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Chairperson
Brenton Thomass
Manager Community & Environmental Health, City of Port Adelaide Enfield, SA
Brenton has over 18 years' experience in local government including 8 years' experience as a General Inspector for City of Salisbury, 2 years as Team Leader Ranger Services at City of Burnside and for the past 8 years as Community Safety Leader and Manager Community & Environmental Health at City of Port Adelaide Enfield, one of the largest metropolitan Council's in South Australia.
Brenton is a current board member of the Dog and Cat Management Board in South Australia and was previous board member and Vice-President of the Local Government Authorised Persons Association for 8 years. Breton has a Diploma of Management, Cert IV in Local Government (Regulatory Services) and completed the Executive Leadership Program with LG Professionals SA.
Brenton has won numerous awards including at the Local Government Authorised Persons Association Awards Night including:
2012 Animal Management team of the year at City of Salisbury
2015 Excellence in Regulatory Services with City of Burnside
2017 Excellence in Regulatory Services with City of Port Adelaide Enfield
2021 Excellence in Regulatory Services with City of Port Adelaide Enfield & City of Charles Sturt
2021 Rocky Warren Award for Outstanding Achievement to the APA & Authorised Officer Industry
Brenton is passionate about animal management and more broadly the role Authorised Officers play in Councils and how they make a difference to communities across Australia.
Secretary
Nell Thompson
Coordinator Getting 2 Zero
Nell has been on the AIAM Committee since 2013 and has worked in the animal welfare, care and veterinary sectors for over 20 years.
Nell is the Coordinator of the national Getting 2 Zero program where her background in shelter/pound operations and management and animal health is a great resource for Councils, shelters and all groups and individuals involved in the program.
Nell is passionate about improving outcomes for pets who enter the shelter and pound systems and strongly believes that the best results occur when animal welfare and animal management are working together towards the same goals.
Treasurer
Dr Diana Rayment
Program Specialist, PetRescue
Dr Diana Rayment has been on the AIAM board since 2019. Diana has over 20 years' experience working with companion animals, in hands-on, research, and teaching roles. Diana spent 10 years in academia during which she completed her PhD researching applied behaviour assessments of dogs, co-supervised over 30 Honours students, and taught undergraduate animal health, welfare, and management subjects. Since then, Diana has worked in TAFE teaching, led the behaviour team at GAP Victoria, and managed operations at an animal shelter. Diana now works in program development at PetRescue and runs her own training and consulting service for animal welfare organisations and animal management teams.
Director
Dr. Brooke Rankmore
CEO, Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities
Brooke took up the role of CEO with AMRRIC in February 2018. With a passion for rural and remote Australia, Brooke has lived and worked in the Northern Territory for 20 years.
Brooke has a Bachelor of Science with Honours, a Doctor of Philosophy and extensive experience in conservation and natural resources management across the Top End. She completed the Australian Rural Leadership Program in 2010 and among other roles has held the position of Manager of Regulatory Services with the City of Darwin, overseeing Council’s regulation of animal management.
Brooke is currently a Board Director of Territory Natural Resource Management and Bereaved Parent Support Northern Territory.
Director
Sharleen Jordan BSc Dip Ed Dip LGA
Lecturer, Local Govt/Animal Studies Central Regional TAFE.,WA
Sharleen is an ASL2 (Advanced Skills Lecturer) for Central Regional TAFE (WA) who has been conducting training for the Local Government and Animal Studies sectors since 1996.
Her teachings incorporate a wide scope of Nationally Accredited subjects including animal behaviour, management and control, reptile handling, livestock, emergency management, firearms, and more.
Sharleen has almost ten years of service on the WA Rangers Association committee and represents them on this AIAM committee; as well as a presence on several other committees. She has worked with Animal Control in the USA and is currently conducting training and undertaking various projects with Animal Control in Malaysia. Sharleen has a vast international network of officers and through this network is able to uphold her principles of teaching “Current International Best Practice” with a strong focus on Animal Welfare and Occupational Health and Safety
Director
Nishu Ellawala
Manager Community Education and Compliance, Isaac Regional Council
Nishu has worked in Local Government both in New Zealand and Australia for over 15 years, leading large multidisciplinary development & compliance services teams in building, planning & environment and local laws.
Nishu is passionate about animal management with a key focus on community education and community partnerships to improve responsible pet ownership, the well-being of animals and that of the community.
Director
Tina Martin
Animal Management Supervisor, Cairns Regional Council
Tina Martin has had over 25 years’ experience in the animal welfare and animal management field. Starting off her career with RSPCA,she worked in a range of positions from vet nursing to shelter manager all up and down the Queensland Coast. This diversity of positions and locations for 14 years gave Tina an immense understanding of animal management issues faced by many communities. Tina now brings her wealth of knowledge to Cairns Regional Council as their Animal Management Supervisor.
Director
Ron Medler
Coordinator Community Safety and Amenity, Mount Alexander Shire Council 
Ron has Just turned the Big 50 and is married (13yrs) with two daughters – Ruby 12 and Lily 10.
Ron was born and raised in the USA (state of Michigan) grew up playing sport i.e. baseball, American football and basketball.
Joined the U.S. Marine Corps out of high school, Ron served 8 fantastic years travelling the world where his main job was in Supply logistics but also did 2 years in the Military Police working dog unit. This is where Ron's passion for Animals especially dogs started.
Moved to Australia in 1998 (Qld) and became a citizen in 2003 when Ron moved to Melbourne and has been here ever since. Ron has been in Local government for approx. 8 yrs -with a break after 4 yrs where he worked for the U.S. embassy for 9 years. Ron found that he missed working in the Animal field so he returned to local government in 2017 at Maribyrnong City Council (Footscray, Victoria) where he works as an Animal Management officer but for the past 6 months he has been Acting Team Leader Animal Management.
Ron has completed the following Certificates:
Cert IV Justice
Cert IV Animal Control and Regulations
Cert IV Government (Statutory Compliance)
Cert III Investigations
Director
Leon Marskell
Manager City Standards and Compliance, Campbelltown City Council
Leon is the Manager City Standards and Compliance at Campbelltown City Council where he manages a large team made up of over 80 staff from Community Response Officers (Rangers and Parking), Development Compliance, Environmental Protection (Waste), Environmental Health, Technical Support Officers as well as managing one of the largest Animal Care Facilities in NSW.
Leon is a bushy at heart, originally from Central West NSW where he grew up in Coonabarabran and Mudgee. He has had an extensive career in Local Government working for a number of NSW and Queensland rural and metropolitan Councils during his 35yr career with roles at Woollahra, North Sydney, Byron Bay, Baulkham Hills, Liverpool City and Ryde before a few short stints at Griffith, Sunshine Coast, Penrith and Randwick before making Campbelltown City Council home.
Leon has been an active member on a number of industry working groups including NSW Local Government Enforcement Officers Reference Group, Taskforce on Safety for Local Government, Australian Local Government Compliance and Parking Group (2009 – 2016), Executive Committee Australian National Parking Steering Group (ANPSG) 2009 – 2017, Council Unites for Pets (CUPS) and Australian Institute of Animal Management (AAIM).
He has been awarded the AIAM Animal Management Excellence Award in 2008, as well as being the Author of Award winning AIAM Animal Management Plan Awards in both 2008 and 2012. He has received the prestigious ANPSG Award for Industry Excellence Award in 2009 and has more recently been awarded our AIGLR Long Service Award for 30yr Service to the industry in 2019.
Australian Institute of Animal Management Limited - ABN 69 666 244 980 - Suite 514, 89 Burwood Road Hawthorn Victoria 3122