Kate is one half of Eska Farm in the beautiful Mountain River where she lives and farms with her husband Sam and two children.  Kate has a strong passion for environmental care, social justice, community resilience and wellbeing. 

Beyond her time on the farm, Kate is a qualified Social Worker, having worked within the profession for more than 20 years.  With a desire to support individuals to reach their full potential and thrive, Kate has worked across a diverse sector of the community, supporting families, young people and state government policy ultimately guiding the development of programs.  

Kate believes the links between her life on farm and her social work profession are strongly intertwined.  With a passion for the outdoors and the need for immersion in nature, Kate has been led to see the merit in farming not only on the community and food resilience sector, but also on the health and wellbeing of everyone, from those consuming nutrient dense ethically grown foods, through to the individuals with their hands in the soil living seasonally. 

Kate strongly believes small scale producers are the literal backbone of our community and have so much to offer.  Therefore, anything that can be done to ensure a strength amongst this sector is important to pursue. 

Lisa Jane O’Neil is an experienced global strategic senior communications advisor, with a diverse background spanning Australia and international markets in public relations, non-profit, and journalism.

Starting her career at the West Australian newspaper in Perth, Lisa Jane quickly rose to the position of Property Editor before joining the Australian Financial Review bureau. She later relocated to Hong Kong, where she worked for Bloomberg Business News as the multinational media company expanded its global presence. During this time, she played a key role in negotiating and opening a news bureau in Vietnam following the lifting of the U.S. Trade Embargo.

Lisa Jane subsequently embarked on a journey that took her to Washington D.C. and Southeast Asia, with a sabbatical in the non-profit sector, working for Operation Smile.

She later shifted her focus to New York, where she founded LJOPR, a boutique PR and Marketing agency.

After recently spending time in Perth for family reasons, Lisa Jane made the decision to call the remarkable state of Tasmania her new home. In her spare time, she is a passionate amateur chef, having studied at the French Culinary Institute in New York and is committed to sustainable food practices. She is looking forward to bringing her experience in strategy, marketing, and fundraising to Sprout TAS, as well as previous board experience with Operation Smile Vietnam and the American Chamber of Commerce, Hanoi. 

Josh joined the Sprout Board in 2024, motivated by a desire to get involved in the world of small-scale producers and to support building resilient local food systems in Tasmania. He brings a strong grounding in strategy and finance, and is passionate about helping purpose-led organisations grow sustainably and stay true to their values.

Growing up in WA, Josh moved to Hobart in 2016 to pursue opportunities in renewable energy and immediately fell in love with the landscape and people. His career has spanned renewable energy finance, corporate finance, advisory, strategy & sustainability, and corporate development across a range of industries both in Tasmania and on the mainland.

Outside of work, he gets his weekly veggie fix from a local CSA and has plans to tend his own patch of soil in the not-too-distant future, alongside his partner Bonnie and their two border collies. As Treasurer, Josh supports Sprout’s financial sustainability and strategic direction, helping ensure we can continue to advocate for, connect, and empower the producers who grow food for their communities.

Lauren is co-owner of Felds Farm, a one-acre market garden in North Lilydale. Having worked in high-end restaurants in London, and Melbourne, Lauren ended up moving to Bagdad in Tasmania with her husband Michael.

Here they started growing vegetables in their backyard to supply themselves and their community, but before long they were selling to restaurants in Hobart.

In 2019 Lauren and Michael moved their market garden to North Lilydale where they practise organic and no-till principles to produce a variety of seasonal vegetables and fruit. Their passion for regenerative agriculture, building soil structure and ecology combined with their knowledge of ingredients from their careers as chefs allows them to produce nutrient dense and delicious food in a sustainable system.

Connie and her family relocated from Lake Macquarie to the Huon Valley in 2023, where they are fortunate enough to support a range of local growers and small producers. 
Alongside her husband, she runs a preservation-focused arboriculture business, reinforcing her commitment to environmental care. Connie’s professional role in strategic land use planning focuses on strategy, policy, and legislation, while her expertise in community engagement is grounded in a deep respect for community and place. 

In joining the Sprout Board, Connie hopes to use her multidisciplinary skills to advocate for resilient food systems and the values and aspirations of Tasmania’s small-scale farmers and the communities they provide for.