Our Board
Dr. Rebecca Lindberg
DIRECTOR
In 2015 Rebecca completed her PhD thesis research on household food insecurity in Australia and is a mixed methods public health researcher with applied and academic experience, and expertise in not-for-profit food programs, social and health policy, nutrition inequities and chronic disease prevention. Currently a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University. Rebecca's favourite fruit and vegetable are raspberries and green beans (although best enjoyed separately!)
Roslyn Aikman
treasurer
Ros is a qualified accountant who made the switch from big multinationals to Yume, a ten-person social enterprise that runs an online marketplace for surplus food. Ros is passionate about fairness, sustainability and working for good and brings her start up experience to The Community Grocer. Ros’ favourite vegetable is aubergine/eggplant - preferably cooked following a delicious Ottlolenghi recipe!
Grant Cooper
CHAIR
Grant’s mum inspired his early career in hospitality and gave him a love of fresh ingredients, cooking and food. Grant has worked across a number of industries and has run his own communication and project management consultancy Urban Information for over seven years. He co-founded an independent Australian contemporary performance company and has been involved in the not for profit sector serving on various boards and committees for the last 20 years. Grant is a member of the Australia Institute of Directors and the Institute of Community Directors Australia. He has a great passion for the reduction of waste, but particularly food waste. If Grant had a favourite fruit/vegetable would have to be the onion (in all forms) which he tries to put in everything!
Suzanne Kleve
Director
Sue is a community and public health nutrition researcher and senior lecturer with the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food at Monash University. As an Accredited Practising Dietitian, Sue has over 20 years’ experience in delivering and evaluating nutrition, food security and social inclusion projects across a variety of community and public health organisations in South Australia and Victoria. Through this experience, she developed her research interest in household food security. Sue’s PhD research explored the existence and experience of food insecurity in low-to-middle income Melbourne households. Her research focuses on the existence and lived experiences of food insecurity and exploring solutions to address and pathways out of food insecurity. Her work especially focuses on working in collaboration with communities and organisations in local government areas. She is passionate about programs like The Community Grocer that support dignity and choice to affordable healthy and quality produce. Sue is the convener of S.H.A.R.E. Collaboration, a group of researchers from Universities across Australia focussed on ‘Solutions supporting Household Food Security in Australia through Research and Evidence’. Sue’s childhood (and adult) favourite fruit are mangos.
Peta Christenson
Director
Peta has worked in food systems, Permaculture and community development across Melbourne for over 20 years with Cultivating Community, CERES and now as CEO at Open Table. In 2004 Peta was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to explore food security initiatives overseas with a focus on urban agriculture and community market models. This experience inspired many initiatives including community and school food gardens, community markets, food swaps, community kitchens, seed libraries, food relief efforts, a community bakery to name a few. Peta is passionate about food, not only to feed us but also as a powerful connector of people and communities. Favourite fruit might just be the sweet and gritty little egg-shaped Feijoa, half the delight is in the foraging!
Kelly Durrant
Director
Kelly has 20 years' experience working across the not-for-profit, academic and government sectors. Her diverse experience includes program design and project management, policy analysis and influencing, stakeholder engagement, partnership development, strategic planning, communications, and fundraising. Her work has taken her across Asia, the Pacific and Africa, and she loves places where she can enjoy papaya and passionfruit for breakfast! Kelly has expertise in sexual reproductive health and rights, maternal neonatal child and adolescent health, menstrual hygiene, HIV, gender equality, healthy ageing, health systems strengthening and qualitative and quantitative research methods. Kelly views good nutrition and a sense of community belonging as vital building blocks for equitable and healthy societies and is excited to have joined the TCG Board to support their work.
Janine Woodside
Board Advisor
Janine is a transformational delivery practitioner and executive leader. Janine has strong Company Director, Board and Governance experience across large Financial Services institutions. A Chartered Accountant by trade, Janine has deep experience in leading diverse teams through multiple change programs to govern and deliver superior customer, shareholder, business and risk outcomes. Passionate about wanting to make a difference in the social enterprise sector, leveraging her corporate expertise, Janine joined The Community Grocer in 2021 as part of the Westpac Board Observership Program. Janine is a self-confessed running addict and loves cooking and fuelling her body with fresh, seasonal produce that she believes everyone should have the right to access. Janine’s favourite vegetable is cauliflower, roasted, curried or smothered in cheese!
Dr Julia McCarten
Board Advisor
Over a 15-year career as a public health nutrition practitioner and researcher, Julia has worked to improve food systems equity in roles spanning suburban Melbourne and regional Victoria, the Northern Territory and the Kingdom of Tonga. Julia brought her practical public health nutrition experience to the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food at Monash University in 2013 and has committed much of her research towards equitable and sustainable food systems and Indigenous health.