Director
Bathurst Wholefood Cooperative

Jess Jennings has an honours degree in Economics and Econometrics (University of New England), and a scholarship doctorate On the
Effectiveness of Participatory Research in Agriculture from the University
of Western Sydney (Hawkesbury).

Career experience includes agricultural based economic and social research at regional, state and national levels including 2.5 years with the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) focused on technology adoption and change Management in the Australian dairy industry.

Jess currently directs Rufus Jennings Pty Ltd specialising in promoting and achieving improved Natural Resource Management (NRM) outcomes for agricultural industries, effective extension design and delivery, drought
relief/response services, and project management, including being Dairy
Australia¹s Regional NRM Coordinator for NSW under the national Dairying
For Tomorrow program (co-funded by Australian Government¹s Sustainable
Industries Initiative), and has held this position for over 5 years. Jess has input to a variety of projects involving a wide range of rural and agricultural stakeholders, including farmer organisations (NSW Farmers Association), state, local and federal government, and the private sector (eg agribusinesses, consultants) to assisting Bushfires NT with data collection in remote Arnhem Land (NT).

Jess has been active at the national level as Treasurer and Vice President (5 years) of the peak professional extension body known As the Australasia Pacific Extension Network (APEN); he holds several advisory industry committee positions, is the lead editor of Australia¹s first comprehensive post-graduate and practitioner text on extension for agriculture and NRM called "Shaping Change', and is currently convening a National Extension Framework for Australia (NEFA) with major support from agricultural RDCs and related industry and government bodies.

Jess is currently a founding Director and Treasurer of the Bathurst Wholefood Cooperative., and working as the Executive Officer for the fledging Central NSW Renewable Energy Cooperative, based at The Flannery Centre, Bathurst.

Contact details:
117 Samuel Way
The Lagoon NSW 2795
0423 224 750
j.jennings@uws.edu.au