Meet the team who work at CSIRO in the US
Margaret Donoghue
- As Head of CSIRO’s US office, Margaret Donoghue’s focus remains on creating linkages between the mission of CSIRO programs and the organization’s US partners. Charged with building a global team of experts, spanning national research labs and commercial and technology industry leaders, Margaret strives to cultivate an ecosystem of innovation to solve the world’s most challenging problems.
Equal parts operations strategist and hands-on program manager, Margaret creates connectivity between diverse and foreign industries, including agriculture, information and satellite technology, manufacturing, renewable energy, and beyond. Prior to CSIRO, Margaret served as Investment Director with the Australian Trade Commission, where she set up and ran The Landing Pad, the Australian government’s first US-based accelerator program. The Landing Pad continues to help Australian entrepreneurs today by bringing their ideas to market and driving development of investment pipelines globally.
Margaret has directed programs impacting international education and economic development: with the Institute of International Education across the US; supporting Australian Prime Minister’s National Science Innovation Agenda; and as Trade Officer with the Consulate General Economic and Commercial Office in Egypt.
Margaret holds a Master of Arts in World History from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor of Arts in History from California Polytechnic State University, where she competed in NCAA Division I volleyball for four years. A lifelong student of world cultures and languages, Margaret studied French at Stendhal University in Grenoble and Sorbonne University in Paris, as well as Arabic.
Based in San Francisco, Margaret enjoys spending summers backpacking and horseback riding in California’s backcountry. She also plays the mandolin and enjoys volunteering her time to coach middle school volleyball.
Megan Crocker
- Megan brings her expertise in business strategy, organizational communication, and relationship building to her role as Director, Strategic Partnerships. Establishing collaborative international partnerships, she empowers joint scientific and industrial teams to develop innovative solutions for global problems. Her passion for people inspires her to anticipate the collective need and to facilitate productive partnerships.
With a background in finance and client relations, Megan leverages her extensive skills in business development and communication to develop strategic and mutually beneficial partnerships. She has held positions at philanthropic, NGO, financial, and start-up businesses. This includes serving as the Manager of Client Service at Symphony Asset Management for 10 years, supporting clean energy initiatives as the Co-founder of Bright Circle Ventures, and leading development plans as the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Energy Foundation. She also currently serves as the Board of Directors Chair for RE-volv, a non-profit providing solar solutions for other community-serving non-profits.
Megan holds an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School and a Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Science from The University of Arizona. She is also a certified Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA). In her free time, she enjoys cycling, practicing yoga, and adventuring outdoors with her husband and three sons.
Kay Worthington
- Kay Worthington is a Research Associate at CSIRO US. She joined the team in 2019 and is working with the CSIRO Agricultural Technology and Data61 business units.
Kay spent over two years managing energy efficiency projects, primarily in residential housing, for public and private utilities in California. Prior to that, she spent over a decade in finance and technology. In 1992, together with her teammates, Kay won two Olympic gold medals in rowing for Canada at the Barcelona Games
Kay has a Master of Science in Global Affairs from New York University.
Claire Manson
- Claire Manson is the new USA Boeing Account Manager based in Seattle, Washington for CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation). CSIRO is Australia's national science organisation, CSIRO conducts strategic long-term research in a wide range of areas, including agriculture, minerals and energy, manufacturing, construction, communications and the environment. CSIRO’s role is to deliver great science and innovative solutions for industry, society and the environment. CSIRO prides itself on their ability to work on new ways to improve our quality of life, as well as the economic and social performance of several industry sectors through research and development. As CSIRO’s Senior technical advisory to Boeing, the largest aerospace company in the world, Claire’s role will be to manage a diverse R&D portfolio to enhance and commercialise CSIRO science through various parts of Boeing. Working with the CSIRO USA and Global teams, Claire aims to connect with companies in USA’s northwest and using her networks and self-starting motivation to advance CSIRO science across the USA.
Dawn Lillington
- Dawn Lillington is Communications Director, US with CSIRO. With more than 20 years of event planning, strategic partnership management, marketing and international government experience, Dawn champions the bilateral connection between Australia and the U.S., to ultimately spur scientific advancement in the global economy.
Prior to CSIRO, she served as Executive Director of the Australian American Chamber of Commerce for more than 15 years. She was Manager of Strategic Partnerships with Austrade as well as event and marketing strategy consultant with organizations, including the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) and Australian-born footwear company, Vionic Group. Early in her career, Dawn gained invaluable, foundational experience working with the Special Olympics of Northern California and Australia, respectively.
Dawn holds an AA in Business Administration from TAFE NSW in Australia. She earned a Marketing Certificate from the College of Marin. Dawn’s drive for enhancing Australia’s economy extends outside of her work as she enjoys time spent with her family, traveling, hiking, and exploring wine country.
Liz Aguero
- Liz brings a broad range of experience to her Office Manager role at CSIRO US. She has over ten years of operations management in investment banking, venture capital, and start-up companies.
She has worked with C-Level clients and Board members in conjunction with investment activities; has established internal relationships with cross-functional teams to collaborate on global team initiatives; and enjoys event planning and managing conferences.
Liz holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Entrepreneurial Management from San Francisco State University. Fun facts about Liz include a passion and interest in real estate, hiking, and exploring the outdoors. Her favourite country to visit is Italy.