About us

President – Celia Leverton

Celia Leverton has farmed most of her working life, including related jobs in rural reporting with the ABC & Tas Country, woolclassing, and rural business management.  Concerns that farming wasn’t sustainable on personal and environmental levels, led her to Permaculture during the 90’s. At the time, Celia was raising 4 children on the family dairy farm. Celia is now mostly grazing consulting, working on her farm, teaching and consulting with permaculture design at farm and garden scales, designing local food systems and building the profile of Regenerative Agriculture in Tasmania.

Vice President – Graeme Hand

Graeme Hand has worked as an industrial chemist, international marketer, meat industry consultant as well as farm consultant to many family and corporate farmers. He has a special interest in working with family farms helping to create profitable, sustainable farm businesses which are enjoyable to work in. Graeme trains throughout Australia on regenerating grasslands using planned grazing management. He has also carried out bushfire and drought extension for Victorian DPI, provided Holistic Management® training for CMA’s and universities, consulted for the meat industry on eating quality and marketing. Graeme also manages the Stipa Native Grasses Association.

Treasurer – Tim Wright

Tim Wright has been involved with farming part time for many years. For several years his family ran an Angus beef breeding enterprise. They are currently regenerating a formerly neglected property during which he has been on a steep learning journey about regenerative methods, which included a shift away from chemical based agriculture after attending the Regen Ag conference in 2019.
Tim has a background in Composite Engineering and has a Master of Business Administration degree.

Public Officer – Alana Betzold

Alana Betzold learned about Regenerative Agriculture at a meeting on climate change in the Huon Valley and has been inspired by its potential ever since. This led to assisting Celia Leverton in organising a public forum on Regenerative Agriculture and the creation of RANT’s forerunner, Huon Farmers for Action on Climate Change. Alana is also a PhD candidate in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Tasmania. She is passionate about supporting communities to develop more sustainable and equitable food systems, both through her research and active participation.

Committee

Simone Lourey, MAICD , Circle 5 Pty Ltd has worked as a director of private and not-for-profit companies. She has a professional history in business development in the arts, tourism and hospitality sectors across the Asia-Pacific region as a creative producer, marcomms specialist, consultant and industry advocate.  Simone became involved in the agricultural industries of Tasmania when she and her husband returned to Australia. They are progressively restoring an historic local property with land management practices that seek to balance conservation and biodiversity restoration alongside sustainable commercial activity. Simone joined the RANT Committee in 2019 after supporting the inaugural Regenerative Agriculture Conference in Launceston. She is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Lotte Kronborg

Shelley Saunders

Michael Higgins