Rachel Walmsley, Interim CEO
Rachel has been with EDO for over two decades and is among the Country’s finest environmental policy and law reform thinkers.
She has written and presented extensive submissions and discussion papers, and advised governments, parliamentary inquiries and NGOs on a range of environmental law issues including climate policy, natural resource management and biodiversity laws.
Rachel is listed in Best Lawyers Australia in the climate change and environmental & planning law categories.
She is a member of government and non-government advisory committees on biodiversity, natural resource and environment issues, a legal advisor to the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, legal advisor to the Places You Love alliance on national law reform, and guest lectures in environmental law.
Rachel was a member of the Australian Panel of Experts on Environmental Law (APEEL) and is a member of IUCN – World Commission on Environmental Law. Rachel has also been a Co-Consulting Editor of the Australian Environment Review and Chair of the Australian Committee for IUCN.
Rachel has acted in the previous CEO’s shoes on numerous occasions during his tenure, holds widespread respect in the organisation, and the EDO team & Board are grateful to Rachel for this interim arrangement.
Office of the CEO
The longest serving EDO solicitor in Australia, Jo joined EDO Qld in 1992 after working in company and commercial law with Minter Ellison in Sydney.
For the past 25-plus years, Jo has been dedicated to providing legal advice and education to Queensland communities. She has been instrumental in the reformation of Queensland’s environmental laws, including successfully advocating for expanded third-party enforcement rights. Jo has worked on more than 20 successful test cases concerning Commonwealth and State environmental laws.
As Director of the Queensland office, Jo successfully grew the office from a small government-funded community legal centre to a vibrant and effective public interest law office with 13 staff and diverse funding sources that is now part of a strong merged national EDO.
Jo-Anne graduated from Sydney University in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws.
In 2020 Jo was the recipient of the Queensland Law Society’s Agnes McWhinney Award and the Access to Justice Award
Tracy Stubbs is skilled senior executive assistant with a focus on strategic partnership. As the EA to the CEO & Board Secretariat at EDO, Tracy brings over 20 years of experience across c-suite support, event & project management, and board secretariat.
As passion-projects on the side, Tracy ran the Writer’s Green Room at Sydney Writers Festival for 7 years and was an ASM in theatre specialising in outdoor productions, giving her invaluable experience outside her corporate environment in collaboration, event management & stakeholder engagement at all levels.
Nicole Sommer, Principal Lawyer
Nicole leads EDO’s Healthy Environment & Justice Program, working in human rights and environmental justice.
Her team of lawyers work across Australia, connected with communities in 8 locations.
Nicole has almost 20 years of legal experience, appearing as counsel in Courts and Tribunals, and advising clients on a broad range of environment protection issues.
Nicole sits on the Law Council of Australia’s Environment and Planning Law Group, the Board of Disability Voices Tasmania, and holds a Masters of Environmental Management.
More coming soon…
