Lenore Lyons is our Executive Director. Prior to joining GSCORE, Lenore held positions in the public, private and community sectors. She worked as a research professor in the university sector for over 15 years and during that time was Director of an Australian Research Council (ARC) Key Centre for Teaching and Research. In 2006, she co-founded a successful eco-tourism business in the Great Southern. That business was inducted into the Western Australian Tourism Hall of Fame in 2015.

Lenore currently serves on the Board of Australia’s South West (ASW), Outdoors WA and Trails WA.

She has previously served on the Boards of Management of Denmark Tourism Incorporated, the Munda Biddi Trail Foundation, and the Asian Studies Association of Australia

Lenore is an enthusiastic hiker and kayaker and takes every opportunity to explore the amazing Great Southern region on land or on the water.

Karl is the Project Coordinator for the Great Southern Trails Master Plan. Karl has a Natural Resource Management background managing biodiversity projects on Western Australia’s South Coast for the last nine years. Prior to that he has coordinated school and community education projects with the Department of Environment, and has managed projects involving conservation trainees.

Karl knows that a benefit of living in the Great Southern is the amazing choice of outdoor environments and activities which he shares with his family. Camping, hiking and canoeing are favourites of this family!

Wendy is our Training Coordinator responsible for overseeing the development and delivery of training programs in tourism product development and marketing, and outdoor recreation instruction. Wendy has over 15 years experience as a trainer and educator, including teaching roles in regional WA and the United Kingdom, and lecturing at South Regional TAFE Katanning.

At the start of 2018 Wendy had the opportunity to move to Albany and fell in love with the area’s pristine environment. Moving to the Amazing South Coast allows her to pursue her passion for locally sourced produce and destination experiences. Wendy enjoys landscape photography and sustainable 4WD experiences.

Ben moved to Albany from Perth in 2018 to study a Master’s degree of Ecotourism at the UWA Albany Campus. Prior to moving to Albany he completed a bachelors degree in Commerce majoring in tourism & hospitality. The working title for Ben’s thesis is “What makes a successful Trail Town?”. GSCORE Executive Director, Dr Lenore Lyons is co-supervising Ben’s thesis.

Ben said of his experience in Albany: “So far it has been a great experience to be part of the community, it seems as if my love of the outdoors is shared by many down here. I am constantly amazed by how spectacular our ‘backyard’ is. I have a passion for the outdoors which has driven me to pursue study in ecotourism, as it is important to conserve our natural environment so that future generations can enjoy it too.  My interests include soccer, basketball, spending time with my friends, family and partner, and as of last year: exploring the Great Southern.”

Fiona is originally from Hong Kong and moved to Albany to pursue her Masters of Ecotourism at the University of Western Australia. Fiona has a background in social work and before enrolling in her masters degree, she worked in a social enterprise. This is her final year of her studies and her dissertation focuses on overcrowding issues at dive sites in Hong Kong.

Fiona loves all sorts of outdoor activities, especially scuba diving and hiking. She spent a few months traveling and diving around the Philippines and this made her reflect on the positive and negative impacts that tourism has brought to different areas. “I believe ecotourism is a new trend which draws a good balance among environmental sustainability, financial income, and most importantly a good time in nature”. Fiona is in love with the pristine environment in the Great Southern.

Greg Mair is the South Coast Regional Manager for the Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. He has had a long career with State government agencies and has had postings in Walpole, Kirup, Manjimup, Busselton and Bunbury. While the area manager at Walpole Greg was a member of the project team involved in the development of the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk. Greg has been actively involved in athletics and yachting and has State and National achievements in both sports. He was the Commodore of the Walpole Yacht Club and Secretary of the Geographe Bay Sailing Club at Busselton. These days the fitness pursuit is more aligned to walking the many trails around Albany.

“I strongly believe that getting people out into the natural environment has beneficial outcomes for both their well-being and their greater appreciation, respect and valuing of it”.

Prior to joining Albany Youth Support Association as the Chief Executive Officer in April 2019, Ricky was the CEO of WALGA, Director General of the Department for Culture & the Arts, Chief Executive Officer of Perth Zoo and the Director of Human Resources at the WA Tourism Commission. Ricky has a Masters in Leadership and Management from Curtin University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Development, a Certificate in Psychotherapy, and Diplomas in Coaching. Ricky sits on the Senate of Murdoch University, the Board of Nudge (formerly the Roads Foundation) and has been a member of various State and Local Government Committees and Boards. Ricky is a past President of the Australian Institute of Management and the Board of the Art Gallery of Western Australia. She was the Western Australian Businesswoman of the Year in 1997 and was awarded a Public Service Medal in 2007.

Having grown up loving the sea and the coastline of Western Australia, Ricky is deeply appreciative that she has been able to find somewhere to live where she can see the sea every day from her back veranda: “I feel blessed to live in Western Australia with access to national parks, bushland, and our fantastic coastline. I am attracted to the natural flora and fauna and feel very fortunate that I can contribute to bringing more people to the beautiful environment in the Great Southern in a responsible and caring way. Whilst I am not as able these days to take up activities that require physical strength I can enjoy the wonderful walks and trails around Albany that more than satisfy my need to be part of the natural environment”.

Leon is a playful and insightful human being who doesn’t like flashy titles. He worked as part of a team to build Useful Inc, a humble social enterprise with a mission to make doing good as mainstream as cheeseburgers and breathing. After the defunding of Useful Inc in 2015, Leon moved to the Great Southern in 2016 to set up and operate a vineyard. After completely falling in love with the region, he now calls Albany home. On his way south, Leon worked on a variety of different projects and ideas, spanning finance, consulting, technology, brand development, land management and blockchain, but he is most proud of his first class honours in smiling.

Leon is currently the regional innovation facilitator at Creative Albany, a non-executive director of the Albany Community Bendigo Bank and the Treasurer for Wilson Inlet Catchment Committee. He always makes time for meditating and giving lost tourists good directions.

“I spent a lot of time camping, hiking and climbing in the Great Southern before moving here permanently because the region has a powerful spirit, culture and beauty. It’s wonderful to be able to support the community’s connection to this land through outdoor recreation.”

Kerry Fry is the Director of Firm Vision Advisory, a business advisory firm specialising in turn-around management and business improvement and the Business Director for WA Insolvency Solutions a division of Jirsh Sutherland. As an accounting analysis and investigative accountant she has worked with businesses across a wide variety of sectors, from small, medium and family-run companies to large and ASX-listed corporations.

Kerry is passionate about developing an environmental and economical sustainable adventure based outdoor recreation market in the Great South region in WA. A keen camper and bushwalker Kerry has had the privilege of growing up in Albany and continues to explore and be enchanted by the naturally beautiful landscapes the region has to offer.

Russell has been the Regional Manager for Industry and Infrastructure with the Great Southern Development Commission (GSDC) since 2008. From early 1994, he was a Senior Project Officer based at Katanning and worked across the central region. He has a Bachelor of Economics (Hons) from Murdoch University.

Russell has an ongoing interest in outdoor recreation, being a member of the WA Rogaining Association and a maintenance volunteer on the Bibbulmun Track. Other outdoor pursuits include road/track cycling and ocean swimming.

Chris is the Great Southern Regional Manager Sport and Recreation within the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC). Chris has academic qualifications in recreation and leisure studies and has worked across both local and state government in his thirty two years in the sport and recreation industry. A keen outdoor enthusiast he is passionate about outdoor recreation and the potential of the Great Southern region of WA to capitalise on the myriad of adventure based outdoor recreation pursuits that can be harnessed through its natural environment.