Our Team
Chris Norman
Chief Executive Officer
Before coming to NRM Regions Queensland, Chris spent over a decade as CEO of the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority, one of 54 regional Natural Resource Management organisations in Australia. In the past, he oversaw one of the largest on-farm irrigation upgrade projects in Australia’s history (worth $170 million) as well as delivering the biggest environmental flows seen down the Goulburn and Murray Rivers in what has been a controversial program requiring extensive stakeholder management skills and political positioning. In 2014, he was acknowledged as 1 of 10 Luminaries selected to recognise 20 years of Integrated Catchment Management in Victoria.
Since coming to NRMRQ, Chris has driven a range of initiatives aimed at building the profile of the NRM sector in Queensland, including defining the value of our work for Government and investors, creating new strategic alliances, representing the sector on a range of state and national forums, driving impact monitoring through implementing the State-Wide Indicators Framework, and building capacity in the Boards and staff of the regional NRM organisations, particularly in the area of governance and leadership.
Chris has tertiary qualifications in science and rural resource management as well as Diplomas in Frontline Management and Company Directors. He has a passion for building vibrant local communities and has contributed to this in a range of diverse ways from being the vice-Chair of the local Regional Community Leadership Program, the Vice-president of the Benalla Racing Club and now, a member of the Brisbane Racing Club, as well as mentoring youth and supporting various school programs.
Julie Boyd
Independent Chair
Julie Boyd, Chair of Reef Catchments Limited and a former Mayor of Mackay, has a long-standing interest and involvement in the natural resources sector.
Julie was involved in local government for 16 years, and was the first female Mayor of the City of Mackay, serving from 1997 to 2008 when she chose not to re-contest. Julie was also Reef Catchments’ first chairwoman, focusing on protecting and managing the region’s natural environment while supporting the growth aspirations of the local community.
In her time as Mayor, Julie was involved in and championed many projects linked to the natural resources sector, including the introduction of a wildlife/bushland levy, the establishment and construction of an effluent reuse scheme and the building of new solid waste and recycling facilities.
Julie is an experienced company director, serving on several other boards, and has expertise in strategy, governance and the not-for-profit sector.
NRM Regions Queensland board members
Julie Boyd
Independent Chair
Andrew Drysdale
Desert Channels Queensland
Sally Gray (interim)
Cape York NRM
Kevin Kane
Reef Catchments
Ainsley McArthur
Fitzroy Basin Association
Megan Munchenberg
Southern Gulf NRM
Keith Noble
Terrain NRM
Tony Ricciardi
Burnett Mary Regional Group
Stephen Robertson
Healthy Land and Water
Bruce Scott
Southern Queensland Landscapes
Napau Pedro Stephen (Associate member)
Torres Strait Regional Authority
Les Tyrell
NQ Dry Tropics NRM
Ellen Weber
Gulf Savannah NRM
Lee Blacklock
Manager Spatial Services
Lee has over 45 years experience in the spatial industry beginning as a cartographer hand-drawing maps on rolls of linen and later progressing into the field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as technology developed.
Lee has been employed by NRM Regions Queensland for 16 years, managing a variety of projects including the Spatial Imagery Capture Project: the largest single state-wide acquisition of imagery ever undertaken in Australia, supporting property planning and resource condition monitoring at the regional scale.
Lee’s current duties are to support the needs of the GIS officers employed by Queensland’s regional NRM organisations: assisting that network with access to high resolution imagery, spatial data and training. Lee has also played a critical role in the development of the State-wide Investment Framework (SWIF) and the tools and processes which underpin it.
Belinda ‘Billy’ Thomson
Cross Regional Coordinator, Paddock to Reef Program
After completing her Bachelor Degree (Ecology and Biodiversity) and a Masters in Applied Science (Ecology), Billy worked for the Queensland Government for more than 10 years as a project officer in catchment management and a scientist in water quality. She then decided to combine her background in catchment management and love of stakeholder engagement, communication and support to facilitate land management improvements that ensure effective environmental protection and sustainable development.
As P2R Coordinator, Billy is responsible for ensuring coordinated delivery between the program areas and across Natural Resource Management regions. Her role has an emphasis on synthesising cross-program outputs, coordinating regional communication events and supporting the development of tools that facilitate data access.
Janelle Mohr
Administration and Finance Officer
Janelle manages NRMRQ’s administration and finance and has done so for nearly 3 years. As well as working for NRMRQ, Janelle also works with a number other NRM organisations and alliances. Prior to these roles, Janelle worked with the Queensland Murray-Darling Committee for 15 years. In all of these roles, Janelle has been responsible for:
Processing and payment of invoices, running payroll, statutory reporting requirements, prepare financial statements, Board support and updating organisational policies and procedures.