My professional journey has always been embedded in the community. My career began in community news where I honed my storytelling and engagement skills. Today, with more than two decades of experience, I have a diverse skill set including large scale community-based communication strategy and planning, media relations, issues management, crisis management, social media strategy and content creation, website management, internal communications, community engagement and stakeholder management.My experience working in communications and community engagement within the Local Government sector has seen me develop and lead a number of significant community campaigns designed to support community behaviour change. Key examples include the introduction of hard waste collection service transformation that contributed to exceeding targeted adoption rates within the first six months; community advocacy to replace St Albans Leisure Centre which has since been replaced with an award-winning community facility; and a successful community education campaign on the relocation of Council offices and services.Recent projects I am most proud of include the establishment of the Your Say Brimbank and Brimbank News websites which are visited by thousands of residents each month; and leading my team to grow Brimbank’s social media following by 39% over two years.I'm driven by the belief that a well-informed and engaged community is the cornerstone of effective community building and governance.My approach to my work and my leadership is deeply rooted in fostering open lines of communication, actively listening to community needs, and implementing innovative solutions to address them. My goal is to remain focused on leveraging my expertise to create meaningful connections between government and the public.My leadership style is focused on creating a motivational team culture where priorities are clear, goals are achieved, and people feel safe, supported and valued. I thrive in leading an engaged team and am proud of what my team continues to deliver.In 2024 I am an active member of the LGPro Social Media Conference Committee.