Meet our Team
Lucinda Peterson MPIA (Co-Founder and Board Director, Company Secretary)
Lucinda Peterson MPIA (Co-Founder and Board Director, Company Secretary)
Lucinda Peterson MPIA (Co-Founder and Board Director, Company Secretary)
Lucinda is an international development professional and urban and regional planner with over 25 years’ experience in planning and development across local government, and the private and NGO sectors. Lucinda’s work history includes senior executive roles in Local Government in Urban and Environmental Planning and Heritage, as well as a former Member of Heritage Council of Victoria and over 10 years as a Sessional Member at Planning Panels Victoria. She has volunteering and professional experience working in Australia and South Asia, and working with teams across the Pacific, Asia, and Africa.
Lucinda has extensive local and international volunteering experience in planning and community development.
Michael McCarthy (Board Director, Chair)
Lucinda Peterson MPIA (Co-Founder and Board Director, Company Secretary)
Lucinda Peterson MPIA (Co-Founder and Board Director, Company Secretary)
After 20 years’ senior management experience in service delivery and marketing roles in the tertiary education sector, Michael obtained postgraduate qualifications in environment and planning. He then worked for 15 years at executive and management levels in local government responsible for strategic and sustainable development in a regional context.
Michael, in his role as Director of Western District Planners, is currently providing project management consultancy to local government and strategic and statutory planning services to the broader community.
Tejas Deshmukh MPIA (Board Director, Treasurer)
Lucinda Peterson MPIA (Co-Founder and Board Director, Company Secretary)
Tejas Deshmukh MPIA (Board Director, Treasurer)
Tejas is an Urban and regional planning professional and a qualified Architect from India with over 10 years of experience working in the built environment space across private, local, and state government sectors. He has a proven industry leadership over the years with awards and recognitions for his volunteering and advocacy work with Planning Institute of Australia, La Trobe University, Study Melbourne (DJSIR). Tejas has been a public speaker, industry panelist, and Victorian Ambassador for international education.
Tejas has planning expertise in Urban Renewal Precincts, greenfield precinct structure plans, activity centres, coastal planning for 2100, and built form architectural design and development.
Chris Loorham MPIA (Co-Founder)
Lucinda Peterson MPIA (Co-Founder and Board Director, Company Secretary)
Tejas Deshmukh MPIA (Board Director, Treasurer)
Chris is a former environmental lawyer who headed the Victorian Environment Defenders Office during its foundation years (1995-98). Chris’s legal background is based on commitment to social justice including working with the Aboriginal Legal services in Victoria and Northern Territory, landmark Federal government environmental enquiry and social security appeals tribunal. He re-qualified as a planner in 2009 and has held senior management roles in regional Local Government.
Chris currently runs a planning and conflict resolution consultancy.