FungiCare Committee

Sharon has been working at Monash University for over 10 years in grants development and management roles, bringing considerable knowledge of the granting landscape, and contracting and donations processes.
She has a broad interest in STEM and research, Many (many) years ago completed her PhD studying lichens in rainforests across Victoria. Sharon has an ongoing love of micro-environments, and the essential ecological processes they support.

Josef retired from policing after 43 years service in 2019 and entered the world of growing mushrooms and wild fungi citizen science. Josef and wife Leah are co-owners of Flooding Creek Fungi, a thriving and award-winning gourmet and medicinal mushroom business in Sale, Victoria.
He is a member of Fungimap Inc and MYCOcommunity.  Flooding Creek Fungi has started leading fungi forays for people new to citizen science.
Josef is also an author, photographer and a company director of a not-for-profit family violence healing service.

Megan is a lawyer who also holds degrees in history and commerce. She currently works in the public service and has extensive work experience in financial services and business analysis.
Her history of assisting start-up financial services firms to commence operations will assist FungiCare in its initial stages.

Martin brings many years of vocational education experience to the Committee. A trainer with much experience in teaching and mentoring in a broad range of community service and business programs.

He has been a learning designer and a manager of educational departments with particular focus on both accredited and non-accredited training programs. Micro-credentials he has developed have included various management, leadership, financial and probity frameworks.

Alison is a Melbourne-based ceramic artist inspired by all things Fungi. She managed the Industrial Transformation Research Hubs scheme at the Australian Research Council for a number of years before moving to Melbourne and joining the Monash Research Office as a team leader in the Applications space. She is passionate about the future of Psychedelic Assisted Therapy, and hopes to contribute in her own small way to the changing landscape of Australia’s relationship with the Fungus Kingdom.

BJ has a passion for locating and photographing Australian native terrestrial orchids, which lead to her interest in the associated mycorrhiza. Recognising that much more needs to be learned about the types and biogeography of fungi has led her to seeing the relevance and importance of FungiCare.
BJ spent nearly 40 years in academia, developing distance/ on-line learning and lecturing in human biology. After retiring from full-time work, she spent several years working in a number of countries with Australian Volunteers International. Her roles with AVI, which were both in-country and remote, included professional development for teachers at all levels, and increasing research capacity for education and health sciences. She brings these skills to help to further our knowledge of the Australian context.