State of Volunteering in Queensland Report 2024 Launch

Dr Leonie Lockstone-Binney is Deputy Director of the Griffith Institute for Tourism (GIFT) and a Professor in the Department of Tourism, Sport and Hotel Management at Griffith University, Australia. Leonie’s research expertise relates to volunteering, contextualised to event and tourism settings. Leonie has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles, many of these in top-tier journals. She has received competitive research funding from the Australian Research Council and the International Olympic Committee and continues to collaborate with leading researchers from Australia, the UK and New Zealand.

Professor Myles McGregor-Lowndes OAM is the former Director of The Australian Centre of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies (ACPNS). He is a founding member of the ATO Charities Consultative Committee and the Australian Charities and Not for Profits Commission Advisory Board. In June 2003, Myles was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) “For service to the community by providing education and support in legal, financial and administrative matters to nonprofit organisations.”. In 2023 he was reappointed to the Australian Charities and Not for Profits Commission Advisory Board.

Rikki has over 12 years experience in Executive Management and senior leadership roles in not for profit and for profit organisations. She has over 10 years experience working with three different volunteering peak bodies. Rikki currently works with Volunteering Queensland assisting in the execution of a number of strategic projects and also provides consultancy services to the wider volunteering sector.

Dave Whimpey is a highly experienced and respected business leader, currently serving as the CEO of Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ), the peak body for surf lifesaving in Queensland, Australia.

With over 25 years of experience in senior management and leadership roles, Dave has an extensive track record of success in both the private and public sectors.

Dave’s mantra is strategy, structure, staff, and renewal, creativity, and innovation. He asserts importance of comprehensive data analytics and advocates for a vigilant focus on numerical insights to effectively guide the future of organisations.

Kathryn Dyble is the Acting Director of Strategy and Engagement in the Community Services division of the Department of Treaty, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Communities, and the Arts.  With broad responsibility for the development and implementation of key actions under the Communities 2032 strategy, Kat’s team are currently working on the development of a volunteering strategy, Queensland’s first LGBTIQ+ strategy, a social prescribing feasibility study and place-based work under the Stronger Places. Stronger People initiative in partnership with the Department of Social Services.

Kat has extensive experience as a senior leader in the public sector, leading people and projects to deliver government programs and services.  As a leader, Kat’s operates with the underpinning principles of authenticity, empathy, and logic to foster a culture of trust.