About Bega Valley Data Collective

We have a fantastic team of dedicated volunteers who are passionate about our community and data.

From left to right:

Tim Whitaker – Treasurer 

“Our community has its own story, data can transform that story into a powerful narrative that allows people at all levels of our community to be able to participate in decision-making.”

Tim’s journey to the Bega Valley was driven by a desire to provide his young family with a rural upbringing. After a successful 13-year career in telecommunications, he and his wife Jenny made the move, establishing deep roots in the community.

For over 18 years, Tim built a leading ITC business, serving clients throughout the Bega Valley and beyond. He then transitioned to energy efficiency and small business support, consulting with businesses across Southern NSW for eight years. Further leveraging his expertise, Tim spent four years training and mentoring new business owners on the South Coast.

Retiring in 2021, Tim was inspired by the community’s resilience following the Black Summer bushfires and the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. He envisioned a way for the Bega Valley to harness the power of data to enhance community wellbeing. This vision led to the founding of the Bega Valley Data Collective in 2022, bringing together a dedicated group to empower the community through collaboration, data, and action.

 Kate Sollis – President

“By gaining a deeper understanding of what truly matters to those in our community, we can create more meaningful change now and into the future.”

Kate is a passionate advocate for engaging deeply with community members when developing wellbeing policy and measurement frameworks. She is a quantitative & qualitative social researcher with over ten years of experience in a range of areas including wellbeing policy frameworks, child wellbeing, wellbeing measurement, community engagement, impact evaluation, and longitudinal analysis. Kate currently works remotely as a Research Fellow at the University of Tasmania. She has previously held research positions at the Australian National University, ARACY (The Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth), and the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Kate has lived in the Bega Valley since 2021 and loves spending her days roaming the beaches and National Parks with her family.

 April Merrick – Vice President

“Data is just information categorised, and there is an abundance of it which can be harnessed for good – evidence to win funding, prove a known societal issue, create opportunities and so much more.” 

April is a passionate advocate for rural and regional communities. Starting her career as an Agricultural Scientist, since then she has worked in the community and philanthropic grants sectors, all levels of Government, setup a social enterprise and has held volunteer and paid director roles on boards with numerous Government and community organisations.

Being in the grants space for over 15 years April knows the power of community led data to tell stories and access funding and to support allocation of resources.

Robert Spinks – Youth Wellbeing

“Emerging technology provides the opportunity for a sustainable future where every person leads a dignified, healthy and happy life. I want to ensure that community leaders and decision makers have the best possible information to make this a reality.”

Robert is originally from Dapto in the Illawarra. He studied environmental economics at ANU, and worked as the economic development coordinator at Kiama council. Robert has built skills in data collection, analysis and interpretation. More importantly, he has learned to listen to people from all walks of life, grounding statistics in a context of reality.

Robert moved to the Bega Valley in mid 2024 with his partner, who grew up in Candelo. He works on environmental and youth initiatives with the Social Justice Advocates of the Sapphire Coast. Robert’s love of data extends into his spare time, where he’s a Dungeons & Dragons tragic – ‘I love nothing more than tracking dice rolls with pencil and paper!’

Eva Schlunke – Communincations

“Mounting evidence demonstrates that GDP-led economies don’t deliver greater prosperity. We need to value and measure more than just how much money has been transacted if we want to improve quality of life.”

All throughout Eva’s adult life (apart from a brief period in her 20’s when she studied business and worked for a finance company) she has been involved in campaigns, jobs, work roles and partnerships that promote ecological sustainability, social justice and community empowerment.

Eva has worked as a manager, facilitator, artist, and teacher throughout her many roles from ecotourism in the Peruvian Amazon, to campaigns for economic and democratic reform in Sydney and Manchester UK, as well as working with university students from the University of Manchester and others to help enrich and supplement their curriculum for economics and urban planning.

Eva mostly works with people from marginalised and economically vulnerable communities, from delivering art classes in inner-city homeless shelters to training residents of indigenous communities to manage and operate their own ecotourism lodges.  She has also exhibited and delivered workshops in major civic venues in Australia and the UK.

Eva is now a resident of the Bega Valley and enjoys being close to her family in a beautiful part of the world. When she’s not too busy, Eva paints and has illustrated multiple publications, mostly with New Internationalist.

 Shelene Bailey – Secretary

“Data provides the insights we need to take informed action, helping us build a more empowered, connected, and resilient community.”

Shelene studied entrepreneurship at university. She has experience both participating in accelerator programs, developing her own social enterprise, and supporting founders as a facilitator and coordinator.

Being heavily involved with the University of the Sunshine Coast, Shelene was a student experience mentor and spent her degree assisting and engaging with other students. Shelene has spent years as a tutor and loves supporting young people in helping them realise their potential.

Shelene is also passionate about using photography to capture and share the beautiful places in our region. Shelene grew up in the Eurobodalla shire, and now is based in the Bega Valley. She works to ensure that regional youth don’t miss out on opportunities to make a difference, and that they can access the resources and tools they need to thrive.

Adam Mather – Data Analyst

“I’ve always thought that properly organised data that is displayed in an easy to digest format is the easiest way to understand what shortcomings there are, what is required and how to efficiently pursue what is needed.