Meet Our Executive Committee
Pictured (from left): William Prentice (Queensland Director), Glenn Evans (Executive Officer), Allan Ezzy (Immediate Past President), Ian Dinham (President), Allan Gear (Deputy President), Sue Ribbons (Communications Director), Danny Rose (Technical Director) and Paul Grech (Land Use Planning Director).
Executive Biographies
Ian Dinham President
Ian's professional career includes senior management roles as Director and General Manager in local government, and he has also been a twice-elected Councillor in the Clarence Valley of NSW.
Ian holds a Civil Engineering Degree from the University of NSW and is also a qualified tennis coach, cricket coach and cricket umpire, having served for several years as President and Life Member of NSW North Coast Cricket Council.
Prior to his election as Chairman in 2011 and now President, Ian served for 8 years as the technical representative on the FMA Executive Committee, and has presented papers to various forums and conferences in Australia and the USA involving floodplain management.
Together with the FMA Executive Team, Ian has established strong relationships with floodplain management colleagues in Australia, New Zealand and the United States, and he wants to see FMA continue to grow nationally and internationally.
Allan Gear Deputy President
Allan was elected FMA Deputy President in May 2019.
Allan Ezzy APM AM Immediate Past President
Allan served as a Councillor on Holroyd City Council for 38 years, including 9 terms as Mayor. He did not contest the 2012 Local Government Elections. He is a patron of numerous local community and sporting clubs.
Allan is the holder of a Graduate Certificate in Management from Wollongong University. Formerly employed as a Senior Police Prosecutor, Allan had an exemplary 35 year career with the NSW Police Service. Highlights included a Queen’s Commendation for Bravery, a National Medal with two bars and the award of the Australian Police Medal in 2003. Allan is now retired from the police force and runs a small business.
Allan has extensive experience in urban environmental issues due to his roles as a member of a local council, the former Upper Parramatta River Catchment Trust and the former Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority. Allan has been involved in working with various communities throughout the state to find solutions to enable them to undertake much needed floodplain management projects. Allan served as FMA Chairman from 1999 until 2011 when he decided not to renominate for the position.
In January 2014, Allan was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his significant service to local government and to the community through law enforcement, church and service organisations. Allan is a Life Member of the FMA.
Danny Rose Technical Director
Danny is the Manager Roads and Stormwater at Tweed Shire Council, with over twenty years’ experience in the fields of floodplain management, asset management, and infrastructure planning.
Danny has overseen Tweed Shire’s floodplain risk management processes, manages the flood mitigation asset program, and is responsible for implementing development control measures for flood prone development in this high growth area.
Danny has been a frequent presenter at Floodplain Management Association Conferences, workshops and meetings and chairs the conference Program Advisory Committee. Danny was appointed to the position of Technical Director in 2013. Danny also assists to deliver the Floodplain Risk Management short course at University of Technology Sydney, providing his perspectives as an active local government practitioner in this field.
Danny obtained a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) with Class 1 Honours from the University of New South Wales in 2000.
Paul Grech Land Use Planning Director
Paul Grech is a director of GLN Planning with 40 years’ experience working as a town planner and, while practicing broadly, has been involved in flood risk management for most of that time. Paul has an honours degree (first class) in Town Planning, is a Registered Planner and Member of the Planning Institute of Australia and was co-recipient of the FMA-Allan Ezzy Flood Risk Manager of the Year Award (2021).
Paul’s involvement in flood risk management has included preparing papers, presenting on the topic at seminars, workshops and short courses, undertaking the planning components of over 20 flood risk management studies, preparation of advices for various government bodies across Australia, and provision of a statement and evidence on behalf of the 2011 Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry. Paul also delivers the planning component of the FMA/DECCW/UTS Floodplain Risk Management course.
Paul has been the FMA Land Use Planning Director since 2013 during which time he has prepared reports for each Quarterly Meeting, contributed to the strategic direction of FMA, facilitated numerous workshops, prepared submissions, attended Inquiries, working groups and task forces on behalf of FMA and has been responsible for the delivery of the FMA Land Use Planning Position Policy (updated 2021) and Climate Change Position Policy (proposed for adoption in May 2022).
Sue Ribbons Communications Director
Sue was elected to the position of Communication Director in 2016.
Sue has more than 25 years’ experience as a floodplain risk management professional working for NSW local government, NSW state government and for private consulting practices.
Since 2013, Sue has been working as the Specialist Technical Manager for the NSW Government’s Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley Flood Risk Management Directorate. Prior to this Sue held the position of Sydney Regional Manager for the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, managing technical issues and grant funding assistance for flood, coast and estuaries for the (then) 41 local government areas across the Sydney Region.
Before these roles in state government, Sue worked for six years at Pittwater Council (now part of Northern Beaches Council) as the Principal Officer in Floodplain Management.
William Prentice Queensland Director
William was elected Queensland Director in 2019. He is a Chartered engineer (specialising in flooding) and registered engineer (NER & RPEQ). He is currently the River and Catchment Engineering Program Leader at Logan City Council where he is responsible for floodplain policy, strategic planning (including planning scheme and development codes), flood intel and flood disaster operations, flood information for the community, stormwater infrastructure planning and stormwater quality asset management.
His career includes experience in the public and private sectors, across a broad spectrum of delivery, strategy and operations-orientated roles in project and program management, flood studies, floodplain risk management studies and plans, community resilience initiatives, disaster management and stormwater infrastructure planning.
He has also experienced first-hand, the impact that flooding events can have on the community having supported the community through the response and recovery to major flooding events of 2010/11 and 2013 in Brisbane City and more recently in major flooding across the City of Logan that followed ex-Severe Tropical Cyclone Debbie in 2017.
William is passionate about working with all levels of government, industry and the community to deliver best practice floodplain management outcomes and help build community resilience to flood risk.
Contact: qld@floods.asn.au | 0431 161 282
Glenn Evans Executive Officer
Glenn has extensive practical experience in floodplain, coastal and natural resource management, and holds Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) degrees.
Glenn worked for twenty years with NSW Public Works in a variety of technical and management positions, mostly in river, coastal and environmental disciplines. He was Chief Executive Officer of the Hunter Catchment Management Trust for ten years and General Manager of the Hunter-Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority for five years. During that time he was responsible for aspects of design, construction, operation and maintenance of the Hunter Valley Flood Mitigation Scheme, the largest coastal flood management system in New South Wales.
He has first-hand experience of numerous flood events throughout the Hunter, Lake Macquarie and NSW Lower North Coast catchments, and understands the challenges faced by people living and working on the floodplain.
Glenn has been involved with FMA since 1982, has represented FMA on numerous committees and working groups, and was appointed FMA Executive Officer in 2010.
Contact: eo@floods.asn.au | 0415 873 353.
