Liz Wren (Co-Chair)

Liz Wren has Aboriginal (Wiradjuri) and Torres Strait Islander (Ugar) heritage, along with heritage from Kirawina (Trobriand) Islands. In addition to her role as Co-Chair of the First Nations Wisdom Group, Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network, Liz is a member of the Indigenous Advisory Committee to the Minister for the Environment and Water The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP and advises the Minister on operating the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Liz is also a Member of the Expert Assessment Group (EAGL) Australia IUCN Green List Protected, Conserved Areas and a Member Advisory Selection Committee, Voluntary Funding Mechanism, to facilitate the participation of Indigenous peoples and local communities in the work of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Liz serves as a Board member to the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP) and Social Impact Measurement Network Australia (SIMNA) to rapidly connect ideas, people and resources that will drive positive social and environmental impact into the core of organisations and decisions.

As a values-based and results driven leader, Liz is skilled in strategic planning, transformative systems change and human centred/culturally grounded design, co-design and delivery. Liz is passionate about power dynamics and creating more equity in complex systems for First Nations communities, recently completing Power for Positive Impact with Harvard University and Co-Design Model of Care. Liz is the Lead for Gilibanga – Make Light – an innovative network established for First Nations evaluators with an intent to drive better outcomes for our Peoples through collective efforts in decolonising and demystifying impact measurement and evaluation practice.
Liz has driven over $150M+ investment for Traditional Owner-led initiatives, including Reef Protection, Working on Country Rangers (Regional), Traditional Use of Marine Resource Agreements (TUMRAs), Specialised Indigenous Rangers (Compliance) and Indigenous Heritage Programs.

Liz was project lead in delivery of the critical report – Traditional Owners of the Great Barrier Reef: The Next Generation of Reef 2050 Actions (2018), and Reef 2050 Implementation Plan (2022) and underpinned key negotiations to secure, co-design and co-deliver the landmark $51.8M Traditional Owner Reef Protection Program, administered through the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

As the strategic advisor and active member of the Reef 2050 Traditional Owner Steering Group – Liz was integral in advancing a new era of leadership through a $30M investment establishing a new Traditional Owner Taskforce (2024) for the purpose of creating a Sea Country Alliance, improving partnership efforts and coordination; and consolidating an additional $30+M investment to the Great Barrier Reef Traditional Owner Futures Fund.