Cr Kim O’Keeffe has lived in Shepparton for most of her life.  Greater Shepparton offers a wonderful lifestyle and is a wonderful place to live and work. Kim has run her own business in the service and training industry for the past 28 years. Kim’s vision is for growth and to prosper with forward thinking and a progressive approach. She is passionate about the Greater Shepparton community and sees opportunity, diversity and so much potential for the region.

Peter Harriott is the CEO of Greater Shepparton City Council. Before that he was the CEO of Wattle Range Council (South Australia) 2013-2016 and a Director at Greater Shepparton City Council 2000-2012. Over the past 30 years he has worked in local government throughout Victoria as well as 3 years on the Limestone Coast of South Australia. Peter has a Bachelor of Civil engineering and a Master’s in Business Administration.

Kellie was first elected to Latrobe City Council in 2008 and is currently serving her third term as Mayor.

In 2016, she led the development of the Latrobe Strength-Led Transition, a community co-designed approach structural and
economic change leading up to the Hazelwood Power Station closure, resulting in significant State and Federal Government investment and enhanced partnerships in the region.

Steven joined Latrobe City Council in 2014 as General Manager Community Infrastructure and Recreation. He was appointed CEO in December 2018. He has over 20 years’ experience in local government, including eight years at Bass Coast Shire Council, where he worked as Community and Economic Development Director and prior to that, Infrastructure Director.

Steven has a degree in Civil Engineering and graduate certificate in Business Administration.

Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf joined Greater Bendigo City Council in 2016 representing the Whipstick Ward and was re-elected to a second term in 2020.

Cr Metcalf’s career has focused on customer service and disability support, first with Centrelink and then in financial planning supporting customers to navigate the Centrelink system. At Centrelink she held a range of leadership roles and worked with the organisation for 37 years.

In her role as a Councillor, Cr Metcalf sits on the board of Bendigo Heritage Attractions and Bendigo Stadium Ltd. She is also Chair of the Eaglehawk Table Tennis and Badminton Association, a member of the Epsom Ascot Huntly Flood Mitigation Committee and a member of Empowering Eaglehawk.

Craig Niemann has over 30 years’ experience working in local government. He has been the Chief Executive Officer at Greater Bendigo City Council since December 2007 and was Director, Organisation Support prior to that.  He previously served as CEO of the Shire of Loddon. Craig has excellent knowledge of the Central Victoria area and a tremendous understanding of community issues and processes. He plays a key role in facilitating and encouraging the self-reliance of local communities, with a strong focus on community engagement and improving services.

Councillor Daniel Moloney is public relations and stakeholder relations professional who was elected to represent the City of Ballarat’s North Ward. He served in the 2016 – 2020 Council term and in October 2020 was re-elected for the 2020-2024 Term. He was also elected Mayor of Ballarat from October 2020 to October 2021.
His strong background in tourism includes work as a Board Member of Ballarat Regional Tourism and as a marketer with V/Line; his communications experience includes work advising Victorian government agencies, a London-based charity, and as a suburban Melbourne-based journalist.
Cr Moloney’s extensive business experience includes management of state government campaigns, work for the Victorian Office of Fair Trading and Business Affairs (now known as Consumer Affairs Victoria) and the establishment of his own small business, a Ballarat and Melbourne-based public relations company.

Evan King commenced as the Chief Executive Officer at the City of Ballarat in February 2021.
Evan has spent the past two and a half years as CEO of Hepburn Shire, and has a Local Government career which includes executive roles at Pyrenees Shire Council as the Director of Corporate and Community Services and Hepburn Shire Council as the General Manager Corporate Services.
Prior to working in Local Government, Evan had an extensive career working in manufacturing and held senior management positions with Mars Wrigley and FMP (Bendix Mintex) as well as working within the social sector and notably working as the Business Manager for Salvation Army Western Victoria.
Evan has a Bachelor of Business from Federation University, is a qualified CPA and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

CR Trent Sullivan as deputy mayor will step up to fulfill the role of acting Mayor while Cr Stephine Asher is on a leave of absence.

Elected as as a Councillor in 2017 and deputy Mayor in 2020 Trent has a deep passion for improving Geelong in his capacity.

As well as an interest in the vibrant cultural opportunities Geelong offers he is involved in numerous regional committees.

Martin Cutter was recently appointed CEO of the City of Greater Geelong, following several years at the City of Melbourne in a range of roles including Director of Corporate Services and Director City Business. He held senior roles at Australian River Co, ANL Limited and KPMG before entering the public sector.

Cr Gulline has called Longerenong home for 25 years. Originally from Queensland, she moved to the Wimmera after meeting her late husband Don.
As well as a prominent farmer in the region, she is an experienced teacher from pre-school and primary to TAFE and university levels.
The mother of three’s qualifications include a Master of Business Administration, Bachelor of Education, Diploma of Accounting, Diploma of Teaching – Primary-Preschool, Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and Governance of Registered Organisations.
She has served the Wimmera through involvement in organisations such as Wimmera Development Association, Regional Development Australia (Grampians) and Wimmera Southern Mallee Regional Partnership.
Cr Gulline is also an active member of the Victorian Farmers Federation and a strong contributor to the Wimmera Machinery Field Days, local Landcare groups and Horsham Hockey Club.

Sunil has worked in Local Government for 24 years, including 12 years in senior management.  He was previously Director Infrastructure Services at the City of Maribyrnong, where he had finance and operational responsibility for over 120 permanent staff and the delivery of services and programs totalling $60 million.

Prior to this, Sunil worked at the Surf Coast Shire Council for more than 14 years in a range of management positions including General Manager Governance and Infrastructure, Director Corporate Services, Director Infrastructure and Infrastructure manager.  He was also with the Hume City Council for six years and the Shire of Bulla for over two years.

Cr Liam Wood was born and bred in Mildura and grew up on the banks of Kings Billabong.
After graduating from the Red Cliffs High School, Cr Wood went on to study landscape architecture at RMIT University. He moved back to Mildura 13 years ago and now runs three businesses.
Cr Wood has a keen interest in events/tourism and the small business sector which he says are vital drivers for the local economy, and has dedicated significant resources and time into events and hospitality in Sunraysia for over a decade.

With over 20 years of local government experience Martin brings experience and expertise to the role of acting CEO for Mildura. While acting CEO Martin also performs the role of general manager and has strong connections within council and local government.

Dean was born and raised in Wangaratta to parents both in retail businesses before heading to Melbourne to study, and work in the Real Estate .
He returned home to Wangaratta in 1995 to be closer to family and friends and opened his first Real Estate office. Throughout his time away he always appreciated the closeness of a small community and what a country lifestyle had to offer.
After 20 successful years in Wangaratta, a fantastic marriage and two beautiful children he and his wife opened the Rees & Rees lifestyle store in 34 Ovens Street to expand on their property development business and lifestyle loves.
Elected to Council in 2016 and Mayor for the last 2 years, Dean’s priority and focus for the Rural City of Wangaratta has been on the economic development and growth of Wangaratta to ensure it continues progressing into a modern city.

Mr McGrath commenced as Chief Executive Officer of the Rural City of Wangaratta on 11 February 2014. Prior to this he had been Chief Executive Officer of Indigo Shire Council, a role he had held since February 2008.
Before starting with Indigo Shire, he was the General Manager of Community and Recreation with Mitchell Shire and had at different times acted as Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Corporate Services.
Brendan has also worked in the private sector in the conference, accommodation and hospitality areas and has managed recreation facilities.
Mr McGrath is a board member and current vice-president of LGPro, the peak body for Local Government professionals in Victoria. He is also a board member with Tourism North East Victoria. He has a Bachelor of Applied Science degree and is studying Business through the Australian Institute of Management.

Vicki was born and raised in Warrnambool. Her professional life has been predominantly spent in client and financial service roles within the banking and aged care sectors. Vicki established and became a director of Peter’s Project in Warrnambool in September 2008 after the death of her husband Peter, aged 49 years, from Oesophageal Cancer. The Victorian south west regional community embraced the Peter’s Project ethos and its goal to bring vital radiotherapy treatment to cancer patients in the local region. Vicki was chosen as the Victorian Australian of the Year Local Hero in October 2016 and announced the 2017 Australian of the Year – Local Hero in January 2017. In January 2018, Vicki was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day Honours for significant service to Community health through the provision of access to radiotherapy treatments for people with cancer in South West Victoria. Vicki was elected to Warrnambool City Council in October 2020.

Peter Schneider is Chief Executive Officer of Warrnambool City Council.

Prior to starting at Warrnambool Mr Schneider was the chief executive of the Perth-based Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council which provided waste management, resource recovery, environmental management and regional development services for its six member councils.

Wodonga Mayor Cr Kevin Poulton is a first-time Councillor, having lived in the area for almost all his life.
Born to dairy-farming parents, Cr Poulton is an active community member in the region, and has governed on boards and committees in the education, disability, sport and fundraising sectors. He is a dad to five young children.
Cr Poulton holds business management qualifications in retail, hospitality, events and marketing and has been a radio presenter and entertainer for almost two decades.

Debra commenced at Wodonga Council in 1996, after a long career in community development and early childhood education. Her experience encompasses social policy development, community planning and ethics.
Debra is responsible for a range of business units that support staff in the work that they do, encourages the community and partners to actively engage with council and strives to champion the opportunities that a strong and vibrant city provides in contributing to positive social, economic and environmental outcomes for our community. The directorate supports and promotes good governance and a positive customer experience.