Stacey has significant experience in research and policy development, and has worked within and across government, universities and the not-for-profit sector. Stacey is a strategic thinker adept at applying evidence to policy and practice and grappling with complex challenges. She has worked on a range of public policy issues, including early childhood education, integrated service delivery, maternal and chid health, system design for prevention and early intervention, family support program design, the development and embedding of outcomes frameworks, and systems change. 

While at dandolo, Stacey has led significant projects in early childhood, school education, place-based initiatives and gender equity, including:

• A report on strengthening the collection of preschool attendance data across jurisdictions and preschool settings

• Developing an evaluation framework for the children's education and care workforce strategy

• Mapping the landscape of organisations and services focused on the First 1000 days

• Developing funding and advocacy strategies and papers for several place-based initiatives focused on the early years

• Evaluating the Links to Early Learning program, connecting families experiencing disadvantage with early learning services

• Working with a local council to understand and model the costs of delivering 3 year old kindergarten and meeting increased demand in the short, medium and long term

• Understanding the role and scope of work for specialist teachers for students with disability for a state government, and reviewing the effectiveness of student behaviour supports for another state government

• Working on future strategy for the Women's Gender Equality Agency

Prior to dandolo, Stacey:

• Led the development of A Smart Investment for a Smarter Australia, an economic analysis of early childhood education programs in Australia,

• Co-authored How Australia can Invest in Children and Return More, an analysis of Commonwealth and state and territory spending on crisis and high-intensity services for problems experienced by children and young people

• Co-authored Two Years are Better Than One: Developing a universal preschool program for Australian 3 year olds – evidence, policy and implementation and several key reports on policy reforms for improving the quality of early childhood education

• Presented the case for investment in early childhood education at the National Press Club

• Was the lead author for the Better Systems, Better Chances report, which focused on the design of a prevention-focused service system, the key factors that support child and family wellbeing at each developmental stage, and evidence-based interventions.

Stacey has a PhD and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from the University of Western Australia. Since 2017, Stacey has served as a Board Member of the Early Learning Association of Australia.