Staff bios
Mark Pascoe
Chief Executive
Mark Pascoe has worked for his 30 year career in the water industry – predominately in Brisbane, Australia. He spent many years with Brisbane City Council where his most recent position was as the Manager, Water and Sewerage. He was for a brief period the Queensland Operations Manager of Woodward-Clyde Pty Ltd, an environmental engineering consultancy. He left the BCC role to take up the position of Deputy Director, International Water Association in London, which he held for three years before returning to Brisbane recently.
Mark has held positions of President, Australian Water Association; Board Member, Water Services Association of Australia; Board Member, Co-operative Research Centre, Water Quality and Treatment; Board Member, Global Water Research Coalition. Recently he has been elected as the President of the Australian Water Partnership (the Australian presence of the Global Water Partnership) and is a Director of Environment Business Australia. Mark is the CEO of the International WaterCentre where his role is to lead the development of the Joint Venture in providing solutions to Water Management issues for national and international clients.
Fiona Chandler
Program Manager - IWM Services
Prior to joining IWC in September 2008, Fiona was the Executive officer and Team Leader for the Water Cycle Policy and Stakeholder Management Team with the Water Resources Branch, Brisbane City Council. She has extensive experience in strategic planning, and developing and implementing integrated water cycle and sustainable water management policy across various levels of government and institutional arrangements, and at a range of spatial scales.
Fiona’s passion for water cycle management and capacity building has grown while Project Managing the SEQ Water Sensitive Urban Design Program, with the SEQ Healthy Waterways Partnership, Fiona was instrumental in establishing Queensland’s first Water Sensitive Urban Design and Sustainable Water Management Capacity Building Program “Water by Design: Creating Water Sensitive Communities in South East Queensland”.
Fiona has been working in the fields of natural systems management, water cycle policy, integrated catchment management, land use planning , wetlands management, and surface water quality management for approximately 15 years, including time spent working with a marine non-government organisation in Belize, Central America.
Fiona has a BAppSc in Natural Systems Management and will have completed her MAppSc in Natural Resource Management from the University of Queensland at the end of 2008.
Dr Regina Souter
Program Manager - Research Partnerships
Regina is interested in the “integration” part of Integrated Water Management, because of the value she sees in synergistic approaches to managing complex water management issues. Her past involvement with research organisations and researchers as Science Leader for the Coastal CRC allowed her to develop a keen interest and experience in fostering cross-disciplinary applied research activities, involving multiple researchers from diverse areas of expertise, as well as end-users.
Another aspect of integration that interests Regina is the way in which institutions work together to manage water-related issues. Through her experiences at the Environmental Protection Agency and Coastal CRC, Regina developed a particular interest in coastal management frameworks that involve a great diversity of stakeholders, from multiple levels of governments, communities, and industries.
She is looking forward to developing that interest further while at the IWC, in particular with regard to the water supply and sanitation sector. This will allow Regina to draw on her most recent experiences in the Queensland water industry, where she worked with water service providers throughout the state on regulations and policy issues, including business reporting and performance assessment.
Regina has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Environmental Science and a PhD in Marine Ecology.
Bronywn Powell
Program Manager - Research Partnerships (on Maternity Leave)
Bronwyn is an experienced project manager and environmental scientist working in the aid and community development sectors for the past 10 years. Her areas of expertise are in the social dimensions of natural resource management, particularly participatory approaches, institutional analysis and co-management. Most recently Bronwyn has undertaken interdisciplinary research in the Kongulai catchment, Solomon Islands, through the AusAID funded Australian Water Research Facility.
In her role at IWC Bronwyn has contributed variously to business development, strategic planning, project management, training programs, marketing, communications and reporting as the company has grown from three to 15 people in its first four years. Bronwyn has a growing interest in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in developing countries and is a member of the AusAID WASH Reference Group and was part of the organising committee for the Sanitation and Water Conference 2008.
Prior to joining IWC, Bronwyn worked with UniQuest International Projects, International Centre for Environmental Management, Greening Australia and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences on a diverse range of conservation, training, institutional reform and rural development projects. Bronwyn has a BSc (Ecology), BA (Politics) and a MEnvSc focused on community participation in catchment management.
Barry Ball
Water Policy Manager
Barry has recently left Brisbane City Council to take up the role of Deputy Director of the newly established Global Change Institute at The University of Queensland. Part of his role is to work in the IWC as the Manager Water Policy. Barry has worked in both State and Local Government in his 35year career predominately in the water sector. His most recent roles in Brisbane City Council were the Manager Strategic Planning and Manager Water Resources.
Some of Barry’s recent achievements include the establishment of the Moreton Bay Waterways and Catchment Partnership, adoption as formal Council policy by Brisbane an integrated “whole of water” strategy and establishment of a whole of region Water Quality Monitoring Program.
Barry is on the Urban Water Advisory Committee for the National Water Commission and has held Board positions on the CRC Catchment Hydrology, CRC Coastal Zone, International RiverFoundation and Environment Professional Board at Griffith University.
Bridget Griffith
Personal Assistant
Bridget has lived in Brisbane for five years after growing up in North Queensland. She has previously held positions at a Medico-legal firm, Energy Super and the Queensland Institute of Business and Technology. Bridget has a passion for customer service and management support.
Dr Peter Oliver
Senior Lecturer, Program Development
Peter leads the development of International WaterCentre education and training products, in particular the Master of Integrated Water Management Program. He is also involved in developing and leading other training and capacity building activities in integrated water management, with the support of partner universities. Peter was previously a Principal Natural Resource Officer (Science) with Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management. His work in this role involved research on social science aspects of collaborative natural resource management, particularly water and catchment planning and management.
Dr Oliver is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management at The University of Queensland. Peter has academic qualifications in ecology, land use management, education and social science and over twenty years experience in citizen participation and natural resource management education and extension, particularly in the areas of water and catchment management.
Dr Brian McIntosh
Education Program Manager and Senior Lecturer
Brian leads the delivery of IWC education products, particularly the full time Masters of Integrated Water Management. Brian is also seconded to the Smart Water Research Centre at Griffith University where he is Programme Leader in Integrated Urban Water Management.
A Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (FCIWEM), a Chartered Water and Environmental Manager (C.WEM), and a Chartered Scientist (CSci), Dr. McIntosh is an expert in water, wastewater and stormwater management; integrated assessment for urban development; water sector sustainability, and; the user-centred development of policy, decision and information support tools. He has a 1st Class BSc in Ecology from the University of Stirling, and a PhD in Ecological Modelling from the University of Edinburgh.
In 2008 he was awarded the Early Career Research Excellence Prize by the International Environmental Modelling and Software Society (iEMSs) and was elected to the Board of that society. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Elsevier journal Environmental Modelling and Software, the Australian Water Association (AWA) Sustainability Specialist Network and of the Stormwater Industry Association of Queensland (SIAQ) management committee.
Brian holds an Adjunct Senior Lectureship in the School Chemical Engineering at The University of Queensland, an Adjunct Senior Research Fellowship at Griffith University and a Visiting Fellowship at the Centre for Water Science, Cranfield University (UK). He has extensive international and inter-disciplinary research experience having worked with collaborators from Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia and the United States.
Peter Wegener
Lecturer and Flexible Delivery Lead
Peter has over 25 years of professional experience in agricultural research, extension and community development. He has worked with rural communities, government agencies, non-government organisations and universities in Australia, Africa and Asia. Peter has taught and developed both internal and externally delivered university courses in extension, community and group development. His main role at the International WaterCentre is to develop education and training products, in particular the Master of Integrated Water Management Program, into flexible modes for part-time, external and short course delivery.
Jennifer Ball
Education and Training Officer
Jennifer Ball holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science, with an emphasis on environmental ethics, from Humboldt State University in northern California. Having both a passion for the outdoors as well as teaching she found herself in the area of outdoor education, and has had the opportunity to work in numerous areas of the United States before coming to Australia. Introducing students to nature and bringing their classroom to the outdoors has given her the opportunity to use her knowledge and skills to educate the importance of environmentalism and sustainability. Jennifer joined the IWC team in July 2008, shifting her career into a different direction as she works toward obtaining her Masters of Education.
Dr Sarah Goater
Project Coordinator, Master of Integrated Water Management
Sarah is an Environmental Scientist with a multidisciplinary research and professional background in integrated (ecosystem) assessment and management, environmental drivers of aquatic ecosystem health, environmental impact assessment, and regulation of groundwater resources used for human consumption and mining.
A professional background in the water supply industry, and related PhD studies, have provided Sarah with a firm grasp of the various legal, policy and community issues surrounding the sustainable use of Australia’s water resources and protection of their dependent ecosystems. A two-year post-doctoral Research Fellow position with UQ’s School of Population Health allowed Sarah to use and expand her research portfolio within the public health domain. Her research targeted the development of innovative and preventative policy options for existing and emerging health outcomes resulting from climate change and coal seam gas resources expansion.
Sarah is currently employed with IWC as Project Coordinator, Master of Integrated Water Management. Complementary to her work with IWC, Sarah is also employed as a researcher and Research Higher Degree (RHD) supervisor at the Minerals Industry Safety and Health Centre (MISHC). Through her roles with IWC and MISHC, Sarah hopes to promote, integrate and foster transdisciplinary consciousness within students throughout their Masters experience - encouraging critical thinking, collaborative engagement and positive workforce interactions.
Shelley Okamoto
Education and Training Assistant
Shelley came to Australia to study English as an international student, then after completing a VET course she obtained permanent residence. Since then she has been involved working in the education industry in both Australia and Japan, particularly in student services and training.
Shelley has a passion for working with international students, which has led her to work in language schools and to learn skills in interacting with people from diverse backgrounds and becoming familiar with the CRICOS, National Code and ESOS Act.
Since working in Medical College Japan in 2009, she has developed a strong interest in training and work for both national and international students.
Dr Bimo Nkhata
Director, IWC Africa
Bimo has a PhD in environment and development from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). He is employed as a Senior Scientist in the Zambia Wildlife Authority where he has been seconded to the Lusaka Agreement Task Force based in Kenya. The Task Force is the secretariat to a regional multilateral environmental agreement that aims at promoting regional environmental cooperation. He has over 20 years experience in planning and managing for protected natural areas in Zambia.
His research interests have centred on the complex, dynamic linkages between ecological and social systems. Particularly, he has sought to improve understanding of the processes involved in the governance of ecosystems services. He has conducted field research and published on environmental governance, collaborative water resources management, civil society dialogue in water resources management, wetlands governance, community-based natural resource management, and effective protected area management. At present he is part of an international research initiative operating under a university consortium involving Monash South Africa, University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Montana, University of Copperbelt and University of Namibia. The initiative seeks to develop a regional research program exploring benefit sharing in social-ecological systems.
Linda Downsborough
Researcher, IWC Africa
Linda has completed a Masters of Education (Environmental Education) in which she examined the social learning processes present within a citrus farming community in the Eastern Cape. She has three years working experience spanning the fields of education, environmental education and conservation. Before joining Monash University in July 2009, Linda worked as a Project Executant for the Marine and Coastal Working Group, at the Endangered Wildlife Trust.
Research areas and interests:
• Social learning, co learning and communities of practice
• Conservation of Natural Resources
Todd Zeng
Asian Business Development Officer
Todd holds a Master of Business in Marketing from the University of Queensland. He also has a Graduate Diploma of Art in Translation and Interpreting for Chinese and English. As a NAATI accredited translator and interpreter, coupled with a strong business sense and extensive experience and network in Asian Pacific regional, Todd has been an independent conference interpreter and corporate advisor for a number of government departments, listed companies and NGOs including the IWC in the past 3 years.
At the IWC Todd's role encompasses Asian business development and communication, Asian project management support and market research and marketing in Asia, with particular focus on China.
Diane Cousineau
Project Officer
Diane has degrees in civil engineering (Concordia University) and Integrated Water Management (University of Queensland, Monash University, Griffith University, and the University of Western Australia).
Diane has worked on water supply, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) projects in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. Her interests are transdisciplinary research to improve effectiveness and sustainability of WASH interventions and policies, including capacity building, governance, market-based approaches, hygiene behaviour change, ecosanitation, gender equality, and monitoring and evaluation.
Diane is currently focusing on the unique challenges of integrated WASH programming in the Pacific region.
Cameron Davidson
Project Officer
Cameron Davidson graduated from the IWC’s Master of Integrated Water Management program in July 2010. In completing her Masters, she carried out research in Israel, Jordan and the West Bank, where she worked with the Bedouin, formerly nomadic communities, on the role of gender in water management. A native Californian, Cameron holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Conservation and Resource Studies with an emphasis in Water Resource Policy and Management from University of California, Berkeley. Prior to enrolling in the IWC’s Masters program, she worked on case research for water rights litigation in San Diego, California.
Amy Sui
Project Assistant and Support
Carla Mathisen
Knowledge Services Coordinator
After four successful years coordinating and managing events, specifically the International Riversymposium, Carla has recently moved into a new program area of IWC, Knowledge Services.
As IWC Knowledge Services Coordinator, Carla brings with her a degree in Business Management and a Postgraduate Certificate in Public Relations.
In her role, she assists with the delivery, synthesis and dissemination of knowledge created by IWC and its partner organisations. Carla has a keen eye for detail and shows enthusiasm and passion for her work through the development of new initiatives. She enjoys building great working relationships and has an interest in social media and the role it plays within the business industry.
Delphine Gonchond
Marketing and Communications Manager
Delphine moved to Australia six years ago, and since then has developed her career in the field of marketing and communications, working successively in the telecommunications and professional services industries. Her expertise encompasses internal communications, direct marketing, web marketing, market research and the coordination of government bids and tenders.
Delphine holds a Master in Management (majoring in Marketing) from SKEMA Business School, Nice Sophia Antipolis, France. She has completed part of her Masters at the University of Adelaide and ITESM Tec de Monterrey (Mexico City).
Delphine joined the team in February 2011 and has recently stepped up into the role of Marketing and Communications Manager, covering a maternity leave.
In her role, Delphine builds the profile and client base for the company by developing strategic marketing and communications plan with a strong focus on promoting the company’s education, training, applied research and knowledge services.
Agnese Middleton
Marketing and Communications Manager (on Maternity Leave)
Agnese has extensive experience in designing and implementing strategic marketing plans. As Marketing and Communications Manager at IWC, she builds the profile and client base for the company through strategic marketing and communications with a strong focus on promoting the company's education and training, applied research and consulting activities.
Agnese spent six years as a project coordinator for the University of South Dakota School of Medicine building a recruitment network. She developed and implemented a comprehensive academic program to recruit, retain and support Native American students interested in pursuing health care careers.
Throughout her career, Agnese has gained extensive experience in competitor analysis, market research, and target market analysis. She has worked on international marketing campaigns and communications strategies, designed promotional campaigns, and created and maintained websites.
Anke Groenewald
Accounts Officer
Anke has over 25 years experience in bookkeeping/account work, in Australia as well as in the Netherlands. She has worked for worldwide operating manufacturing companies in packaging materials and digital textile printing systems, in roles such as accounts officer, bookkeeper and purchasing manager.
Throughout her career she has gained extensive experience in a range of accounting systems.
At IWC Anke is responsible for payroll, superannuation, accounts payable and accounts receivable.
Dominic Vedhamanickam
Graduate Accounts Officer
Dominic came to Australia to study, after successful completion of a Business Degree in Finance and Accounting. He has worked in a number of chartered accounting firms throughout his career, gaining experience in various accounting systems.
Dominic joined the IWC team in April 2010 a Graduate Accounts Officer.
Lorena Taylor
Business Systems Coordinator
Lorena worked in the IT industry for 10 years in Canberra prior to moving to Brisbane with her family.
Throughout her career she was engaged in various roles ranging from technical to managerial .
In her role in the IWC Lorena provides project and accounts support to the business team.
