Management Committee
Prof Iain Gordon
GHHP Chair
Iain Gordon is the GHHP Chair and joined the partnership in 2021. He has a PhD in Zoology from Cambridge University and 30 years of experience leading interdisciplinary research across five continents. His research expertise lies at the human/environment interface particularly in the context of biodiversity management, ecosystem services provided by agricultural landscapes and engaging human communities in the management of natural resources. In total he has published over 200 papers in international scientific peer review journals and published 8 books, spanning a range of research areas including livestock nutrition and health, ecology of natural ecosystems, grazing management to achieve environmental objectives, and community based conservation. For the past 15 years he has been employed in senior management positions in both Australia and the UK. During this time he worked for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industry Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia as Group Leader, Theme Leader and Officer-in-Charge, James Hutton Institute in Scotland as Chief Executive Officer and Director, and James Cook University - Tropical Environments & Societies in Townsville as Deputy Vice Chancellor.
Elyse Riethmuller
Deputy Chair / Community Rep
Elyse Riethmuller is the Chief Executive Officer at Fitzroy Basin Association who host Gladstone Healthy Harbour Partnership. Elyse is a highly competent and confident leader with over 20 years of technical experience in the natural resource and agricultural industries.
Dr Megan Ellis
Industry Rep
Dr Megan Ellis is Gladstone Ports Corporation’s representative on the GHHP Management Committee.
Dr Ellis is a well-respected Marine Scientist at Gladstone Ports Corporation (GPC), with more than 20 years of experience in environmental research. She continues to play an active role in research efforts, recently contributing to papers on topics such as seagrass ecosystems and grey nurse and wobbegong sharks.
In her spare time, Dr Ellis is a passionate volunteer during turtle nesting and hatching season, and is also an avid supporter of the next generation of environmental leaders. In addition to her role with the GHHP Management Committee, Dr Ellis is also a member of Gladstone’s Local Marine Advisory Committee and the Technical Sub-committee of the Port Curtis Integrated Monitoring Program
Alan Hayter
Industry Rep
Alan Hayter is an Environment Lead at Conoco Phillips and their representative on the GHHP Management Committee.
A/Prof Emma Jackson
Research Rep
Associate Professor Emma Jackson is the Director of CQUniversity’s Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research Centre (CMERC) and a Research Fellow in marine ecology. She has over 20 years of research expertise in the areas of seagrass landscape and restoration ecology, impacts on marine species, coastal marine habitats and ecosystem health indicators. Her research is driven by the idea that coastal development is an ever-increasing human activity, but that there are ways in which this development can work with nature rather than against it to maintain ecosystem health, in turn supporting our health and wellbeing as humans.
Currently Emma leads a research program on the construction of a science-based framework for seagrass restoration in Queensland, but her past and present research areas include marine conservation management, ecosystem services, marine ecology and marine angiosperm.
Emma joined the GHHP Management Committee in May 2020.
Rachel D'Arcy
Government Rep
Rachel is Manager of the Reef Innovation and Partnerships Team, within the Office of the Great Barrier Reef, Qld Department of Environment and Science. Rachel represents the Queensland Government on the GHHP Management Committee. Rachel has over 20 years’ experience in program management and policy development in the environmental field with state government.
Rachel is responsible for coordinating the establishment and implementation of regional report card partnerships, including the GHHP, the Mackay Whitsunday Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership, the Dry Topics Partnership for Healthy Waters, and the Wet Tropics Healthy Waterways Partnership. Through this role, Rachel helps to ensure that a consistent and collaborative approach is in place to assess the health of the regional waterways and identify management priorities.
Cr Darryl Branthwaite
Government Rep
Darryl Branthwaite is originally from Invercargill in the deep south of the South Island in New Zealand, arriving in Tannum Sands in 1982 where he worked as a process technician at Boyne Smelters until 1988.
For the next 22 years he and wife Jenny operated this very successful business, Caltex Boyne River at Benaraby, becoming influential within the community through involvement with the Boyne Tannum and Benaraby Chamber of Commerce, along with many other community groups; and also founding members of the Boyne Tannum HookUp (1995) which has gone on to become Australia’s biggest family fishing event.
Darryl has also been a director on the Board of the GAPDL for over 20 years prior to accepting the role of CEO in September 2015, having amazing success in turning the region’s tourism around with double-digit growth and over 34 cruise liners visiting while under his leadership. In June 2019 Darryl and Jenny started the tour business Gladstone Region Tours.
2020 has seen Darryl become elected as a Councillor into the Gladstone Regional Council and a new member of the GHHP Management Committee.
His passion for this region has been demonstrated through his motto which is Get on with it, and make things happen!
Codey Stow
Community Rep
Codey is a Community Representative on the GHHP Management Committee. Codey has been employed at Gidarjil Development Corporation since 2019 and is currently the Interim Office Manager in Gladstone.