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Stakeholder and community engagement

Engagement refers to the wide range of ways that organisations connect with their communities and other stakeholders.

Engagement can be difficult, fraught with misunderstanding.

Our engagement style is characterised by the following: we understand communities, we take time to understand the context, we design appropriate approaches, we build trust and we use plain English.

Our team has highly regarded engagement specialists, who offer the following services:

  • Community and stakeholder analysis
  • Design and delivery of engagement strategy and plans
  • On ground engagement with community and stakeholders
  • Analysis, evaluation and reporting on engagement activities
  • Engagement training for staff.

Team

Claire Flanagan-Smith

Claire Flanagan-Smith

Principal

B.Env.Eng. (Hons)

Claire has more than a decade’s experience in strategic planning, facilitation and community engagement in a range of industries. Claire’s people and strategy skills are underpinned by a strong understanding of engineering and policy. She helps communities and organisations deal with complex issues, supporting insight and constructive strategy. Claire has delivered quality projects including investigations of community concerns related to mining, regional strategic planning, socio-economic impact studies and strategic planning for a wide range of organisations.

Deb Prentice

Deb Prentice

Senior Consultant

B.A., G.Dip.Bus., Dip.NRM.

Deb’s key areas of expertise are in community engagement, facilitation and strategic thinking. She has experience in both public sector and corporate organisations and her relevant training underlies a commitment to build team and community capacity, sustainable health and wellbeing and improving equity and diversity. Deb has led regional and corporate teams, formally and informally, in community engagement and activation to reach decisions and efficiencies around strategic action planning, cultural diversity, performance planning, workforce diversity and inclusion and stakeholder mapping. Her experience in working with diverse communities including people with disabilities, Aboriginal staff members, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Communities to roll out programs and enable joint direction setting provide her with a deeper understanding into people’s values, experiences and needs.

Carl Larsen

Carl Larsen

Associate

B.Env.Sci., B.Soc.Sci. (Env.), PG.Cert.CCPI.

Carl is a socio-environmental scientist with 15 years’ experience in planning, delivery and evaluation of agriculture and natural resource management programs, integrated water management, climate change and stakeholder engagement. He understands the practical implications of policy and science on communities and agriculture. Carl has worked with a range of government departments, resource management agencies, research and development corporations, private organisations and communities around Australia on catchment management, sustainable water use, resource management in agriculture/horticulture, land use, climate change, strategic planning, industry development, extension and practice change.

Jencie McRobert

Jencie McRobert

Associate

B.Sci., Grad.Dip.Eco., Assoc.App.Sci.

Jencie understands the science and economics of natural resource management and has grounded and practical experience in soils, mixed farming and viticulture. She has highly developed skills in evaluation of agricultural and natural resource management programs, business case writing, greenhouse emissions analysis and sustainable resource use, and catchment management.  Jencie knows and appreciates the issues affecting communities in rural and regional Australia.

Steph Drum

Steph Drum

Associate

B.Nat.Res. (Hons)

Steph has specific skills and experience in natural resource management and sustainable agriculture, stakeholder and community engagement, policy and strategy development and evaluation. She has broad ranging experience in the design, implementation and evaluation of natural resource management programs. Steph combines her technical NRM knowledge with her expertise in building community capacity to develop tailored approaches to delivering and evaluating both environmental and social outcomes.

Clinton Muller

Clinton Muller

Senior Consultant

M.Sust.Ag., B.Bus. (Hons), B.A.

Clinton has extensive experience in sustainable agriculture, with a specialist focus on horticulture and intensive production systems. With a strong agricultural industry focus, Clinton has worked across a range of agricultural commodities and natural resource management issues in Australia and internationally.  Clinton’s diverse range of capacities including program design and management, stakeholder engagement, partnership management, monitoring evaluation and reporting, extension, facilitation, action research and science communication.

Trent Wallis

Trent Wallis

Associate

BSc, MEnvSt, GDipPD(EnvSt)

Trent has an extensive background in environmental planning and natural resource management, with particular expertise in waterway management and planning. This includes 21 years of public sector experience working for catchment management authorities and the state government.

Trent’s work focuses on strategic environmental policy, planning and evaluation, and supporting project teams with the delivery of long-term catchment health outcomes. He is also experienced in community and stakeholder management, and has a strong understanding of the importance of genuine engagement to ensure project buy-in and support. He has worked with, and led, integrated project teams, stakeholder and community project committees, forums and working groups, and technical expert groups.

Jaclyne Scally

Jaclyne Scally

Senior Consultant

B.App.Sci. (Env.Mgt.) (Hons)

Jaclyne has experience in strategy development, community and stakeholder engagement, community based natural resource management and social research. Her projects have involved environment and sustainability planning for local government, estuary management planning, program evaluations and communication and engagement strategies for government departments. Jaclyne has a passion for working with communities to achieve practical outcomes for the environment.

Melissa Ludeman

Melissa Ludeman

Senior Consultant

B.Env.Sci. (Hons)

Melissa is a Senior Consultant in the Community and Strategy team at RMCG, with extensive expertise in natural resource management, sustainable agriculture, strategy development, evaluation, and stakeholder engagement. She has a proven track record in working with diverse clients, including catchment management authorities, state and Commonwealth governments, and industry bodies. Mel is skilled in developing and implementing strategic plans that address environmental challenges and promote sustainability. Mel has also assisted clients with evaluation planning as well as mid-term and final program evaluations to assess whether they have met their objectives and deliver continuous improvement. Additionally, Mel is experienced in stakeholder and community engagement, facilitating collaboration and participation to ensure that strategies and initiatives are inclusive and effective.

Rebecca Schwarzman

Rebecca Schwarzman

Senior Consultant

B.Sci. (Hons)

Bec is a skilled geographer and environmental scientist with a background in water, natural resource management and regional development.

She has made important contributions to catchment and water management, salinity, compost use in agriculture and bushfire planning and management at RMCG. She works on projects with a focus on strategic planning, program evaluation and social and environmental research, primarily for government agencies.

Bec has well developed project management skills and has a practical and resourceful style. She is a highly capable writer and problem solver.

 

Dr Kristen Stirling

Dr Kristen Stirling

Associate

PhD., B.Ag.Sci.

Kristen is an experienced researcher and industry development specialist. She successfully combines project management skills and technical expertise to deliver projects in agriculture and water related industries. She enjoys working with landholders and large organizations to inform and clarify decision-making. Areas of expertise include strategic planning, stakeholder consultation and program evaluation.

Simon McGuinness

Simon McGuinness

Associate

B.Ag.Sci.

Simon specialises in strategic planning, critical thinking, evaluation and facilitation.  He works primarily in the natural resource management sector, and also has deep experience in rural and regional development. With expertise in mediation and conflict resolution, he has led numerous projects requiring skilful delivery of community and stakeholder engagement processes.

Adrian Kennelly

Adrian Kennelly

Associate

B.Ag.Sci. (Hons), M.Ag.Sci., CPAg.

Adrian has more than 30 years’ experience in agricultural business and natural resource management research, policy, education and extension. He is a specialist farm business management adviser, who consults to medium to large-scale private farmers, agribusiness investors, agricultural industry groups and government agencies.

Adrian has specific skills and experience in strategic planning, business analysis, impact and loss assessment, facilitation, and training and education in rural Australia.  Adrian chairs the advisory boards of a number of family farming operations in south-eastern Australia and has undertaken due diligence exercises for several domestic and international investors.

In addition to this, his most recent industry project work includes the development of an Investment Attraction Program for Rural Councils Victoria, an agricultural impact assessment of the Western Highway bypass of Ararat and the development of a business planning program (Our farm, our plan) for the Australian dairy industry.

Anna Kelliher

Anna Kelliher

Managing Principal

BA, BE (Hons), GAICD

Anna is an environmental engineer with 20 years’ experience in water and catchment management. She specialises in recycled water planning, irrigation modernisation, land capability assessment, environmental risk assessment and catchment condition reporting. Anna has experience working with industry, government, farmers and the community, and has developed sound teamwork, communication and project management skills.

Dr Anna Carew

Dr Anna Carew

Senior Consultant

PhD., B.Sci. (Hons)

Anna has worked in senior strategy roles within government, and in the education sector in policy, communications and stakeholder consultation.

She is an experienced analyst, investigator, communicator and project manager across a range of agricultural, technical, educational and theoretical research areas.

Morag Anderson

Morag Anderson

Consultant

BSc (Hons), Dip.Proj.Mgmnt

Morag is an experienced project manager, with a great ability to synthesise technical information and communicate it to a wide audience.  She has a great understanding of regulatory processes. She also brings critical thinking and an awareness of individual differences and needs to projects.  She has a science background with a broad understanding of environmental disciplines.