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I'm a communication and community engagement teacher and practitioner who specialises in disaster but has wide experience across industries from mining, to government to education. My particular skills are writing and research, especially building connective and motivating campaign creative and key messaging from what the data shows us. In 2020, I was made a Fellow of the Public Relations Institute of Australia after 35 years in PR practice and teaching.

A career highlight was a recent Bushfire and Natural Hazards project with QUT and UTS colleagues mapping emergency agency practice and aspiration in community engagement for preparedness in Australia. From that we built a model of participative engagement that links aims and research with community engagement techniques that are relevant to the range of community types. The next step is to test the capability-building aspects of this model via a community of practice approach for emergency volunteers using many of the engagement tools we developed.

My PhD was on how people look for information when their community experiences a disaster (ie channels and sources) and I've completed research for Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and Toowoomba Regional Council to set up the Council's community engagement to motivate people to get ready for bushfire.

I've had over 30 years experience in journalism and public relations, including managing a communication team in local government, senior account manager at Bayly Willey Holt (part of global firm Porter Novelli), senior account manager at The Big Event Company, and various positions managing the PR function, specialising in writing and organising. My first PR job was in internal comms for Mount Isa Mines - mining and resources, along with agriculture, have remained a deep interest, but fossil fuels are a no go for me.

I teach PR and disaster communications courses, with a special interest in digital media, writing and campaign planning and development. I still practice when I can, and digital media and its analytics are a special interest.

As well as a PRIA Fellow, I'm a founding member and current Chair of Emergency Media and Public Affairs and a member of the PRIA's Education Committee measurement and evaluation sub-committee. I'm also founding member of a grass roots action group concerned with climate change, integrity in politics and participative democracy. I tend to see a need or problem and want to take action to solve it!

Experience

  • 2005–present
    Senior lecturer, University of Southern Queensland

Education

  • 2017 
    RMIT University, PhD

Grants and Contracts

  • 2022
    Community experiences of the 2022 eastern Australia floods
    Role:
    Investigator
    Funding Source:
    Natural Hazards Research Australia
  • 2020
    Bushfire preparedness along the Toowoomba escarpment
    Role:
    Chief investigator
    Funding Source:
    Toowoomba Regional Council
  • 2018
    Mapping approaches to community engagement for preparedness in Australia
    Role:
    Investigator
    Funding Source:
    Bushfire and Natural Hazards Co-operative Research Centre

Professional Memberships

  • Chair and Fellow, Emergency Media and Public Affairs
  • Fellow, Public Relations Institute of Australia