Review the PIA NSW 2024 Business Plan
Sue Weatherley MPIA (Fellow) | PIA NSW Division President
Principal of Sue Weatherley & Associates
Sue is a passionate and successful urban planner and senior local government executive with over 30 years of experience in senior local government executive planning roles in NSW and QLD, including Townsville, Ryde, Parramatta and Georges River.
Sue was on the NSW Architect Registration Board from 2014 to 2020, was the Chair of the 200Planning Task Force for Committee for Sydney and is now on the Local Government Committee for IPART.
Her contribution to Local Government has been twice recognised, in 2012 and 2016, as the recipient of the Minister’s Award for women in local government. In November 2018, Planning Institute of Australia NSW (PIA) named Sue the Planner of the Year at its annual excellence awards. Sue is also a fellow of PIA.
Rukshan de Silva RPIA | Board Director
Department of Planning and Environment
Rukshan is the Director for Regional NSW in the Planning Delivery Unit. In his role, Rukshan engages with councils, agencies, and industry to resolve the hardships they experience and consider their suggestions for improvement of our NSW planning system. Rukshan is a champion for Regional NSW and ensures that the regions are well-represented on the PIA NSW Committee.
Rukshan’s experience in strategic planning, pubic engagement, and stakeholder management spans local
government, state government, and private sector, in both Australia and Canada. Rukshan was also named as the 2019 Australian Young Planner of the Year.
Clare Brown MPIA | Policy & Advocacy Convenor | Vice-President
Urbis
Clare is a highly respected and accomplished planner who has a longstanding career across all levels of government and industry. Clare has held senior management roles in several organisations and is currently recognised for her expertise and dedication as a Director of the Board at Urbis.
Clare has both a town planning and legal background and her skill is demonstrated through her regular appearance as an expert witness in the Land and Environment Court and as an alternate member of Sydney and Regional
Planning Panels.
For over 35 years, Clare has worked tirelessly to deliver exceptional outcomes in planning. She is sought after for her expertise to guide government, private sector and industry groups and advises on prominent issues on several leading working groups and committees. Clare is renowned throughout NSW as a ‘go to’ person on planning matters relating to the courts and for devising and negotiating practical solutions for complex projects.
Sharon Smith RPIA (Fellow) Immediate Past President | All regions Convenor | Vice-President
Sharon is a Registered Planner with over 30 years of experience in both public and private sector fields within theNorth Coast region of NSW, She have a proven track record of leading multi-disciplinary teams to deliver complex strategic projects.
Sharon is PIA NSW immediate past President, she has always championed the regions and the mentor to many, supporting many Young Planners through mentorship and she has been the All Regions Convenor for the past decade.
Norma Shankie-Williams MRTPI, MPIA (Fellow), FAPI | Local Governmment Convenor | Vice-President
Local Government Network Convenor. Norma has worked in the UK and Australia at local, regional and State levels of Government and the private sector in a career spanning over 45 years.
She has recently retired from leading the Strategic Planning Team at Willoughby Council.
She is a strong advocate for the achievement of improved health outcomes and increased resilience in our neighbourhoods, cities and regions and an advocate of the importance of local strategic planning..
Juliet Grant RPIA (Fellow) | Education Convenor | Vice-President
GYDE Consulting
Juliet is a respected and experienced planner with almost 30 years strategic and statutory experience in local and state government and the consulting environment. She has a deep knowledge of the political, policy and legislative environment and an in depth understanding of government processes and how to apply them to achieve outcomes that are robust and defensible.
Juliet has been appointed as a Commissioner on the Independent Planning Commission and State appointed expert
on the Hunter and Central Coast Regional Planning Panel. She is also an expert member on (Georges River, Hornsby and Hawkesbury Local Planning Panels). Juliet is a Registered Planner with REAP Accreditation.
Daniel Cavallo RPIA (Fellow)
Cumberland City Council
Daniel Cavallo is a planner with over 20 years of experience in land use, transport and infrastructure planning. He has a Bachelor of Planning and a Master of Commerce (International Business), both from the University of NSW, and is also a Registered Planner. He currently is the Director, Environment and Planning at Cumberland City Council.
Daniel’s passion is making a positive difference to our community by turning plans into reality. This approach
strengthens the role of planning in our cities and places, giving confidence to the community that initiatives are being delivered on the ground. His involvement and legacy in place making, transport networks, housing, employment and the environment is testament to this approach.
Alejandra Rojas RPIA | Women In Planning
NSW Department of Education
Alejandra is a Specialist Urban Planner who also holds qualifications in Communications.
She has over 15 years' experience working in the NSW planning system predominantly in strategic urban renewal projects but draws on previous roles in development assessment, policy development and as a consultant planner.
Alejandra most recently co-led the development and delivery of the City-wide Local Strategic Planning Statement and
project manages major urban renewal projects for the City of Canterbury Bankstown, the largest Council in NSW by population.
Claire Middleton RPIA (Life Fellow) | Southern Convenor
Claire is an experienced urban planner who has been continuously employed in the planning profession for the past 45 years, working at all levels of Government and in the private sector.
Claire’s expertise and interests are concerned with integrated urban management, focussing on population health and achieving progress towards sustainable development outcomes.
Claire has been in private practice since 1999 and now enjoys the ultimate work/life balance of semi-retirement.
Stephen Timms MPIA | Northern Convenor
Stephen has 20 years experience as a planner, project manager, leader and engagement specialist in government and consultancies.
This has included large scale urban regeneration projects in the UK, earthquake recovery planning in Christchurch, NZ and advising the NSW and Qld state governments regarding disaster risk reduction.
Stephen has been involved with PIA since being a young planner on the NSW Committee, helped set up the UK Branch
of PIA and been involved with the RTPI, ISoCaRP and NZPI. Stephen is currently convenor of the Northern Branch...
Darren Holloway RPIA (Fellow) | Hunter Convenor
Kleinfelder
Darren is the NSW Discipline Manager and National Practice Lead at Kleinfelder Australia. He has over twenty years’ experience in statutory, strategic planning, environmental approvals and impact assessment, and environmental management in the private and public sector. Darren is a Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia as well as REAP certified.
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Jessica McFarlane PIA (Assoc.) | Riverina Convenor
Walgett Shire Council
With 18 years of Local Government and private industry experience, Jessica has worked predominantly across rural and regional Councils predominantly in Building Surveying positions and as Director of Planning & Environment at Walgett Shire Council.
Jessica was also the Executive Officer of NetWaste throughout 2019-2020. Jessica McFarlane is currently the Manager of Development Services at Murray River Council and has an active focus on enhancing the Murray River Council
community through improved planning processes.
Amy Wilkins PIA (Assoc.) | Young Planner Comittee Co-Convenor
JOC Consulting
Amy Wilkins is a Senior Urban Planner at JOC Consulting. Amy has experience in both strategic and statutory planning, placemaking and urban design. Within her work, she integrates her diverse background from both private and public sectors. She has actively contributed to numerous placemaking projects throughout Greater Sydney and Regional NSW.
Driven by a commitment to excellent planning outcomes, Amy’s work aims to serve community needs
and the environment. Her dedication extends into her role as Co-Convenor of the Planning Institute of Australia’s NSW Young Planner’s Committee, where she champions the planning practice for young and emerging planners in the industry. Amy is an advocate for women’s rights, with a particular focus on women’s safety in public spaces at night. Her significant contributions have been recognised with accolades at both the PIA NSW and National Awards for Planning Excellence in 2022/2023.
Chloe Boyd PIA (Assoc.) | Young Planner Comittee Co-Convenor
Wagga Wagga city council
Chloe Boyd is a Strategic Planner at Wagga Wagga City Council, in regional NSW. She is an enthusiastic young planner with experience across the public and private sectors, as well as metropolitan and regional areas.
Chloe is co-convenor of the NSW Young Planners Committee for the second consecutive year, where she guides the Committee in its activities and advocates for young planners and regional planners.
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Michael Comninos MPIA
Astrolabe Group Pty Limited
Michael co-founded strategic advisory firm Astrolabe Group in 2017. Michael has over fifteen years of experience developing and implementing strategy, policy and regulatory reform in planning and infrastructure.
Prior to founding Astrolabe Group, Michael was a senior executive in the NSW public sector, holding positions in the Greater Sydney Commission, Infrastructure NSW and the then Department of Planning and Infrastructure.
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Linda Rodriguez MPIA
Aurecon Group
Linda is the NSW and ACT Urban Planning Lead at Aurecon and brings over 14 years industry experience in the profession. She is ambidextrous in the sense her capabilities traverse across both statutory and strategic planning within both the public (Local, State and Federal levels of Government) and private sectors. Through this experience, Linda has obtained valuable insights and understanding of the key drivers, interests and perspectives from both ‘sides of the table’.
Linda is a fierce advocate of the planning profession and aspires to promote the values and benefits of planning in the wake of the ongoing skills shortage. She seeks to spearhead growth in the planning industry through promoting the multi-faceted benefits of planning in enriching our built and natural environments and its communities, coupled with the significant career opportunities the planning profession provides.
Paul McFarland RPIA (Fellow)
University of New England
Paul is a lecturer and Course Co-ordinator in urban & regional Planning at the University of New England.
Paul has a strong interest in regulatory planning, particularly development control. Paul’s research interest focuses on peri-urban land use. Paul also has extensive experience in local government planning.