WHO ARE WE?
How Can We Help You?
Luciano Mesiti, Chief Executive Officer
Luciano Mesiti has over 30 years experience as an agriculture educator in various University and high school settings. His work in NSW with agriculture high school teachers as past president of the NSW Agriculture Teachers Association and within his high school roles highlights the high level of passion and knowledge he has about the agricultural education curriculum in Australia. He grew up on a farm and has worked in research locally and internationally in agriculture and rural sociology. He has a strong focus to contribute primary industries resources that meet the needs of teachers across Australia.
Dianne Murray, Communications and Business Manager
Dianne is a skilled content producer, copywriter and administration manager, with experience working for a range of not-for-profits, corporate organisations and digital agencies. Having gained certification in Corporate Communications and Business Administration from SFU, Canada, Dianne complements her passion for building brands with effective communication, personalised connection and an ability to develop and implement operational efficiencies. Currently enjoying lower mountain life in the Hawkesbury region outside of Sydney, Dianne grew up in rural Victoria where she gained a strong appreciation for Australia’s agricultural and rural industries.
Ciara Cross, Communications and Administration Officer
Ciara has a strong background in marketing and communications having worked in the conference sector for over 6 years. She also has a passion for education with diverse experience in education settings, both urban and rural. With a Bachelor of Arts from Monash University, Ciara is committed to striving to deliver high-quality marketing activities. Her appreciation of primary production is close to home with a history of grape production in Ciara’s extended family.
Allison Arnott, Manager, Resource Development and Curriculum Services
Allison is a University of New South Wales graduate with a Bachelor of Science (Biological Science) and Bachelor of Education. She has over 18 years experience in the education field both in Australia and the United Kingdom. Allison is an experienced teacher from K-12 and has worked as an Agriculture Head of Department in a school for many years, focusing on improving the academic outcomes and learning opportunities for students. Allison grew up on a large mixed farming property in North West NSW and has a passion for promoting Agriculture and developing hands-on resources that engage students. She is now located on the Mornington Peninsula and has recently worked as a curriculum writer to produce both Science and food and fibre resources for the Australian Curriculum.
Jayne Johns, Education Officer
Jayne Johns is an experienced primary educator with a passion for food and fibre, stemming from her experiences growing up on a sheep, cattle and crop farm in the Western District of Victoria. Jayne completed a Bachelor of Education at Deakin University. Since then, she has had the opportunity to work in a diverse range of teaching environments, in both rural and urban school settings. In her role as a primary school teacher over the last five years, Jayne has relished the opportunity to share her knowledge and appreciation of food and fibre production with her students.
Sarah Barton, Education Officer
Sarah is a Macquarie University graduate with a Bachelor of Science (Hons.) and a Diploma of Education. She worked as a research scientist in the fields of genetics and immunology before discovering her passion for science education. She has many years of experience teaching both Primary and Secondary students in schools in NSW and the United Kingdom across a broad range of Sciences. She has a great interest in Agriculture and teaching the next generation about food and fibre using hands-on STEM based activities.
Sharon Robinson, Education Officer
Sharon is an experienced secondary educator with a passion for sustainability. She is a graduate of ACU, having completed a Bachelor of Education. She has over 24 years’ experience in the education field both in Australia and the United Kingdom. Sharon has worked in numerous leadership positions including Head of HSIE, Head of Geography, Head of Year and Leader of Staff Development and Professional Learning. Having taught in both rural and urban school settings, Sharon is keen to share her geographical knowledge to promote food and fibre education and further build career pathways into Agriculture.
Sharon O’Kane, Project Officer | SFIRP Project
Sharon is an experienced educator with over 25 years in a variety of learning and educational platforms including teaching, tour-guiding, outdoor education, swim instructing and sports coaching. She formalised her passion for teaching at the University of Newcastle, graduating with a Bachelor of Teaching and Bachelor of Arts (Primary). Sharon grew up on Ngunnawal Country, Australia’s country capital, Canberra. Surrounded by the beauty of the landscape she developed a love and appreciation of the outdoors, farming and agriculture. Sharon is excited to share her passions and is looking forward to being the ‘thread that connects primary industries with education in the tapestry of Food and Fibre.
Kara Mueller, Education Officer | SFIRP Project
Kara began her career as an academic in universities across London and Paris during the early 2000s following her graduation with Bachelor of Science (Physics and Chemistry) / Bachelor of Education (Secondary). Following this, she returned to the Northern Rivers of NSW and began her Master’s of Engineering, working as a Senior Infrastructure Engineer for 15 years in both private and public organisations, contributing expertise to large scale complex infrastructure projects and the importance of educating the community to its value. Kara’s interests include environmental / water engineering, education and raising the profile of women in STEM. She is excited to join the PIEFA team and explore the nexus between NSW primary industries and water resource management.
Service Providers
Amy Mahon, Newsletter Editor
Amy is a graduate of Griffith University where she earned her Bachelor of Communications degree with a focus on Public Relations and Creative Writing. Alongside her degree, she has a handful of additional certifications, including a Cert IV in Marketing and Cert III in Tourism. A keen wordsmith, Amy’s passion lies in crafting compelling copy and creating engaging long-form content. She has experience in the agricultural sector, specifically in the field of public relations where her work involved collaborating with well-known industry names and ASX-listed food production companies. Originally from Temora in the Riverina region, Amy grew up on a small farm and now resides on an acreage in Corowa NSW, on the beautiful Murray River.
Brad Hauck, Online Curriculum / Web Consultant
Brad Hauck M.Ed is a graduate of University of New England / Armidale Teacher’s College. He has a trade in telecommunications, is an experienced classroom Teacher, volunteer firefighter, speaker & has built an international digital business consultancy. Brad writes online courses for Primezone Academy, developed PIEFA’s websites and helps PIEFA build better digital learning resources for teachers.
Megan Hele, Graphic Designer
Megan (Meg) Hele manages and operates her own graphic design business, Megan Hele Design. She has more than 30 years dedicated to graphic design predominantly focusing on the agricultural, environmental, research and educational sectors.
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