Steering Committee

Adam joins Golden Plains Shire from Hume City Council where he was the Director Infrastructure and Assets. He previously held a General Manager (Chief Executive Officer) role at Edwards River Council in New South Wales from 2017 to 2020. Adam has also held other Director level roles at Bayside City Council and Swan Hill Rural City Council. He holds a Master of Business Administration, Master of Politics and Public Policy and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Mr Cooney started in role of Chief Executive Officer on Monday December 18, 2023. Mr Cooney joined the City in 2018 as Director Corporate Performance and he was appointed Council’s director of the now defunct Commonwealth Games last November.

During his time with Bendigo he led the City’s involvement in the development of the Galkangu-Bendigo GovHub.

Mr Cooney has also held senior roles with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, regional water corporation Coliban Water, Ganawarra Shire Council and Loddon Shire Council. Mr Cooney will start in the role of Chief Executive Officer on Monday December 18, 2023.

Bernie is a senior executive with extensive and diverse local, state and national leadership experience in the government and not-for-profit sectors, leading large staff teams, strategy, organisational change and working productively with Councillors and Boards.
Bernie commenced as Chief Executive Officer of Macedon Ranges Shire Council in May 2021. Immediately prior to this, he was Director Strategy and Growth at the City of Greater Bendigo between 2016-2021. His work at Greater Bendigo included negotiating and delivering the inaugural launch of Qantas passenger flights between Bendigo and Sydney.
Prior to this, Bernie held the position of Acting Chief Executive Officer at the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA VIC). He also had extensive experience working for the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Department of Environment and Primary Industries, and Department of Primary Industries, leading the respective Department’s state-wide regional operations.
Prior to working for the Department, he held senior executive roles with the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales, a livestock peak industry body in Canberra and the New South Wales Farmers’ Association.
Bernie has a wealth of experience in leadership, working with communities and a strong understanding of the opportunities and issues impacting regional Victoria, especially in the Loddon Mallee region.

Bradley joined Council in January 2019, having previously held the position of Executive Manager Business Performance with the Mount Alexander Shire Council. Bradley has
extensive knowledge of local government finance, information technology and corporate reporting. Bradley is a qualified Chartered Accountant, holds an MBA and is passionate
about ensuring a high functioning organisation that delivers quality services to the community.

Northern Grampians Shire Council confirmed the selection of a new CEO, with confirmation made at an unscheduled council meeting on 19 December 2022 and Brent started on 13 February 2023.

Moorabool Shire has a rich and varied history including historic buildings and assets, heritage streetscapes, Avenues of Honour and individual trees, and heritage landscapes much of which has strong associations with gold discovery and the highway route to Ballarat. There are also numerous sites of Aboriginal heritage within the Shire.

The population of Moorabool Shire increased significant with the discovery of goldfields at Blackwood, Barrys Reef, Simmons Reef, Gordon, Mt Egerton, Mt Doran, Dolly’s Creek, Morrisons and Elaine from the early 1850s. Physical evidence of this gold mining activity still exists in these towns today, in a myriad of water races, open shafts and tunnels, tailings dumps and mullock heaps, dams, exposed open cuts, and domestic artefacts including stone fireplaces and building foundations.

Council supports of the protection of heritage, and is fully supportive of the bid for UNESCO World Heritage Listing of the Central Victorian Goldfields Region.

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.
Having lived and worked in rural and regional Victoria all his life, Evan is passionate about rural living and ensuring that those who live in regional Victoria have access to high quality services and facilities.

Lincoln Fitzgerald is the CEO of Loddon Shire Council.

Mr Annear brings more than 30 years of senior leadership experience across local government, international humanitarian work and community-focused organisations. He has served as Council’s Director Infrastructure and Development since 2021. Before joining Council, Mr Annear held senior roles with the Australian Red Cross, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, leading operations across Asia Pacific, Africa and Australia, including disaster response and long-term development programs.

On 12 September 2022, the Campaspe Shire Council announced the appointment of Ms Pauline Gordon as Chief Executive Officer.

Mayor Chrissy Weller said … “Ms Gordon brings a wealth of experience from working across a number of regional and rural communities, including the Loddon-Campaspe region for nearly 20 years. Ms Gordon has an extensive background in applied social science and a particular passion for community and cultural development and engagement, economic development and tourism. She brings to our organisation more than 25 years local government leadership experience gained in a variety of senior roles in Victorian and Queensland councils. Currently Ms Gordon is the Director Community Strengthening with Mornington Peninsula Shire and has worked in Director roles with the City of Greater Bendigo, Nillumbik Shire Council, Gympie Regional Council and Sunshine Coast Council.”

> read the full release on the Campaspe Shire Council website

Peter brings with him extensive local government experience and knowledge having worked in the sector for the past 30 years, he commences his appointment on 1 July, 2025.

Phuong brings almost 20 years’ experience across public administration, funding, project delivery and executive leadership to the Chief Executive Officer role.

She first joined Ararat Rural City Council in September 2023 as Strategic Project Lead, before being appointed Deputy Chief Executive Officer in September 2025. In these roles, Phuong has contributed strategic leadership, cross-organisational project delivery and a strong understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing regional communities.

She has been instrumental in securing tens of millions of dollars of major grants for the Ararat region in her role, directly contributing to our roads infrastructure and maintenance, sporting venues, and community facilities.

She has also been central to the development of many of our major strategic pieces of work including budget and annual planning, Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan, Sport and Active Recreation Strategy, the Disability Action Plan that is currently underway, and driving the ARCC Advocacy Programs for the last two years.

Many local residents will have seen her at our Community Drop-in Sessions and many Community Consultations.

Before joining Ararat Rural City Council, Phuong spent almost six years at Northern Grampians Shire Council, progressing through funding, project management and strategic funding roles. Her earlier career includes roles across federal government and higher education, building strong foundations in public administration,

Pyrenees Shire Council has announced Sally Jones as its Interim Chief Executive Officer.

Ms Jones has 24 years of local government experience in metropolitan, regional and peri-urban councils, including roles as CEO, general manager, and director.

She has held senior management positions in governance, strategy, finance, organisational performance, community services, infrastructure, customer experience and organisational transformation.

Between 2024 and 2025, she was also Interim CEO at Central Goldfields Shire Council.

Tilla has held executive roles at Bayside City Council, the City of Greater Dandenong and Yarra Ranges Council, with expertise spanning organisational leadership, sustainable service design, major project delivery and community-centred innovation.

Tilla has spent the last 18 months leading the Community & Customer Experience division at Bayside City Council, overseeing Community Care and Wellbeing, Arts, Libraries, Customer Service and Experience, Communications and Engagement. Tilla is recognised for her collaborative style and strong partnerships across councils, communities and government.

Trevor has more than 40 years’ experience in both the private and public sector and has been CEO of Indigo Shire since February 2018.

Trevor is committed to employee involvement in the workplace, community involvement in decision making on issues that affect them, openness and transparency, long term financial sustainability of the Shire, reconciliation and truth telling, and ensuring Council treads lightly upon this earth.

Trevor is responsible for leading the organisation and has five direct reports, who make up the Executive Management Team.

A keen photographer, Trevor enjoys spending weekends exploring and capturing the beauty of Indigo Shire, in particular its magnificent landscapes and birdlife.