ACTING PRESIDENT/ NSW DIRECTOR

Cressida lives and works in Robertson, NSW. She is the founder and director of the Pecora Group, a vertically integrated end to end dairy and hospitality enterprise. Cressida is a strong advocate for the dairy industry, particularly in the area of value adding. She believes in harnessing the power of rural and regional communities to drive change and in the vital role that women play.

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ACTING VICE PRESIDENT/ SA DIRECTOR

Nat Sommerville, lives and works on Ngadjuri Country in South Australia’s Mid North and former President of Australian Women in Agriculture. She is a farmer, mother, Industry Board Member, mentor and Wagadagam descendant of Mabuyag island of the Torres Strait providing a cultural lens to all that she does. Nat specialises in sustainable agriculture, natural resource management and First Nations engagement.

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SECRETARY/GENERAL DIRECTOR

Mikayla Keith lives and works in Goulburn NSW. She is the current secretary and a general director of Australian Women in Agriculture. She is an undergraduate accountant, studying Bachelor of Accounting. She grew up with her family on a meat sheep and beef cattle farm on the outskirts of Taralga. She has a passion for supporting women in the industry and believes that it is important to support all aspects of agriculture. Agriculture is not simply on farm, it is accounting, biosecurity, banking, agronomy and so much more. It is important that we are inclusive and support women in all of these roles.

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TREASURER/VIC DIRECTOR

Narelle is working in corporate agriculture. She has been a member of Country women’s association of VIC (CWA) for over 10 years, in that time she was the Chair on the Agriculture and Environment committee as well as a state council member for 5 years. She has advocated for rural women and children throughout her time as a member. She is joint owner in the family’s small property in Ballarat where they have beef cattle. She has a finance background and has worked in Agriculture for the past 20 years, in rural products (Seed), retail, grain trading for OH&S.

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MEMBERSHIP/NT DIRECTOR

Susannah is a Livestock Nutritionist and goat producer based in Katherine. She grew up on her family property in Queensland and has been in the Territory for nearly four years. Susannah graduated from the University of Queensland with a Production Animal Science degree and is passionate about agriculture and the livestock industry.

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QLD DIRECTOR

After completing my study I relocated to Broome for work on a table grape farm. This is what sparked my excitement for agriculture in far northern Australia. After just less than 12 months in far north WA, I was then offered another graduate position as an extension officer in FNQ working in the sugarcane industry. Currently working under a small grower run board, I’m able to interact directly with the growers in the area. I'm also able to see how they operate on a board as executives through attending their monthly board meetings. I’m apart of other organisations such as the RRR network in WA and was previously a member of AgConnect in WA.

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TASMANIAN DIRECTOR

Andy has 14 years expereince as a Dairy Farm Owner & Operator in the Tasmanian Dairy Industry. Prior to this she owned and operated a Dairy & Cropping Farm in Northern Victoria for 5 years. Her experience involves being a panel member for Dairying in Challenging Climates, Establishing Organic Farm Field days, Biodynamic field days. Andy also has ten years of experience in valuing adding & promoting the Dairy industry, in particular the Cheese. She has worked closely with Brand Tasmanian to promote agritourism in the state & to encourage & support other agricultural business to value add and complement their current business models. I currently own with my husband our boutique dairy farm in the Northwest of Tasmania.

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WESTERN AUSTRALIA DIRECTOR

Debbie brings extensive leadership and governance experience across the Australian agricultural sector, with a focus on supporting rural communities and empowering women in agriculture. She is a Fellow of the Australian Rural Leadership Program (Course 25) and completed the AICD Not-for-Profit Directors Course (2022). Debbie has chaired the Cattle Industry Funding Scheme (2022–2024), leads the WA Committee for the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (2023–present), and represents the Southern Rangelands on the West Australian Livestock Research Council (WALRC). She has also contributed to sustainable agriculture through Meat & Livestock Australia’s Producer Adoption Reference Group, the Southern Rangelands Pastoral Alliance, and the Rangelands Fibre and Produce Association. Previously, she served as Board Member and Treasurer of the Rural, Regional, Remote (RRR) Women’s Network of WA, supporting women in agriculture. Debbie is committed to advancing AWiA’s vision, promoting diversity, innovation, and resilience across Australian agriculture.

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SOCIAL MEDIA

Emily is a farmer, educational leader and mother based on Wiradjuri land in Central West New South Wales. Emily along with her husband and two children operates a mixed farming enterprise, with Emily’s focus being the enterprises white dorper ewe-lamb joining program and flock genetic improvement. Emily is strongly committed to supporting the development of and advocating for people, education and agriculture in her rural community and wider Australia. Emily has a passion for connecting Education and Agriculture and promoting an inclusive education system and agriculture industry.

GENERAL DIRECTOR

Leesa is a corporate strategy advisor with expertise in food and beverage manufacturing. She advocates for education, regional development and sustainable food systems through her engagement in the social sector.

GENERAL DIRECTOR

Rebecca is from the Darling Downs, born into a 6th generation farming family whose agricultural legacy began cultivating tobacco and cotton in the 1840’s. Rebecca spent over 10 years in luxury goods leading the performance of brands like Giorgio Armani and Van Cleef & Arpels in Australia, living in Sydney and flying back to the family property in QLD.  In 2021, the contrast between her ultra luxury working environment and the impact of natural disasters on the rural communities she loves came into focus.  After realising the potential of capital in the cities to help solve rural issues she decided to dedicate her time to matching those who can help to the areas that need it.  Previously at Rural Aid, she is currently the Philanthropy & Major Gifts Manager at Royal Far West. She is also the Director of Greenfields - an advisory business that utilises the power of philanthropy to support rural charities to find sustainable revenue streams to grow their impact. She regularly volunteers her time with 10x10 Philanthropy, and is a Non-Executive Director of Australian Women in Agriculture. She has studied a Bachelor of Business Management, majoring in Marketing at the University of Queensland, Organisational Leadership at the London School of Economics and will shortly travel to Palo Alto to study Effective Philanthropy at Stanford - to support her in her mission to leverage strategic philanthropy to drive funding to rural communities. 

GENERAL DIRECTOR

With more than 15 years in agriculture, Catrina built a career spanning broadacre farming, livestock, precision ag, carbon and soil innovation, and agricultural policy. She began in feedlot and agronomy roles before moving into senior positions in strategy, communications, stakeholder engagement, and program delivery, experience that’s given me a deep understanding of the sector from both practical and strategic perspectives. Catrina worked across Australia, including New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia, as well as spending six years in Canada. These experiences have shaped a broad appreciation for how production systems, regulatory settings, and community priorities differ and how they connect across regions. Her background includes leading projects with grower groups, industry organisations, and corporate partners. In recent years, Catrina has driven commercial strategy for several agricultural companies, leading everything from product launches and farmer extension programs to corporate operations and board reporting. She understands how effective organisations work—end to end. Supporting others, especially women in agriculture, has always been a core part of her work.