Des Hosie is a career firefighter and 40-year veteran of the NZ Fire Service and Fire and Emergency New Zealand. Currently the National Operations Advisor for Safety, Continuous Improvement and Lessons Management based in Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s National Headquarters - Des has extensive operational firefighting and rescue experience. Through the AFAC partnership, Des has contributed as a lessons management practitioner on a number of major reviews in both New Zealand and Australia. He leads a Lessons Management Community of Practice in New Zealand called LessoNZ. Its function is to share lessons from incidents and exercises across the All of Government, Emergency Services, Defence, and key infrastructure sectors.

Mona Curry dedicated 28-years to the City of Los Angeles responding to disasters, strengthening community resilience and managing facilities. Culminating her city career as an Emergency Manager for a Bureau of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Mona also worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a Division Supervisor responding to disasters on the national level. Beyond official capacities, Mona is a consultant and board member for a Hawaii-based non-profit actively involved with an innovative project to provide community resilience. The Ko’olauloa Resiliency Hub will set a benchmark for similar resilience initiatives throughout Hawaii and the U.S. Mona is appointed by the Governor, to the State of Hawai’i Emergency Management Agency, Advisory Council underscoring her commitment to driving impactful strategies for disaster response & readiness.

James Hill is a passionate Mental Health Advocate whose background is in the electricity industry. James has successfully implemented positive systemic and cultural change regarding workplace mental health and is the Mental Health Manager for Energy Queensland, leading a dedicated mental health team. Outside the workplace James is a lived experience advisor for the Queensland Mental Health Commission and a lived experience advocate for UniSc Thompson Institute. His achievements in the mental health sector have earned him the Individual Contribution to Mental Health Award in Queensland Australia, along with the Large Workplace Mental Health Award. In addition, he was a finalist for the Queensland Local Hero category in the Australian of the Year awards and awarded the Chancellors Medal at UniSC for his contribution to mental health.

Wayne Snell is the Acting Deputy Executive Director at the Australian Civil Military Centre. Wayne previously served two years as the Director, Police and Emergency Services in Afghanistan for NATO. Previously Commander State Operations for the NSW State Emergency Service, the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL), the Australian Federal Police, NSW Police, WA Police, Edith Cowan University, Australian National University and as a self-employed consultant. Wayne has extensive international experience in Asia, Middle East and the Pacific. Wayne holds tertiary qualifications & training in forensic science, leadership and management, investigations, emergency management, fire and explosion investigation, traffic crash and traffic homicide investigation and reconstruction, occupational health and safety, board directorship and adult education. Wayne is currently the Chair of the International Hockey Federation Integrity Unit (FIU), board member of the International Table Tennis Federation Integrity Board and Vice President of the Board of Hockey NSW.

Kate Retzki is a communications and engagement specialist, with international experience in research-based citizen science and behaviour change programs. Kate has worked across infrastructure, public health, biosecurity, and Queensland’s disaster management sector. Until recently, Kate had been leading the strategic delivery of the state’s primary community preparedness initiative, applying a locally led, state coordinated approach to household resilience building. As Director, Communications and Research at the Office of the Inspector-General of Emergency Management, Kate is now helping to strengthen and connect the disaster management sector, with an emphasis on evidence-based decision making and collaboration.