DREAM
TEAM
The Board
Guiding Odonata’s vision and impact, our board brings together leaders in conservation, business, and strategy to drive meaningful change for biodiversity and the environment.
Nigel Sharp
Chairman & Founder
Nigel is one of Australia’s leading innovators in biodiversity conservation. He is an environmental impact investor, conservationist, and business innovator. Read more.
Gail Reynolds-Adamson (AM)
Board Director
Gail is a proud descendant of the Wiradjuri People and a talented businesswoman. She works across numerous Aboriginal-led, owned, and operated organisations. Read more.
Don Macleod
Board Director
With over 20 years of board experience in the not-for-profit sector, Don has an established career in banking and financial services, having worked with institutions like NAB and Bank of Queensland. Read more.
Magnus Nilsson
Board Director
Magnus is the Marketing & Strategy Director at AusWalk. He has extensive experience in marketing management and strategy development across various industries. Read more.
Our team
Passionate, dedicated, and driven by impact, our team works on the ground and behind the scenes to restore biodiversity, protect native species, and create lasting environmental change.
Naomi Carr
Conservation Facilitator
Naomi supports the volunteer program and leads on-ground work to restore biodiversity, helping to create thriving habitats for threatened species at Mt Rothwell Sanctuary.
Sam Marwood
Chief Executive Officer
Sam has been part of the Odonata team since its inception and became CEO in 2017. He collaborates closely with partners to empower and enable efforts to save native wildlife and increase biodiversity. Read more.
Steph Swann, CA
Chief Financial Officer
Steph is a strategic thinker with expertise in mergers and acquisitions, business transformation, and finance functions consulting. As a former Odonata Board Member, she returned to Melbourne from New York to further establish her roots in the conservation sector. Read more.
Matt Singleton
Chief Operating Officer
Matt wears many hats, coordinating stakeholders, managing major projects and leading the delivery of Odonata's sanctuary programs. He has experience across agriculture, urban solutions, and the not-for-profit sectors. Read more.
Annette Rypalski
Biodiversity Director
Annette has led Mt Rothwell Sanctuary since 2003, specialising in captive and semi-wild management to restore critically endangered species like the eastern barred bandicoot and southern brush-tailed rock wallaby. Read more.
Marcus Godinho
Executive Director
Marcus brings a wealth of experience from his 17-year tenure as CEO of the food rescue charity FareShare. He supports Odonata in strategic scaling efforts. Read more.
Cassie Duncan
Communications Director
Cassie is a marketing and communications professional with over 20-years experience in the not-for-profit sector. She is passionate about building deeper connections between people and nature. Read more.
Dale Crisp
Species Program Manager
Dale delivers on-ground results across Odonata’s sanctuary network, playing a key role in conserving and managing threatened species and restoring their habitats.
Sam Lancaster
Sanctuary Operations Manager
Sam supports the delivery of on-ground operations across Odonata's sanctuary network, providing applied field, fencing and ecological support for conservation management.
Sheryl Nettleton
Field Officer
Sheryl is a qualified horticulturalist with over 17-years experience in the environmental sector. She plays a key role in pest management and biodiversity monitoring at sanctuaries in Odonata’s network.
Dr. Damian Jones
Western Grasslands Sanctuary Ranger
Damian is dedicated to protecting and restoring unique ecosystems. Passionate about biodiversity, he is on the frontlines of species recovery and habitat conservation. Read more.
Georgia Randall
Program Ecologist
Georgia conducts vegetation surveys, prepares offset reports, tracks predators, and oversees the translocation of native mammals across Odonata's sanctuary sites, driving meaningful research and monitoring outcomes. Read more.
Amy Cockroft
Advisory Lead
Amy heads up Odonata’s Advisory division; she is an experienced, personable business professional with more than 15-years experience in project management. She holds a Master of Business Administration (Project Management). Read more.
Kate Base
Academy Coordinator
Kate leads the development and delivery of Odonata Academy courses, combining her expertise in education with a Master’s in Teaching to create impactful learning experiences in conservation. Read more.
Dr Andrew Weeks
Science Advisor & Director Cesar Australia
Experienced Director with a demonstrated history of working in the environmental services industry. Skilled in Conservation Genetics, Environmental Consulting, Entomology, Ecology, and Conservation Biology. Strong professional with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) focused in Genetics and Evolution from La Trobe University. Read more.
Cathy Bonanno
Finance Manager
By Nigel’s side for over two decades, Cathy has recently joined Odonata full time. Savvy, fun, and endlessly organised, she brings deep experience and energy to everything she does. Read more.
