Get To Know Us

Our Board

Meet the passionate experts guiding our mission to protect Australia’s most threatened species.

CHAIRPERSON

Ben Thomas

Ben Thomas (he/him) is a Landscape Ecologist with almost 20 years’ experience working across state and local governments and the not-for-profit sector. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Nature-based Tourism and a Diploma of Management and is currently the Reserves Manager at Phillip Island Nature Parks.

Throughout his career, Ben has built wide-ranging expertise, including island pest eradication, threatened flora and fauna recovery, fire and biodiversity interactions, and grassland conservation. He spent many years as a Threatened Species Officer in central Victoria, and worked extensively on Norfolk Island, leading eradication programs and strengthening biosecurity.

Ben is widely regarded for his practical land management skills and his ability to integrate on-ground conservation with strategic leadership. With many years’ experience as a leader in the conservation sector, he has successfully guided teams, programs, and partnerships to deliver measurable outcomes for biodiversity.

Since its inception in 2018, Ben has been a strong supporter of the Threatened Species Conservancy (TSC), playing a crucial role in its growth and success. His knowledge, experience, and commitment continue to shape effective conservation practice across Australia.

Treasurer

Jacki McAvenna

Jacki (she/her) is a highly skilled business and financial management professional with over 20 years of experience. She commenced her career in 1993 at PricewaterhouseCoopers, later working in a number of senior operational and commercial finance roles in the commerce sector.

Jacki uses her skills, experience and business clarity to assist not-for-profit organisations to attain financial sustainability. In 2016, she founded We Are Lumen, an accounting and advisory practice which specialises in operational and commercial finance for the not-for-profit sector. Jacki plays a vital and highly valued role as Treasurer for the TSC by ensuring our financial management systems and processes follow best practice at all times.

Jacki plays a vital and highly valued role as Treasurer for the TSC, ensuring our financial management systems and processes follow best practice at all times. Her long-standing commitment to TSC, supporting us since our earliest days, has been instrumental in shaping our stability and growth. Her dedication, generosity, and professionalism have made her an irreplaceable part of our journey and a trusted pillar of our organisation.

Secretary

Netta Egoz

Netta (she/her) has a legal background specialising in not-for-profit, commercial and environmental law.

Since setting up her first environmental youth charity at the age of 16, Netta’s career has been focused on protecting the environment through law and policy both in the government and private sectors, as well as working with various not-for-profits across Australia and New Zealand.

Netta also has an MBA, which she has used to support many businesses working to find commercial solutions to the climate crisis and other environmental challenges, as well as to provide strategic guidance to emerging organisations.

Director

Dr. Dorian Moro

Dorian Moro has been working in the wildlife conservation science scene for close to 30 years. He has worked for academic, state government, and industry organisations to support the recovery of threatened species, and the monitoring of wildlife populations for impact assessments. Dorian is an advocate of aligning partnerships to achieve strong outcomes in conservation.

He is currently the Program Manager for an indigenous ranger organisation in Western Australia. His role supports indigenous rangers to establish multiple business partnerships that create jobs for local indigenous people - including youth - that connect them to their culture and Country through land management, science, stories, artwork and training.

His spare time is spent as an active volunteer with surf lifesaving, and as an Ambulance Officer with St Johns WA. Dorian holds a Bachelor Science (Zoology Honours) degree from La Trobe University, and a PhD (Zoology) from the University of Western Australia. He has co-edited publications on offshore islands and wildlife translocations and published widely in journals and other publications.

Director

Dr. Jane McDonald

Jane (she/her) is an experienced conservation scientist, specialising in maximising conservation impact through strategic, collaborative and innovative programs.

After cutting her teeth as an ecologist consultant, she worked as a policy analyst for the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, developing the early policy blueprints and prototypes for including ‘nature’ in natural capital frameworks. This led to a PhD in biodiversity accounting and, more broadly, research into more effective financing models to deliver conservation outcomes.

For the last ten years Jane has been with the threatened species team in Queensland Government, where she has led recovery projects for some of Queensland’s most endangered species as well as designed and implemented strategic, multi-species programs.

In recent years, in collaboration with CSIRO she co-led the development of an online Threatened Species Decision Tool and in collaboration with First Nations groups, pastoralists, government and NGOs has trialled a new model of conservation in Queensland, creating a tenure-blind, partner-led approach to conserving multiple, co-occurring threatened species.

Jane continues to work across different scales of the biodiversity conservation problem, looking for any opportunity to increase our conservation impact.

Director

Lis Ashby

Lis (she/her) is an experienced biodiversity policy leader having worked for over 15 years in Victorian and federal environment departments to improve regulatory design, undertake legislative reform and develop strategic biodiversity policy.

Lis is the Policy and Innovation Lead at the Biodiversity Council, an independent expert group founded by 11 Australian universities to promote evidence-based solutions to Australia’s biodiversity crisis. In her role she undertakes policy research and analysis and advocates for positive changes to biodiversity policy and regulation across Australia.

Lis holds a BEnvSci (Botany and Chemistry) from Monash University and a Master of Environment (Policy and Governance) from the University of Melbourne.

Director

Andrew Hunter

Andrew (he/him) is a conservation strategist with deep experience in advocacy, policy, and species recovery. As Manager Policy and Species Recovery at BirdLife Australia, he leads the Recovery Action Coordination Program—a national initiative supporting the governance, coordination and impact of threatened bird Recovery Teams. The program is designed to build the capacity and visibility of recovery efforts across Australia, underpinned by best-practice guidelines and aligned with the goals of the national Threatened Species Action Plan.

With over seven years in the sector, Andrew previously led successful national advocacy campaigns that protected critical habitats for species like the Swift Parrot and Eastern Hooded Plover. His work spans campaign design, policy reform, and strategic communications, with a strong focus on collaboration across community, government, and scientific networks.

A 2022 BirdLife International Graeme Gibson Fellow, Andrew is committed to systems-level solutions that drive measurable conservation outcomes.

Director

Paul Deverell

Paul has over 11 years of experience in the charity sector, having worked across face to face and community fundraising, philanthropic giving (Trust and Foundations) and corporate partnerships.

He's worked for Greenpeace, Heart Foundation, University of Wollongong, Beacon Foundation and currently Frontier Services. Throughout 2021 Paul volunteered for Citizens Climate Lobby Australia (CCLA) in developing and implementing their digital fundraising campaign.

Paul holds a Graduate Certificate in Business (Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies) from QUT and is passionate about building the capacity of not-for-profit organisations and ensuring the Australian public maintains trust in the charity sector.

Director

Andrew Walsh

Andrew (he/him) has over 24 years of experience in environmental management across Australia and the Pacific, working in both government and consultancy roles. He is a recognised expert in invasive species management, with a strong focus on island ecosystems and the conservation of threatened species.

A career highlight was managing the globally significant Lord Howe Island Rodent Eradication Project—the largest eradication on a permanently inhabited island. The project benefited more than 70 species, including a six-fold increase in the Endangered Lord Howe Island Woodhen and recovery of land snails and seabirds.

Andrew has also worked as a supervising quarantine inspector with the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service across Northern Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Timor Leste. He recently completed a five-year ministerial appointment to the NSW Game and Pest Management Advisory Board, advising on feral animal control.

He is currently Regional Operations Manager and Senior Principal NRM Consultant at Eco Logical Australia, leading impact assessments and approvals for major projects in environmentally sensitive areas including Kakadu, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Gondwana Rainforests.

Andrew holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Ecology and Biodiversity), a Diploma of Management, and is a Certified Environmental Practitioner (Impact Assessment Specialist) and NSW Registered Environmental Assessment Practitioner.

Deputy Chair, Founder & CEO

Abi Smith

Abi Smith (she/her) is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Threatened Species Conservancy (TSC). A fauna ecologist with over 25 years of experience in threatened species recovery, wildlife management, and animal husbandry.

Her career spans senior roles across federal and state government, not-for-profit organisations, zoos, and museums—where she has led large teams, conducted ecological research, developed recovery strategies, and delivered large-scale conservation programs across Australia.

Abi is also a committed leader in the environmental sector, currently serving on the National Committee for the Australian Island Alliance, as Deputy Chairperson (Operations) for Landcare Victoria Inc., Chairperson of the Pink-tailed Worm-lizard Recovery Team, and a member of several scientific advisory groups.

Since establishing TSC, Abi has overseen its growth into a leading national organisation in community-led conservation and threatened species recovery.

Abi holds a Master of Environment (Policy and Governance), Bachelor of Science (Ecology), Diploma of Leadership and Management, and a Diploma of Governance (Not-for-Profit). She is passionate about building collaborative, science-led conservation programs that empower communities and protect Australia’s unique biodiversity.

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