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Joe Connell

Joe leads complex reviews, strategy and development for clients in and around government. Clients value Joe’s clear conceptual thinking, structured problem solving and compelling communication. Joe is also a sought after facilitator and presenter. Proud to be an ‘expert generalist’ Joe works across education, industry and other policy areas.

Influential work

  • Worked with a leading not for profit to make a ~$30m investment in capability building and service delivery initiatives to break cycles of disadvantage in Australia.

  • Led dandolo’s review of career education in Victorian government schools. dandolo recommendations resulted in $108m reprioritisation of funding and a transformation of service delivery.

  • Reviewed the implementation of the high profile Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education, and other ITE reforms.

  • Developed an evidence based argument to a state government for new funding to medical research institutes. This resulted in the first successful request for funding change in eleven years.

  • Supported a coalition of paediatric medical research organisations to develop a strategy for precision medicine and to secure >$20m in funding to deliver this.

  • Led a top to bottom organisational review of a state Department of Education.

  • Evaluated of Teach for Australia (TFA) on behalf of its major funder. Following on from this evaluation the Australian Government recast their contractual relationship with TFA.

  • Reviewed the professional development programs offered by a state education department to the teaching workforce. The review resulted in significant reprioritisation of resources and the establishment of a new Academy to provide high quality PD.

Prior to dandolo Joe worked as:

  • a public policy consultant in a Big 4 firm,

  • an advisor to the New Zealand minister for communications and ICT during a period of unprecedented structural reform and government investment in telecommunications

  • a policy analyst on telecommunications and sustainable energy.

Joe has a first-class honours arts degree in Public Policy from Victoria University of Wellington. At university Joe was a champion debater and was national president and founding member of UN Youth NZ.