Our committee
Our committee members include community representatives, academics from Environmental Science, and Environmental History disciplines, Landcarers with over 30 years experience in riparian restoration, teachers, creative practitioners and land stewards with deep connection to the rivers of the Richmond catchment.
Adele Wessell
Founding member and President
Adele moved to the Northern Rivers in 1996 and stayed because of a strong connection to place and community. She is an environmental historian whose research has focussed in the last few years on the Richmond River, which she acknowledges as having a deep history and connection to communities and Custodians who continue to speak for Country. Adele is an Adjunct Associate Professor with Southern Cross University and established the Richmond River Open Access Repository with the Library. She is interested in how local knowledge, memory and lived experience shape how we understand environmental change and committed to contributing to a swimmable, fishable, drinkable river. Adele is also on the Management Committee for Richmond Landcare and a member of Wilsons River Landcare. Adele’s talk for the State Library of New South Wales ‘Starting with the Source’ is online and you can read a paper she co-authored led by Mandy Reichelt-Brushett, the inaugural Riverkeeper in the journal River Research and Applications (2025) Flowing in History: Reflecting on Past Practices and Their Influence on the Health of Richmond River Catchment, New South Wales, Australia.
Belinda Evans
Committee Member
Belinda grew up with her toes in the sand of Naarm on Boon Wurrung Country with a deep connection to the waters that has shaped her life and work. A storyteller, community enabler and science communicator, her work is grounded in a deep commitment to supporting connected, empowered and resilient communities. She brings two decades of experience in communications and community engagement across sustainability, climate change, and community resilience. She has spent her career working and volunteering across local government, NGOs and community organisations. Now living on Widjabul Wia-bul Country and working with Jagun Alliance, she brings this same commitment to helping give the Richmond River a stronger voice.
Brendan Cox
Founding Member & Treasurer
Dr Brendan Cox is a freshwater ecologist with a strong background in the biological assessment of river health using macroinvertebrates (waterbugs). Having completed most of his education within the Richmond River catchment, he has a deep personal connection to the waterways he now studies and supports.
Brendan works closely with community groups, schools, and citizen scientists to build understanding of river health and the ecological processes that shape the Richmond River system. He also created the Richmond River Ecological Health Program, which provides long‑term, science‑based monitoring to help track changes in water quality, riparian condition, and aquatic life across the catchment.
Brendan serves as Treasurer of the Richmond Riverkeeper Association, contributing his scientific and organisational skills to support the mission of making the rivers of the catchment drinkable, swimmable and fishable again.
Read Brendan’s interview with Revive the Northern Rivers here.
Kelly Menzel
Committee Member
Kelly Menzel is an Aboriginal woman, nurse, researcher, and community member with strong ties to the Northern Rivers region. She brings significant experience in governance, advocacy, and community engagement, with a strong commitment to self-determination and culturally grounded approaches. Her work is underpinned by Indigenous Knowledges and a focus on strengthening relationships between Peoples, community, and Country.
She is actively involved in local community initiatives, including youth and sport, and is passionate about protecting and caring for waterways. Kelly brings to the Richmond Riverkeeper Committee a deep respect for the cultural and ecological significance of rivers, and a commitment to supporting community-led stewardship and sustainable futures.
Kristin den Exter
Founding Member & Public Officer
Kristin grew up on the banks of the Wilsons River in Lismore, lands of the Widjabal Wiabal people. Her connection to the river has sustained her life - she learnt to canoe at Richmond River High School in the 1980s, and joined the Wilsons River Landcare Group in the 1990s, where she is still an active member today. Kristin is an Adjunct Professional Fellow at Southern Cross University, and works for Jagun Alliance.
Read Kristin’s interview with Revive the Northern Rivers here.
James Sippo
Committee Member
James is a researcher in blue carbon passionate about using ecosystems to mitigate climate change and in the management of natural resources.
James is a member of Southern Cross University Research Clusters - Reefs and Oceans and Catchments, Coasts and Communities
Read James’s interview with the Ocean Protect Podcast here.
Louissa Rogers
Committee Member
Louissa Rogers has built a strong career as an environmental scientist, with a focus on natural resource management, for over two decades. Her experience working closely with communities and Traditional Owners has informed her understanding of place and enabled the integration of local values, knowledge, and experience into her projects. She brings this collaborative approach to her role as Project Manager for Richmond Landcare Inc.'s "Nature-based Solutions: Building Flood Resilience in the Lismore Catchment" project.
Mandy Reichelt-Brushett
Founding Member & past President
Professor Amanda Reichelt-Brushett has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Coastal Management from the University of New England - Northern Rivers, a Master of Science in Marine Chemistry from James Cook University (North Queensland) and a PhD in Marine Ecotoxicology from Southern Cross University. Amanda is a senior lecturer and has published in many scientific journals, presented her research findings at national and international conferences and co-authored a book chapter. She has 20 years experience in investigating human impacts on the environment.
Read Mandys interview with Revive the Northern Rivers here.
Vanessa Ekins
Founding Member & Vice President
Landcarer on the Wilsons River for over 20 years and Lismore City Councillor with a keen interest in water management and restoring our river systems for ecological, aesthetic and economic reasons.
Zoe White
Committee Member & past President
Having spent majority of her early adulthood under the water as a scuba instructor, Zoe is a passionate ocean lover with a deep connection to life underwater and is dedicated to protecting the incredible marine life it holds and the ecosystems that help it thrive.
Her time spent above the water has seen Zoe complete her Bachelor of Marine Science and Management at Southern Cross University, running beach cleans and various marine conservation campaigns for a local not-for-profit organisation and later moving into a position with Byron Shire Council.
Having called the Northern Rivers home now for over a decade, the devastation of the 2022 floods and the long-lasting environmental impacts to follow sparked an aspiration to want to do more to improve the health of our local rivers and waterways. Alongside her work with the Riverkeeper, Zoe works as the Project Manager NSW North Coast for OzFish Unlimited.
Want to get involved?
Whether you are an organisation or an individual you can add your voice for the river!