing organisations and improving workplace culture by placing employees and community at the core of all decision making. Her ability to authentically connect and build sustainable partnerships is key to her success and her inclusive leadership style.

Samantha Abeydeera joined Council in April 2023 as the Divisional Manager, Transport for Brisbane. In this role Samantha is responsible for one of Australia’s largest public transport providers with more than 3,000 employees facilitating close to 50 million annual customer journeys across bus, ferry and e-mobility. Samantha and her team are committed to providing a world class public transport service for the people of Brisbane by delivering on Transport for Brisbane’s vision of every customer; every journey matters.

Prior to joining Council, Samantha was the Executive Director of Strategic Operations at Transport for NSW. This unique role was responsible for driving end to end multimodal strategy and continuous improvement in mass transport for up to 700 million annual customer journeys. Samantha previously held senior roles in the private sector including Managing Director of Transport and the group’s Chief Operating Officer for Maritime at the NRMA Group.

In 2018 Samantha was recognised as one of the Top 50 Women in NSW Government for her transformational leadership as Director of Train Crewing at Sydney Trains where she led more than 1000+ Drivers and Guards who delivered in excess of 400 million customer journeys annually. 

Samantha holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws from Macquarie University and has also undertaken executive education in Boston at Harvard Business School.

Ms Gillard is the first woman to ever serve as Australia’s Prime Minister. She was central to the successful management of Australia’s economy during the Global Financial Crisis and delivered nation changing policies including reforming Australian education at every level, creating an emissions trading scheme, improving the provision of healthcare, aged care and dental care, and commencing the nation’s first ever national scheme to care for people with disabilities.

Helen is currently the CEO of Moonee Valley City Council (MVCC) and has over 20 years professional experience in the local government, state government and not-for-profit sectors.

Helen was the first Chinese-born CEO in the Victorian local government sector.  She studied International Politics, Accounting, Law, and Global Executive MBA at the top universities in China, Australia, India, USA and the UK.

Helen was named Top 50 Public Sector Women in Victoria in 2022 and strongly believes in developing the workforce. Under her leadership MVCC was named as the top 101 workplaces for women by WORK180 in 2023 and 2024.

Dr Moira Jenkins has been serving our local community for several years, including as Mayor since 2018 and as a Council Member between 2014 and 2018.

Moira is a clinical psychologist with post graduate qualifications in workplace conflict management and the development of healthy workplaces.

Her approach to leadership is based around collaboration – engaging our residents, ratepayers and other stakeholders to ensure decision making has the best interests of our community at heart.

She is especially passionate about addressing regional issues such as health, public transport and facilities for people of all ages.

While the past few years have been challenging for communities across Australia, with fires, pandemic, economic uncertainty and floods, Moira believes that Victor Harbor is stronger than ever and has a very bright future ahead.

Sonia Cooper is the CEO of Ipswich City Council appointed in 2021 after first joining Council in early 2020.

Sonia’s 34-year career across the Queensland and Local Government includes chief and senior executive roles in the Public Service Commission, State Library of Queensland, Cross River Rail Delivery Authority, Department of Child Safety  and Department of Education. Sonia holds a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business, Master of Public Administration and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Chief Executive Women. Sonia is proud to be leading the team at Ipswich City Council and delivering quality service to the community towards the vision for Ipswich, a city of opportunity for all.

Mayor Teresa Harding was officially sworn in as Mayor of Ipswich in 2020 and the first female Mayor in the city’s 164-year history.

She brings more than 35 years of business, government and not-for-profit leadership and experience in leading large teams and managing complex projects within the public sector.

She holds a Post Graduate Diploma and Master in Management, Post Graduate Certificate in Information Technology, Diploma in Small Business Enterprises and is a graduate of the Australian Command and Staff course at the Australian War College.

Mayor Harding was awarded the 2021 McKinnon Prize for Emerging Political Leader of the Year for  introducing transformational transparency reforms to improve accountability of officials elected to local government.

Helen Clark has been a political leader for more than 40 years, having started her political career in the 1970s, being elected to Parliament in 1981, leading the Labour Party to victory in 1999, and establishing herself as Prime Minister of New Zealand for nine years. She then took on a critical international role as Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme in New York.

(Waskam) Emelda Davis is the first Black woman elected to serve on the City of Sydney Council in its 180-year history as a representative on the Clover Moore Independent Team.

Emelda is second generation born Australian South Sea Islander a descendant of Australia’s Blackbirding trade, she is of Caribbean descent through her father’s migration in the 1950s and is kin with First Nations people through her mother’s grandfather Santo heritage.

A passionate volunteer community builder and long-term resident of Pyrmont in Sydney NSW, Emelda has worked effectively across corporate and grassroots sectors including advisor to State, Federal and Commonwealth Government agencies on culturally specific indigenous knowledges for over two decades.

In serving the City of Sydney Council, Emelda is Deputy Chair of Resilient Communities and Economy Committee, the Lord Mayor’s delegate on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel, the Lord Mayor’s delegate on the Multicultural Advisory Panel, the Alternate Chair of the Local Pedestrian Cycling and Traffic Calming Committee.

During Emelda’s first term on Council, it was resolved in 2022 to ‘Support and Recognise ASSIs across the city’ which included recognition that the Blackbirding trade was informed by the Atlantic slave trade. The then 175th anniversary is
recognised through an annual flag raising, public programs across Sydney with afollow up letter sent to 500 councils across Australia encouraged others to follow suit.

Emelda’s accolades include 2024 patron for ‘She Inspires Me’, 2022 International Council on Monuments and Sites ‘Caring for Country’ committee award, 2020-CALD Panel for Women’s Business, Women for Election Australia Ambassador, NSW Parliament Recognition Statement by the Member for Sydney, NSW Premiers Multicultural Community-Settlement Services International – Human Rights Award, 2017 Rotary Inspirational Woman, Ultimo PS Sydney Inspirational Wall Medal, 2016- NSW Women of the Year (Sydney Local), 2015 NSW Council for Pacific Communities ‘Stronger Communities Award’.

Emelda is also the first ASSI person to complete an ASSI oral history thesis ‘Children of the Sugar Slaves; Black and Resilient.’ Emelda’s Human rights and social justice advocacy across marginalised communities has garnered state, federal and international government engagement as guest speaker at the First Nations Leadership & Allyship Summit; amplifying, empowering & supporting First Nations leadership in the Public Sector (The Hatchery 30 April-1 May 2024), Permanent Forum on People of African Descent for the United Nations Permanent Forum 3rd session “International Decade of People of African descent” (16-19 April 2024), Asia and the Pacific Region – The international decade for people of African descent (UNHRC 15-16 January 2024) and Sites – Global Initiative for Justice Truth and Reconciliation (GIJTR) – (Brazil Dec. 2023). In addition Emelda is a champion for Climate Justice and Social Housing and sees her time on Council as a privilege to work with all communities to bring about meaningful change.

Prabha Bogoda Arachchige currently works as the Head of Diversity and Inclusion at the Stonnington City Council. She also reads her PhD at Monash University. Prabha has extensive industry, research and consultancy experience in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Domestic and Family Violence. Prabha’s research mainly focus on settlement, inclusion, and the sense of belonging of highly skilled migrants from CALD backgrounds in the Australian workplaces. She is passionate about creative solutions to promote Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the work places and beyond.

Dr Moira Jenkins has been serving our local community for several years, including as Mayor since 2018 and as a Council Member between 2014 and 2018.

Moira is a clinical psychologist with post graduate qualifications in workplace conflict management and the development of healthy workplaces.

Her approach to leadership is based around collaboration – engaging our residents, ratepayers and other stakeholders to ensure decision making has the best interests of our community at heart.

She is especially passionate about addressing regional issues such as health, public transport and facilities for people of all ages.

While the past few years have been challenging for communities across Australia, with fires, pandemic, economic uncertainty and floods, Moira believes that Victor Harbor is stronger than ever and has a very bright future ahead.