Meet the trainers

Julie is a Community Engagement and Social Impact Assessment (SIA) specialist with formal qualifications and more than 20 years’ experience in Public Participation, Project Management and Environmental Planning in New Zealand and Australia.

For the past almost fifteen years Julie specialised in community engagement and the development and delivery of social impact assessment and management, primarily in the infrastructure sector, but also resources and community housing sectors.

As a consultant, Julie works primarily for public sector, local, state and national government, organisations providing strategic support to the design and delivery of engagement, as well as undertaking social impact assessments.

What qualifications/accreditations do you hold?

Post Graduate Diploma Resources and Environmental Planning
Masters Social Science
IAP2 Certificate of Public Participation
What is your area of specialisation within engagement?

Stakeholder and community engagement for social impact assessment
Strategic advice and guidance on engagement

What sectors have you worked in?

Infrastructure
Transport – primarily. Also Defence, Resources, Aviation, Education, strategic land use development
Share your favourite engagement project with us.

They are all so different, there isn’t one favourite. I do love working with stakeholders and communities who are passionate about their communities – where they live, work and do business. Any project where I get to hang out with people with passion is a favourite project. These can be anywhere from in the middle of a large metropolitan city or in a small regional or rural community.

Helen is a community engagement specialist with skills in training, research, process design and facilitation.

Having worked for over 15 years in local government and consulting, Helen has considerable experience in public engagement practice. This include: policy ad strategy, participatory and deliberative process design, organisational improvement, facilitation and peer review.

What qualifications/accreditations do you hold?

PhD – Thesis ‘The Practice and Professionalisation of Community Engagement in Australian Local Government’
Masters of Development Practice (Social Planning), University of Queensland
Bachelor of Arts (Humanities), Queensland University of Technology
Bachelor of Education (Secondary), Queensland University of Technology
Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, RMIT
What is your area of specialisation within engagement?

Design, planning and facilitation of engagement processes
Organisational capacity building and training
Social and community planning
Facilitation
Research
What sectors have you worked in?

Local Government
State Government
Share your favourite engagement project with us.

I can’t name a favourite! I love them all in their own way.

Martin is an experienced engagement specialist and trainer. He has more than 20 years of experience in engagement and operates his consulting practice from regional Victoria. He has a wide range of skills as an engagement professional, social planner and project manager, along with an engineering background and interest in regenerative entrepreneurship.

Working with a diverse range of clients, including the private and NGO sectors, international aid and the multiple tiers of government, Martin has a strong reputation for designing and delivering community engagement projects, conflict resolution, coaching, training, and facilitating group processes.

With an extensive background to draw on, including his own multicultural background, some unique training techniques and his calm nature, Martin creates a truly inclusive environment for his participants.

Martin became an IAP2 Australasia Engagement Trainer in 2016 and consistently gets great reviews on his course deliveries. He is also the founder of IAP2 Latin America.

Licensed to deliver the IAP2 Australasia Certificate of Engagement, Martin is available for public training sessions, and is also available to deliver in-house training for your organisation.

What qualifications/accreditations do you hold?

Master of Project Management 2006
Combined with a Master in Social Planning and Development Practice (Graduated with High Distinction and three Dean’s Commendations for High Achievement), The University of Queensland
Master of Environment 2005
Specialised in development studies (Graduated with First Class Honours), The University of Melbourne
Postgraduate Certificate: Auditing Integrated Management Systems using ISO Standards 2003
National Agriculture University of La Molina, Peru
Bachelor in Civil Engineering 2002
(Graduated first of the class), Peruvian University of Applied Sciences, Peru
Advanced Diploma in Group Facilitation 2013, GroupWork Institute of Australia
Process Work and Organizational Excellence: Cultivating Exceptional 2012
Coaching skills, Dr. Stephen Schuitevoerder, Process Work Institute
Emotion, Outrage and Public Participation 2009, Stephani Roy McCallum & Dr. Peter Sandman (through IAP2)
Deep Democracy methodology for decision-making and conflict resolution 2009
(Advanced practitioner and former instructor), Myrna Lewis
IAP2 Certificate in Public Participation 2007/08, International Association for Public Participation (IAP2)
What is your area of specialisation within engagement?

Martin has a broad range of engagement practice. He’s particularly interested in:

Innovative engagement
Deliberative practices
Regenerative entrepreneurship
High end collaboration projects
Engagement that is inclusive of diversity
Projects related to the natural environment
What sectors have you worked in?

Australian Federal, State and Local Government sectors
NGO sector
Private sector including natural resources
International aid and development
Entrepreneurship

Share your favourite engagement project with us.

Hard to choose just one favourite project as I work in many sectors. Perhaps two that I could mention are working with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific to advance engagement practice for the sustainable development goals in the Kingdom of Thailand, Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Papua New Guinea. The second project to mention is working with Latin American leaders to create IAP2 Latin America and some of the great initiatives that resulted from that project.

Rachael brings an award-winning career in journalism, communications and corporate affairs to her practice of community engagement and training.

Her speciality is merging expertise, ideas and methodologies to create innovative approaches to employee and stakeholder engagement. Rachael regularly combines the disciplines of communication, community engagement and change management to create powerful, multi-faceted programs for clients.

As the Managing Director of PLUM Communication, Rachael’s passion is boosting the capability of teams by embedding experts to support them, or providing mentoring and training to enhance performance. There is nothing more rewarding than creating skilled environments where teams feel confident to flourish.

Rachael has built and coached engagement teams that have delivered exceptional success, including Victoria’s Smart Meters, the West Gate Bridge Strengthening Project, Goulburn Murray Water’s FutureFlow, and the game-changing water saving campaign, Our Water Our Future.

Qualifications:

Bachelor of Arts, Journalism (UQ)
Currently completing Masters In Applied Positive Psychology, Melbourne University
Diploma of leadership, coaching and mentoring, (FIREUP)
Cert III Training, RMIT

Rachel delivers:

Essentials of Engagement
Design and Plan Engagement
Apply Engagement Methods
Facing Conflict
Facilitate Engagement

After graduating from the University of Melbourne Rob worked in education administration before beginning his engagement career as Communications and Engagement Manager at the University of Technology Sydney in 2004. In 2012 he became the Business Development Manager for IAP2 Australasia.In 2015 he moved back to the University sector as a postgraduate tutor and guest lecture before joining Articulous Consulting as a project manager specialising what he calls ‘dirty work’ – remediation, waste, and contaminated land projects – as well as facilitating community session for councils and State Government Departments.

In the last two years he has project managed the development of an online evaluation tool for Engagement Professionals (Engagement Hub).

Apart from his role as business development manager for IAP2A, he has been a member since 2015.

Qualifications:

B Planning & Design UMelb
Adv Dip Planning & Sustainability Albury Wodonga TAFE

Rob delivers:

Essentials of Engagement
Facilitate Engagement
Design and Plan Engagement
Apply Engagement Methods

Keith trained as a Science in Society Facilitator (Bed Technology, MSc Communications – University of London) and spent 12 years with the Science Museum in London connecting scientists and the public to have dynamic conversations around significant dilemmas in our society. This work created opportunities to spend time in various countries, such as Azerbaijan and Syria. Seeing first hand some real-life challenges that people addressed in their day-to-day life, prompted Keith to foster a more relaxed approach to having conversations around topics.Keith co-founded MosaicLab in 2013 and has worked on high-level engagement projects such as the City of Melbourne Ten Year Financial Plan – People’s Panel; VicHealth’s Citizen Jury on obesity; Extensive COAG projects in response to the Hazelwood Mine Inquiries; Top 6 Environmental Programs for EPA Victoria; Strategic planning and conference work for Regional Development Australia; The Future of Childcare Services at City of Bayside; The Mornington Peninsula Shire ‘Let’s Talk Waste’ forums and numerous local area planning strategies across Canberra and Victoria.

Keith is currently an ambassador and licensed trainer for IAP2 Australasia. He spends between 10 to 15% of his time traveling around Australia and New Zealand training a broad range of organisations in IAP2 engagement practices.

Qualifications:

BEd Hons (Design and Technology), University of Greenwich (1994)
PGDIp, Science Communication, University of London (1997)

Keith delivers:

Essentials of Engagement
Apply Engagement Methods
Design and Plan Engagement

Kate has been delivering IAP2 Australasia training since 2017. She started her career as a researcher at Macquarie University, Sydney exploring public participation in decision making in the field of sustainable development. She went on to work as a community engagement adviser and facilitator at the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment and then a community engagement adviser for the City of Melbourne. She worked as a Principal and Training Lead at MosaicLab consultancy and has now taken up a position at the City of Melbourne as the United Nations Sustainable Development Lead.

Over her career Kate has had a passion for deliberative engagement and has now been involved in over 13 citizens’ panel processes, of which she has either designed, project managed and/or facilitated.

She was part of the City of Melbourne team that won the International and Australasian IAP2 Organisation of the Year Award for Public Engagement (2014), as well as the Victorian John Jago Good Governance Awards for the project – 10 Year Financial Plan: People’s Panel.

In 2015, Kate was a judge of the Australasian IAP2A Core Values Award and a Board Director of IAP2 Australasia 2017-2019​.

What qualifications/accreditations do you hold?

Bachelor of Arts, International Relations and Geographical Sciences (UQ)
Masters of Sustainable Development (Macquarie University)
Graduate Certificate in Dialogue, Deliberation & Public Engagement (University of Sydney)
Lego Serious Play Facilitator
IAP2A Certificate in Engagement
IAP2 International Trainer

What is your area of specialisation within engagement?

Deliberative Engagement (citizens’ juries and peoples’ panels)
Facilitation (e.g highly engaging and interactive workshop)
Human centred design
Designing for effective engagement
Internal engagement and capacity building
What sectors have you worked in?

State Government
Local Government
Engagement and Facilitation Consultant
Training Consultant (freelance)
Higher Education

Share your favourite engagement project with us.

Future Melbourne 2026 – with over 1000 community ideas that resulted in a People’s Panel recommending 9 priority areas for Council to focus on. These 9 priorities became the foundation for the next Council Plan and guided the four year direction for Council.

Nicole has over 25 years’ experience in community engagement and facilitation projects. Ranging from projects with high emotion and community outrage through to deliberative democracy projects for state and local government.

She is a recent co-author of the book ‘Facilitating deliberation – A Practical Guide’ with her fellow MosaicLab Directors Keith Greaves and Kimbra White. She brings an absolute passion for genuine engagement to her work and believes people really can solve complex problems if given enough time, information and a great process.

What qualifications/accreditations do you hold?

Bachelor of Agricultural Science, Hons (University of Melbourne)
Certificate in Organisational Development (RMIT)
Graduate Certificate in Dialogue, Deliberation and Public Engagement (University of Sydney)
What is your area of specialisation within engagement?

Facilitation
Engagement Planning and general advice
Risk communication, outrage management
Strategic planning, policy development and evaluation
Dialogue and deliberation processes
What sectors have you worked in?

Government – all levels (Local, State, Federal)
Not-for-profits
Corporate

Share your favourite engagement project with us.

When the Greater Geelong Council was dismissed the state government wanted to engage deeply with locals about how they wanted to be governed by a future council. The questions was: ‘Our council was dismissed, how do we want to be governed by a future council?’

It was a wide and deep process culminating in the citizens jury around local governance. Deliberative democracy about local democracy what more could you want!!

Grace Leotta is the founder of a consultancy which provides community engagement, organisational development and change management, and training services. Grace facilitates community engagement, planning, change management and practice development processes, develops and facilitates training programs, and conducts reviews and evaluations, across various sectors around Australia.

She is an Australasia licensed community engagement trainer, an internationally certified facilitator – Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF), a nationally accredited trainer and assessor, and a Harvard University trained adaptive leadership consultant. She has a background in senior management and community development. Grace also has experience in teaching at a tertiary level in community consultation, management, and social science.

What qualifications/accreditations do you hold?

Masters in Management University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
Graduate Certificate in Experiential Learning (Adult Education), UTS
Bachelor of Social Studies, University of Sydney
Certificate in Engagement, IAP2A
Certificate in Professional Facilitation, International Association of Facilitators (IAF)
Certificate IV in Training and Assessment
Certificate in Public Participation, IAP2
Certificate in Business Management, Australian Institute of Management (AIM)
Professional development in co-design, design thinking and innovation, Appreciative Inquiry, Art of Hosting, facilitating Social Labs, Collective Impact, Adaptive Leadership, action learning, and brokering partnerships

What is your area of specialisation within engagement?

Planning including organisational strategic planning and community planning
Organisational development and change management
Collaboration and partnerships
Evaluation and review
Community participation
Approaches and methods used: Appreciative Inquiry, design thinking, adaptive leadership, World Café, Technology of Participation (ToP), and asset/strength based community development approaches, face to face/ in person and virtually. As well as interviews and surveys.

What sectors have you worked in?

Various departments within local government across NSW
State and Commonwealth government departments, and
Non government/ for purpose organisations primarily in the human services sector.
As a community engagement trainer also for a range of organisations across different sectors including transport, agriculture, and natural resource management.

Share your favourite engagement project with us.

Several engagement project favourites including:

A community planning process where older members of the community invited young people including from the local high schools to participate in planning which resulted in a vision and plan by a cross section of the community and local organisations. Favourite aspect: people from different age groups and interests discussing the aspirations for their community and developing a community action plan.

A collaborative planning process culminating in a large stakeholder forum comprising of community members representatives of all levels of government, local businesses, tertiary institutions, schools, preschools, and community organisations working together to develop a collaborative implementation plan. Favourite aspect: collaboration, innovation and creativity from the participants.

A participative change management process that resulted in a new organisational structure and roles. Favourite aspect: a willingness and ability of staff to manage the loss created by the change and together participate in the design of a new structure that would serve them well for the future.

With over 20 years’ experience working across corporate, government and community organisations alike. Joel Levin is the founder of Aha! Consulting and has seen the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to engagement.

From placards and security guards, to shared visions and re-established trust, Joel has worked across Australia and internationally supporting organisations shape their engagement response.

In 2015, he was approached by the United Nations in the Asia-Pacific to support the engagement for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. This led to a partnership between IAP2 and the UN, supporting engagement in their head office in Thailand and directly in countries like Sri Lanka & Uzbekistan.

Locally, Aha! Consulting works with local, state and federal government, the private and Not for Profit sectors and projects big and small. From infrastructure, transport, health, disability, community service, extractive industries, marine park planning

With a background in community and human services, Joel was part of establishing IAP2 in Western Australia as the founding local coordinator and is a former board member, Ambassador and Co-Chair of the global practice development committee.

What qualifications/accreditations do you hold?

IAP2A – Certificate and Advanced Certificate Community engagements
IAP2 – Foundations of Public Participation
Advanced Diploma Applied Science
Diploma Training and Assessment Systems
Cert IV Workplace Training and Assessment
What is your area of specialisation within engagement?

My expertise and specialisation is the design, delivery and evaluation of engagement, which means we have had the privileged of applying those skills across sectors and into project of varying degrees of complexity, political heat and passion.
I have been involved in deliberative panel processes, visioning projects, multi-criteria analysis, pop up’s, traditional focus groups, workshops, survey design and analysis.
When I am are not delivering engagement, I am are supporting organisations to embed their engagement practise, developing policy, planning framework and evaluation tools.
When I am are not doing the above, I am training people in how to do all of the above, because what could be more fun than sharing what you love.
What sectors have you worked in?

Infrastructure – Transport (roads, cylciing), resource sector
Planning – Strategic planning, marine park planning, Strategic Community Planning, DAIP, youth strategy planning, health sector planning
Human Service – Health, disability, community service, Mental health, AOD,
Diverse communities – Culturally and linguistically diverse, Aboriginal community, LGBTIQ+, Humanitarian Entrants and refugees
Share your favourite engagement project with us.

Working with the Sri Lankan Government helping them design and deliver the engagement to review their performance on the Sustainable Development Goals. I designed and ran a series of multi-language stakeholder forums that contributed to the formation of the countries Voluntary National Review. We also ran some capacity building session for key government staff. The whole project was an insight into just have many of the engagement principles and practices are the same, regardless of language and culture. We can become very focused on how different people are, but in reality, when people are treated with respect and transparency they respond in very similar ways. It also turns out that you can tell when people are talking too much, even when they are speaking a different language!

Gabrielle is a facilitator and strategist for complex projects in government and consultancy. With over 20 years’ experience leading stakeholder engagement and corporate affairs functions, she navigates reputational risk through working with university partners, industry and government to ensure good governance processes, improve collaboration and advance equitable ecologically sustainable solutions.

Her experience includes delivery of joint venture operations for the NSW container deposit scheme which involved collaboration across government, industry, community partners and local businesses to design and implement an integrated suite of programs that increased recycling rates. This multi-partnership scheme transformed the state’s circular economy by improving container recycling rates and decreased recyclable waste across the state.

Gabrielle loves writing and teaches ethics to school children. She has convened the Environment & Sustainability Community of Practice since 2018 and was board chair of a charity delivering support services for families experiencing homelessness and domestic violence.

Having worked across a range of sectors, Gabrielle facilitates technical committee stakeholders in the development of standards which drive safety and compliance across all industries throughout Australia and globally.

What qualifications/accreditations do you hold?

IAP2 Australasia Advanced Certificate of Engagement (GIAP2)
International Association of Facilitators
Graduate Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD)
Certificate IV Training and Assessment
Bachelor of Arts (Psychology & Political Economics)

What is your area of specialisation within engagement?

Design and facilitation of engagement processes
Strategy development and planning
Strategic partnership brokering
Strategic communications
What sectors have you worked in?

Infrastructure
Circular economy
Health
Agribusiness
Resource recovery
Government

Share your favourite engagement project with us.

Experience includes delivery of joint venture operations for the NSW container deposit scheme which involved collaboration across government, industry, community partners and local businesses to design and implement an integrated suite of programs to increase recycling rates. This multi-partnership scheme transformed the state’s circular economy by improving container recycling rates and decreased recyclable waste across the state.

Nicola Mendleson has over 25 years’ experience in engagement, communications and facilitation specialising in government, infrastructure development, natural resources and environment. She established her consultancy in 1997 and has led projects at all levels of the IAP2 Spectrum.

She is particularly proud of the work she has done on challenging and sensitive projects, often bringing diverse stakeholders together to achieve effective collaboration, and assisting clients to plan for change.

Nicola is a skilled facilitator of consultations, deliberative processes, community meetings and strategic planning workshops.

What qualifications/accreditations do you hold?

Master of Business
Bachelor of Arts
Australasian Certificate of Engagement
Diploma of Facilitation
Cert IV in Training and Development
What is your area of specialisation within engagement?

Wide range of different types of engagement methods, including deliberative engagement processes
Establishing and facilitating high performing advisory groups
What sectors have you worked in?

Nicola has worked across many industries and sectors with significant experience in the following areas:

Local and State Government
Sustainability
Environment, water, flooding
Infrastructure development
Share your favourite engagement project with us.

Essential Services Commission, community panel to inform the Vulnerability Strategy.

In 2020, Nicola Mendleson and Desley Renton delivered a successful deliberative process which informed the Commission’s Vulnerability Strategy. Due to COVID, the process took place online and the innovative process recruited a randomly-selected ‘mini-public’ from across Victoria, including people from rural, regional, outer- and inner-Melbourne.

The process included a blend of small group and whole panel meetings which resulted in a wide range of recommendations as to how vulnerable Victorians can better access and pay for essential services as well as a contemporary definition of consumer wellbeing in this context. We received very positive feedback from Commissioners, staff and panel members.

In 2022, we delivered another successful deliberative process for the ESC to inform the Review of the Energy Customer Code. A community panel of 29 people provided high quality insights and recommendations to inform the review.

Tenā koutou katoa, talofa lava and greetings. Ko Chris Mene tōku ingoa.

I work as a professional facilitator, engagement practitioner and trainer coming from a diverse work and community background with broad experience across a range of sectors. My background includes elected and appointed governance and executive management roles.

I’m passionate about proactive and collaborative endeavours that lead, support and enable positive change. These are often in community, organisational and systems that shape our lives.

In all these roles I have been and continue to be challenged by complex and intercultural engagement contexts where differing world views, preconditioned biases and prejudices come together.

This can be challenging and very satisfying work to be involved in.

What qualifications/accreditations do you hold?

International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) Australasia Trainer 2016-present
Certificate in Engagement – International Association of Public Participation (IAP2), 2015
Advanced Diploma in Executive Management – New Zealand Institute of Management (NZIM) Canterbury. Graduated July, 2007
Certificate ‘Making Good Decisions Programme’ – University of Auckland with Ministry for the Environment / Local Government New Zealand 1 July, 2005
Diploma in Executive Management – NZIM Canterbury Graduated July, 2004
Diploma in New Zealand Policing, 2004-2006
Member – Institute of Directors of New Zealand (MInstD)
Member – IAP2 Australasia
What is your area of specialisation within engagement?

Advising and facilitating complex engagements often involving emotion, diverse world views, perspectives and conflict.
What sectors have you worked in?

Health
Education
Philanthropic
Central and Local Government.
Share your favourite engagement project with us.

Two of the more impactful projects with significant engagement that stand out are:

1. Development of the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor Regeneration Plan

2. Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attack on Christchurch masjidain on 15 March 2019

IAP2 trainer since 2006
Managing Director, Articulous

Amanda is an energetic and passionate trainer who brings IAP2 training to life through sharing her 20 years’ experience in engagement. Over the years, she been the co-developer of 6 IAP2 Australasian courses. She specialises in complex, controversial or high-profile projects including major infrastructure, master planning and regional planning, organisational transformation, economic development, ICT, community services and health. In practice she has developed industry-leading online engagement projects through to deliberative democracy projects and data analysis.

In the areas of Councils, infrastructure and planning, she has won multiple awards including the 2019 International Project of the Year Award from IAP2, 2019 Australasian IAP2 Project of the Year, and the 2019 IAP2 Community Development Project of the year.

She led Australia’s largest community engagement project – Plan Your Brisbane which received more than 114,000 contributions. And has run on-the-ground projects in Qld, NSW, Victoria, ACT, Christchurch and South Australia.

She is a former journalist and a current ABC radio panellist.

Amanda delivers:

Essentials of Engagement
Apply Engagement Methods
Design and Plan Engagement
Influencing for Engagement
Facing Conflict
Evaluate Engagement
Strategies for Complex Engagement

Anne is the founder and co-director of pattillo. She leads a team of specialised consultants on projects for some of the most dynamic organisations in New Zealand and Australia.With over 25 year’s facilitation, engagement and consulting experience, ranging from health to infrastructure and for public and private sectors, she is recognised as an international leader in engagement and participation.

Anne is also recognised for her work as a leader for the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2), including taking a central role in the design of the current IAP2 contemporary engagement frameworks and training.

Anne has been an IAP2 Trainer internationally and in Australasia since 2005 and a previous board member.

Anne delivers:

Essentials of Engagement
Apply Engagement Methods
Design and Plan Engagement
Facing Conflict

Leisa brings more than 30 years of community and stakeholder engagement experience to her training. Throughout her career, Leisa has contributed to almost 300 public and private sector projects across the country, successfully managing sensitive and complex stakeholder, community and project issues.

From landowners to legislators, Leisa has worked with communities in urban, regional and remote areas, and stakeholders representing a range of cultural groups.

Leisa has a proven track record in delivering comprehensive engagement strategies, delivering the full range of engagement techniques. Tertiary-qualified in town planning and communication, her approach ensures that community insights are readily incorporated into technical studies.

Leisa’s genuine curiosity and flexible approach allows her to get to the heart of an issue, so that she can leverage her experience to deliver practical and cost effective advice. She is passionate about collaborative problem-solving, two-way conversations based on plain English explanations, and listening with empathy. She is skilled at facilitating discussions with individuals and groups ranging in size from 5 people to 5,000.

Leisa is a Fellow of IAP2. She served on the IAP2 Australasia Board from 2004 to 2009 and was an IAP2A Ambassador from 2016 to 2021.

Leisa founded her engagement consultancy in 2013.

What qualifications/accreditations do you hold?

Bachelor of Regional and Town Planning, UQ
Graduate Diploma in Communication, QUT
Certificate in Public Participation, IAP2
Company Directors Course, AICD
Pathways to Advanced Engagement, IAP2A
Lego Serious Play Facilitator
What is your area of specialisation within engagement?

Designing and delivering stakeholder engagement strategies
Managing complex issues and outrage
Facilitating productive small, medium and large workshops and forums
Preparing engagement reports and social impact assessments
Delivering engagement and presentation skills training and coaching
What sectors have you worked in?

Transport, resources, energy, water, property, health and social services
Defence, education and agricultural sectors
A range of federal, state and local government planning projects, and team building and governance projects
Share your favourite engagement project with us.

Every project brings something unique. It could be the people, the conversation and questions, the engagement techniques or the outcomes. Although, the projects that you get to see delivered do bring a little extra magic.

Leanne Robb is a highly experienced and results-driven Community Engagement Consultant with a proven track record of delivering successful engagement initiatives for a diverse range of clients. With over 17 years of experience as a senior community engagement practitioner within the Government and Private Sectors, Leanne combines strategic thinking with a passion for community empowerment to drive meaningful connections between organisations and their stakeholders.

Leanne’s expertise spans traditional, contemporary, and digital engagement methodologies, allowing her to leverage a wide range of tools and techniques to reach diverse audiences. She is now the Engagement Consultant for Granicus ANZ and is passionate about supporting Organisations to meaningfully engage with their communities, giving people a voice in decisions that affect their everyday lives.

Qualifications:

Diploma of Community Development
IAP2 Certificate in Engagement
IAP2 Strategies for Complex Engagement

Area of specialisation:

Strategic engagement planning and advice
Community and stakeholder planning, implementation and evaluation
Facilitation
Coaching and mentoring in community engagement best practice

What sectors have you worked in:

Local Government
State Government Projects
Private Sector

Share your favourite engagement project with us:

There are just so many amazing projects that it’s impossible to pick. I love to design and plan engagement for complex projects and wicked problems, but the thing I love the most about community engagement is “Community”. The incredible people we get to meet from all walks of life is wonderful.

With more than a 15 years’ experience developing innovative engagement strategies for complex projects, Alice is a highly sought-after facilitator, strategist and a licensed IAP2 Trainer. A qualified urban planner and environmental scientist, Alice has worked in strategic planning, community engagement and consulting roles in Australia and the USA. She has worked on planning, transportation and infrastructure projects, spending and budgeting prioritisation, strategies to reduce houselessness and behaviour change initiatives.

Whether she is among a few participants or hundreds of stakeholders, Alice navigates tension with ease, expertly facilitating complex issues and highly nuanced stakeholder negotiations. Internationally recognised for her commitment to equity and inclusion, Alice is passionate about bringing diverse audiences together, striving for equitable engagement outcomes.

Alice has been a licensed trainer with IAP2 for over a decade, is course developer and co-developer for number of IAP2 training programs. Alice is part of the executive leadership at Articulous.

What qualifications/accreditations do you hold?

Bach. Environmental Planning (Griffith University)
Bach. Environmental Science (Griffith University)
Diploma of Management
Cert. IV Training and Assessment
Crime Prevention through Environmental Design
Arc Facilitation
Twyfords Advanced Facilitation
IAP2 Certificate of Public Participation
IAP2 Australasian Certificate of Engagement
IAP2 Advanced Certificate of Engagement
IAP2 licensed trainer
Emotion, Outrage and Public Participation
Mental Health First Aid
What is your area of specialisation within engagement?

DEI
Local government
Organisational strategy and engagement frameworks
Policy development
Facilitation
Evaluation
Planning and design
Data
What sectors have you worked in?

Local Government
State Government
Planning
Transport
Housing
Houselessness and homelessness
Health
Energy
Behaviour change
Law
Community development
Research
Share your favourite engagement project with us.

Logan Community Vision

The award-winning Logan Community Vision was an inclusive, deliberative, democratic and first of its kind project for Logan City Council. The process empowered the people who live and work in the City of Logan to decide on their vision for the future. The Logan Community Vision is the highest strategic document in the organisation, shaping all strategic and operational decisions for the next ten years.

Background

Articulous partnered with Council to lead a community visioning process to help inform Council’s five-year corporate plan and annual budget. The engagement aimed to ensure the shared vision reflected the values, concerns, needs and aspirations of the Logan community and to place the people of Logan at the heart of Council’s decision-making.

The objectives of the project were to deliver a meaningful and equitable engagement process that was representative of the Logan community. Articulous convened a deliberative panel that was a representative sample of the Logan Community. The panel members were tasked with developing a community vision statement that the City of Logan would be proud of and passionate about. This statement was supported by a range of recommended actions to inform future Council operations. ​

Articulous designed and facilitated various engagement methods with stakeholders and the community, including:

A Focused Conversation series with key community demographic groups such as elderly, CALD leaders, people living with disability, young people and children.
Three community workshops.
Special interest group meetings for community and advocacy groups.
Articulous also reviewed feedback gathered in an online survey and complied detailed summary reports from each engagement session.
A deliberative panel was then independently recruited and randomly selected against a set of criteria as a representative sample of the Logan community. The panel met over a three-week period in March 2021. The job of the deliberative panel was to analyse the findings from the previous engagement and work together to develop a draft community vision statement.

More than 40 members were recruited to represent places (rural and urban residents), gender, age, income, home ownership (owners and renters), ability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and race/ethnicity. Each session was designed and facilitated by Articulous.

A community vision statement was drafted by the deliberative panel and presented to Council. The broader community then had one final opportunity for feedback before the Logan Community Vision was finalised

Outcome

Articulous provided Council with The Logan Vision Report following the conclusion of the project.

The final Logan Community Vision: Logan is a thriving, forward-thinking community, building a smart future by embracing innovation, diversity and equality for all. No matter where you’ve come from, you’re welcome in Logan.

The 9 themes of the Logan Community Vision:
1. Youth
2. Innovation and employment
3. Humanity
4. Green lifestyles
5. Climate change
6. Community
7. Diversity
8. Housing
9. Infrastructure

The Logan Community Vision helped inform the development of the Corporate Plan 2021-2026. The Logan Community Vision was awarded Highly Commended in the 2021 IAP2 Core Value Awards for Planning.

Viv is an engagement strategist with over 20 years of experience partnering with government, businesses and non-profits to put people at the heart of decision making. With a foundation in social psychology and social research, Viv brings an unwavering commitment to connecting organisations with their stakeholders and communities to drive human-centered decision-making.

Viv works at strategic levels of organisations developing strategies, frameworks, and tools for embedding engagement. She also coaches senior executives and managers to develop organisational capability and deliver engagement excellence.

She has a wealth of hands-on experience delivering engagement strategies for large and complex projects across diverse industries such as land development, infrastructure, local government, emergency services, mining, energy, and water.

From evaluating organisations engagement culture and practices to shaping engagement strategies for major urban redevelopments, Viv teams up with clients to navigate multifaceted projects and enable great decision making and change.

A dedicated IAP2 Fellow, Viv continuously seeks to advance the practice of engagement. She previously served as an IAP2 Board member, Victorian State Coordinator, and founding committee member in Western Australian. Currently she is a judge for the IAP2 Core Values Awards.

What qualifications/accreditations do you hold?

Graduate Certificate in Social Impact, UWA (2015)
Bachelor of Social Science Honours, UWS (2000)
Bachelor of Arts (Social Psychology and Social Research), UWS (1999)
Advanced Certificate in Engagement – Pathways to Advanced Engagement
IAP2 (2015) and IAP2 Certificate in Public Participation, IAP2 (2005)
Diploma of Project Management (2008)
The Research Society – Full Member
IAP2 Australasia – Fellow
What is your area of specialisation within engagement?

Strategic engagement planning and advice
Community and stakeholder engagement planning, delivery and evaluation
Facilitation – small, medium and large group decision making
Program design and evaluation
Training and coaching in engagement, evaluation and social research
Social research
Peer reviewing, auditing and evaluating stakeholder and community engagement
What sectors have you worked in?

Urban and regional land development
Infrastructure
Local government
Volunteer and emergency services
Resources and mining
Essential services – energy and water
Share your favourite engagement project with us.

Such a hard question…. I have so many!

I have been working with DevelopmentWA, WA’s state government land development agency over the past six years to embed engagement and deliver on some of the state’s highest risk land development projects.

In partnership with the engagement manager and senior executives, I undertook a strategic engagement review to audit the existing state of engagement culture and practices within the organisation, identifying strengths and opportunities for improvement and understanding the organisations aspirations for future engagement. We then developed a three-year strategy to strengthen engagement practices and realise the organisations aspirations for engagement. Over several years, I worked with the organisation to support the delivery of the strategy and create the desired change. Three years after the initial strategic engagement review, I led the second review and created a new strategy for the following three years. The new strategy reflects the maturing engagement culture and practices within the organisation.

One of the most satisfying outcomes of the most recent strategic engagement review was the establishment of a Government Land Organisation Community Engagement Network, bringing together the engagement teams from all the nine Government Land Organisations from around Australia and New Zealand to continue sharing knowledge and supporting each other in engagement. The network meets quarterly to discuss a range of pertinent themes to engagement in the development industry.

During this time, I have supported the organisation in the development of several human centred policies and procedures for managing some of the complex issues that arise in land development such as managing homelessness on landholding, managing dust, noise and vibration during construction, and many others and have supported the design and delivery of engagement for some of the state’s highest risk land development projects.

I am a Palawa woman from Lutruwita/Tasmania, whose greatest enjoyment is swimming in the local waters.

I started my communications career as a child, helping in the family business. There I learned the power of establishing positive relationships as the critical foundation for success. This has remained true throughout my career, working across various industries, including the last 20 years in the public and not-for-profit sectors.

Since returning to Australia in 2013, after 16 years working in the UK, I have strengthened local connections to develop collaborative approaches between government agencies and local communities. As an IAP2 trained Engagement Practitioner, I have enjoyed demonstrating the power of the IAP2 ethos “meaningful engagement every day” on projects such as the Kanamaluka/River Tamar Vision 2022, Kingston Park Project, Kingborough Council’s Strategic Plan 2020-2025, and multiple urban design projects improving the quality of recreational spaces across Kingborough.

What qualifications/accreditations do you hold?

IAP2 Certificate in Engagement
Associate Diploma of Arts in Drama
What is your area of specialisation within engagement?

Understanding people, designing for accessibility, facilitation

What sectors have you worked in?

Local Government
State Government
Not-for-profit
Development/Building industry
University

Share your favourite engagement project with us.

Kamamaluka/River Tamer Vision, Kingston Park playground, Kingborough Council Strategic Plan, Blackmans Bay Water Quality, Communciations and Engagement Framework for Kingborough Council.

Nathan holds extensive experience working in a complex urban development and on infrastructure projects, both in government and consultancy.

With over 20 years’ experience leading stakeholder engagement, strategic communications and related disciplines, mitigating reputational risk and driving opportunities, Nathan has in depth experience as a leader in both communications and community engagement. Having worked with globally recognised brands and in both the private and public sector, he has been responsible for successful strategies and execution of stakeholder relations and communications with groups ranging from all levels of government to community based and special interest groups.

His experience includes complex community engagement and communications projects within the private sector, local, state and Commonwealth governments. As a result, he has developed a real passion for and strong knowledge of urban development, planning, communications and community engagement.

Communicating complexity in a way that resonates with stakeholders and makes a difference is a passion. He has over twenty years of experience in working with technical experts to ‘decode’ information for everyday citizens to engage with. This ranges from explaining challenging technology, to demystifying water and energy planning and construction, to discussing challenging urban renewal and infill development concepts with political representatives and neighbouring residents.

What qualifications/accreditations do you hold?

Bachelor of Arts (Communication Studies), University of Newcastle
What is your area of specialisation within engagement?

Engagement strategy and design on complex projects
Facilitation
Group design (CRG) and representative panels.
What sectors have you worked in?

Planning
Urban design
Government (state and commonwealth)
Mining
Industrial
Energy
Economic development
Water
Transport
Infrastructure.
Share your favourite engagement project with us.

I have been responsible for the strategy and execution of stakeholder relations with groups ranging from all levels of government to community based and special interest groups. These complex projects involving communities and stakeholders to drive great outcomes are my favourite type of projects!

I have led and consulted on numerous successful complex strategic programs, but a few of my favourites include:

Priority Development Areas (PDAs) across Queensland for Economic Development Queensland (EDQ), the Queensland Government’s land use planning and property development agency.
Seqwater’s 30-year horizon water planning project, managing up to $11 billion of water supply assets.
Queensland’s 50% Renewable Energy Target Program, which has potential for 6,500 Queensland jobs.
The ‘Jobs Now, Jobs for the Future’ program for Queensland Treasury, which produced the Working Queensland strategy, a $1.6 billion package to help boost the confidence of business to create jobs.
The development of Queensland’s first Multicultural Policy and Action Plan.