Staff

The project supports a small team of staff based out of our Castlemaine office

	CEO: Leah Sertori I’m privileged to lead the dynamic team helping Central Victorians save money and reduce our impact on the environment. I joined the project in April 2010 following my passion for working in public/private partnerships to create positive change. What excites me most about this project is the opportunity to develop new approaches to community owned and managed energy production. The energy industry is changing rapidly and our project provides the insight to support community planning around energy use into the future.		Finance Manager: Suzie Ryan With Central Victorians facing higher energy bills this project is a way that I’m able to assist my community  in adopting energy use behaviour change that may help save money and at the same time collect data which will help support future sustainability projects.
	Operations Manager: David Woodgrove A few years ago my family and I undertook a major renovation to our Castlemaine home, incorporating many sustainable features including; passive solar design, solar hot water, maximizing internal thermal mass and insulation and buried pipe air-conditioning. It is with this keen interest in sustainability and green energy that I’ve joined the team to help deliver the Solar Cities program.		Communications & Marketing Manager: Neriman Kemal  I think the best way to foster change is to lead by example.  This project excites me because it provides us all with a great opportunity to participate in behaviour change that’s not only personally valuable, but also valuable in terms of demonstrating to our neighbours, friends and wider community how easy it is to make more sustainable decisions.
	Administration Manager: Jill Bryan Living in this beautiful region of Central Victoria means being aware of, and adapting to, extremes of temperature. So being part of an innovative project that has the potential to help residents manage and even lower their energy use is very exciting. The fact that the research results will then be used to benefit other communities really adds to the value of this project.		Communications Assistant & Receptionist/Administration Assistant: Lee Fox After ten years spent establishing myself as a children’s author I came to Central Victoria Solar City to try something else that also had meaning and purpose to me. When it comes to energy use, as with good writing, less is more. The less energy we use the more we have of other things, more money in our pockets, more of a future for our children and the planet. I feel privileged to work with people who are passionate about what they do and the positive impact it can have on our future.
	Sustainability Consultant: Simon Kingdon I work for Central Victoria Solar City because I wanted to contribute to a research project that provides valuable information towards the development of positive sustainability policy. I enjoy helping assist everyday people in living more sustainably.  These people may then  positively affect the behaviours of their friends and family too.		Data: Julia Gilchrist Having originally come from chilly old England one of my first thoughts was how powerful the sunlight was in Australia. It makes sense to me that we make use of the sunlight here to create energy.  Working for this project makes me feel like I’m contributing something positive back into my local community.
	Project Manager, Renewable Communities and Home Assessors: Ross Egleton Two significant moments in the bathroom triggered my sustainability thinking. One was a sign at my grandparents to ‘shower with a friend’ as they were on tank water. The other was a request from my father to turn the shower off when washing my hair. Great planets are hard to find and we need to keep ours healthy.
	Lead Business Energy Assessor Bruce Horden I believe we are caretakers of this world and that each of us can do something towards giving back and restoring health to our world. I want to do my bit in caring for our world. Being involved in Central Victoria Solar City is such a rewarding and privileged position of empowering people to be more energy conscious and to take control of their energy usage, so that we can continue to enjoy this wonderful planet we are blessed to inhabit.