We’re a management consulting firm with a public impact purpose

About Rachel

Rachel brings extensive expertise in public policy development, assessment and organisational strategic planning. Known for her strong strategic and analytical skills, she has successfully navigated complex, high-profile policy issues across diverse sectors, including health, justice, international trade, the creative sector and higher education and training. Before joining dandolo, Rachel held senior executive roles at the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet and served as a policy manager, economic advisor and policy advisor in several key New Zealand government departments, including the Treasury and the Pharmaceutical Management Agency.

Influential work:

• Developing a strategy and action plan to improve school attendance in Western Australia’s most remote and highly disadvantaged communities  
• Reviewing the funding approaches the Victorian Government uses to support sole traders, micro-businesses, and small to medium organisations in Victoria’s creative industries
• Identifying opportunities to incentivise Registered Training Organisation (RTO) excellence through the Standards for RTOs 2015
• Developing a strategic plan for a state government education authority
• Developing several successful funding proposals for a large philanthropic organisation, including in relation to justice reinvestment, corrections wrap-around support and health justice partnerships
• Undertaking a multi-year evaluation of four foundational education training pilots in remote Australian communities
• The development of resources to support capability building of RTOs to better support student mental health
• The development of a strategic plan for the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority
• A post-implementation review of the National Skills Commission
• A post-implementation review of Undergraduate Certificates

Ask Rachel about

Justice policy; pharmaceutical subsidies; VET reform; public budgeting; crochet; pantry organisation; superior brands of potato chips.

‍

About Stacey

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 child health, system design for prevention and early intervention, family support program design, the development and embedding of outcomes frameworks, and systems change.

Stacey leads dandolo’s early years practice and is a noted expert in early childhood education and care policy.

Influential work

• A comprehensive review of the enablers of retention / drivers of attrition for the early childhood education and care workforce
• A review of induction practices for new and experienced early childhood teaches and educators, and identification of priorities for enhanced support
• Evaluating the early stages of implementing a large-scale model of place-based integrated school hubs and networks
• An evaluation of early years STEM professional learning programs
• 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
• 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, as well as wider analysis on the role of ‘linkers’ / system navigator and what’s needed to grow this emerging workforce
• 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

Ask Stacey about

Early childhood education; place-based initiatives; cats; sci-fi; modernist literature.

‍

About Rachel

Rachel is an experienced manager, with experience leading projects across all aspects of the policy cycle including policy development, strategy, evaluations and reviews. At dandolo, Rachel leads projects across the education (early childhood education and care, school education, higher education and VET), justice, health and human services portfolios. Prior to working at dandolo, Rachel was a manager at the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety and Department of Premier and Cabinet where she led projects in the criminal law, police, youth justice and courts portfolios.

Influential work

• Evaluating a funding initiative to support on-country learning in central Australian schools
• Developing a strategy for a federal Workplace Gender Equality Agency
• Supporting two Aboriginal-led justice reinvestment sites to develop proposals for funding from government and philanthropic sources
• Undertaking an environmental scan of responses to family and domestic violence across all Australian jurisdictions
• Conducting an evaluation of a project to translate the evidence base of primary prevention of violence against women with disabilities
• Conducting a strategic review of a state government education department
• Conducting a data-collection project for a group of women’s shelters, to build a fuller picture of their client’s work and experiences and understanding the outcomes for women after leaving crisis accommodation
• Undertaking a post-implementation review of a national skills Commissioner.

‍

About Lauren

Lauren is an experienced project manager, with experience spanning policy design, development, implementation, evaluation and strategy. At dandolo, Lauren has led many projects across education, early childhood education and care, skills, health and the arts. Prior to joining dandolo, Lauren worked at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, both in Canberra-based roles and as a diplomat in Pakistan. She has also previously worked as a Research Officer for the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, and has held various roles in not-for-profit organisations and research institutions. Lauren holds a Bachelor of Arts / Law from the Australian National University and a Masters of Law from Columbia University.

Influential projects:

• Supporting an expert panel to present a new vision for a state’s senior secondary school pathways
• Leading evaluations of three major government-funded STEM initiatives targeted at early years and early primary
• Providing research and advice on strengthening pathways to attract mid-career professionals into teaching
• Advising a place-based initiative on strategy, advocacy, monitoring and evaluation
• Providing critical friend advice to a national education organisation on how to measure organisational impact
• A rapid review of teacher-facing learning resources for a state education department
• A lapsing program evaluation of a curriculum-aligned STEM in schools initiative
• Working with a Commonwealth-funded skills organisation as its evaluation partner
• Evaluating a funding initiative aimed at improving wellbeing in schools
• Supporting two leading Australian arts organisations to develop organisational strategies

Ask Lauren about

Schools funding; non-profit strategy development; federalism; Pakistani politics; vinyasa yoga; Masterchef as a soft power asset.

‍

About Danielle

Danielle has worked in and around government, politics, and the not-for-profit sector in policy design and implementation, campaigns, advocacy, law reform and strategy. At Dandolo, Danielle has led evaluation, strategy and research projects across a range of sectors including primary prevention, health, education, early childhood education and care, and child and family welfare.

Prior to joining dandolo, Danielle held leadership and advisory roles including at a peak body for child and family welfare, in the Department of Justice and Community Safety across youth justice, courts, and justice strategy, and as an advisor to a Member of Parliament, managing projects in areas such as justice and health.

Influential projects at dandolo:

• Researching the drivers of retention and attrition in the early childhood education workforce for a state department
• Supporting a Victorian TAFE body in developing a bid to deliver VET services in correctional facilities
• Evaluating a state education department strategy to support the safety and wellbeing of the education workforce
• Evaluating a school-based health initiative to support young people to recognise, understand, and manage pelvic pain for a not-for-profit
• Supporting an Aboriginal peak body with evidence reviews on funding models for integrated Aboriginal Community-Controlled ECEC services and access to ECEC to inform policy development
• Evaluating a not-for-profit organisation's multi-state community disaster recovery program supporting children and families affected by floods
• Facilitating and report writing for stakeholder consultation on primary prevention of violence against women in new settings for a not-for-profit
• Leading a national stakeholder consultation to support a Commonwealth department to develop a whole of government strategy
• Undertaking a rapid review of community services workforce growth and development strategies for a state department
• Evaluating a statutory primary prevention authority
• Evaluating a framework for enhancing gender equality and violence prevention in TAFEs

Ask Danielle about

Ask me about: access to justice; primary prevention; reproductive rights; child and family welfare; lived experience in policy and service development; horror movies and Halloween.

About Alex

Alex is an award-winning leader and evaluator of transformational and internationally recognised social impact programs. Alex has expertise in education, disability, health and data science, and has developed and evaluated policies and programs across Australia and Southeast Asia. He is a well-regarded trainer and capability builder in how to develop and use strong evidence for designing policy and strategy. Prior to joining dandolo, he was a member of the NSW Department of Education where he led a world-first initiative in assessing the learning of students with disability, for which he was awarded a New South Wales Premier’s Award and lauded by the OECD as ‘a good example of a bottom-up approach to policy making and co-construction of policies’.

Influential work at Dandolo

• Evaluating the way that government engages with industry to design and improve the national VET system
• Mapping the health and medical research funding landscape to support the development of the National Health and Medical Research Strategy
• Estimating government investment needed to scale diabetes treatment and monitoring technology across Australia
• Evaluating a suite of literacy and mathematics professional learning and assessment platforms for the early years of school
• Assessing the value of major NSW and Victorian medical research institutes to university partners
• Data mining analysis on the jurisdiction-level drivers of a decline in students receiving an ATAR
• Financial modelling on the cost structures of long daycare centres as evidence to the Productivity Commission
• Evaluating a STEM education project and technology platform for the early years of schooling  
• Reviewing a state education department’s performance in Year 12 student outcomes  
• Analysing school performance reviews to identify strategic needs for a state education department

Ask Alex about

Impact measurement and education assessment; designing and driving social impact programs; and any kind of music genre because I love them all.

‍

About Harrison

Harrison has worked across policy design, development evaluation and strategy in both Australia and New Zealand. He has led and supported major policy and legislative reforms, including banking legislation, monetary policy, defence, national security and climate change. Prior to joining dandolo Harrison worked at MartinJenkins, New Zealand’s leading public policy consulting firm. He also held various roles in the New Zealand Treasury.

Influential projects at dandolo include:

• Evaluating a national provider of paediatric allied health services in regional and remote Australia
• Evaluating a national positive body image program
• Producing an outcomes and impact measurement framework for a national education research body
• Producing an evidence review and supporting development of a tender submission for an early childhood education and care service provider
• Working with a Jobs and Skills Council to develop recommendations to align a training package in the aviation sector with recent regulatory changes
• Supporting a state department of education to develop business cases on school infrastructure and teacher supply

Ask Harrison about

Regulatory and legislative reform, wellbeing economy, macroeconomics, financial scandals, New Zealand politics, and skin care.

‍

About Madeleine

Madeleine is a seasoned public policy professional with extensive experience leading policy development, analysis, advice and implementation. Madeleine spent over 13 years in the Victorian Public Service working across a diverse range of policy areas, including early childhood, transport, school education and economic policy, and brings together strong strategic and analytical skills, and a deep understanding of how government works. Since joining dandolo, Madeleine has worked across a range of projects in the early childhood, vocational education and training, and education sectors.  

Influential work

• A review of a regulator's market entry process in the vocational education and training sector
• A market and competitor review for an Australian education research organisation
• An independent legislative review for a state government on the post-reform operation of a TAFE
• Advice to government on the design of a wage subsidy for parts of the ECEC sector
• Analysis of the strengths and limitations of funding models for aged care and ECEC, and advice on the implications of a supply-side funding model in ECEC
• A report to a government funder for a university providing support to communities offering VET to secondary school students

Ask Madeleine about

Early childhood education and care; school education; market-based reform; parenting tweens; Elizabeth

Strout novels; all things food related.

‍

About Eleanor

Eleanor has a background in strategy, governance and social research. She has expertise in qualitative social research and ethnographic interviewing, bringing a sociocultural lens to each project she undertakes.

Prior to dandolo, Eleanor worked primarily in public sector consulting, including as part of The Boston Consulting Group’s public sector practice area and with Orima Research, and has held policy and research roles across the not-for-profit, university and government spheres.

Eleanor has experience across organisational reform, program evaluation, user experience and service innovation in a range of sectors, including education, health, disability, employment, finance, defence, tech and justice.

Passionate about education and inclusion, she has volunteered her mentoring, analysis and editing skills to assist various charities. She also has skills in marketing, communications, sales and fundraising, adding a commercial nous to her work.

Influential work:

• Evaluating a federally funded program to deliver on-country learning initiatives in Central Australian schools
• Completing a market scan of assistive technology and support for students with complex communication needs
• Supporting a leading education research organisation to review its plan for outcomes and impact measurement
• Reviewing the professional experience (practicum) offering of a leading Initial Teacher Education provider
• Conducting research on drivers of attrition and retention in the early childhood education and care workforce
• Evaluating a suite of assessment tools and resources to support teacher practice in literacy and numeracy
• Researching the education outcomes and interventions for vulnerable groups of Australian school students for a major philanthropic funder, to inform a second phase of work advising them of strategic investment opportunities to alleviate educational disadvantage
• Developing a model to strengthen and diversify the pipeline of potential political candidates in Australia
• Facilitating a cross-sector working group to design and deliver digital and technology skills training pathways
• Advising a national expert panel on ways to improve the practical placement experiences of teaching students

Ask Eleanor about

Educational inequality; mental health and disability advocacy; hiking in Tasmania; animals in general.

‍

About Peta

Peta is an operations specialist with a focus on people and workplace culture. From recruitment, onboarding through to training and professional development, Peta overseas these functions to ensure our values align with our ways of working, whilst supporting the behind the scenes day-to-day running of the firm. Her enthusiasm for continuous improvement and her pragmatic approach ensures that our internal systems and processes are fit for purpose and provide our team with the tools and space to deliver great work.

Prior to joining dandolo, Peta held various operational roles. Most recently these roles included:

• Operations Specialist with a large national multidisciplinary architectural firm
• People Operations Manager with an international design firm
• Studio Manager for a Melbourne based architectural firm

Peta has a Graduate Certificate in Business Administration with RMIT.

Influential work at dandolo:

• Oversaw the design, development and implementation of dandolo’s integrated management system
• Set up a dedicated parents room to support our parents returning to work
• Oversaw the design and development of our website refresh
• Documented and streamlined our graduate recruitment and professional development processes
• Contributed to the development and implementation of dandolo’s Project Opportunities Mapping tool to support professional development objectives
• Provides financial and people metric reporting to dandolo’s leadership to support decision making
• Coordinates dandolo’s learning and development program  
• Contributed to the development of dandolo’s DEI Ways of Working resources

Ask Peta about

Process mapping, supporting parents return to work and ACOTAR.

‍

About Zoe

As Operations Manager at dandolo, Zoe focuses on business development, operational innovations, and system efficiencies that result in improved ways of working. Zoe is experienced in operational and project management roles across a broad range of organisations.

Prior to dandolo, she most recently worked as a:

• Project Manager at a high-end residential architecture firm
• Project Manager at an architectural studio providing visual amenity evidence to Tribunals and Planning Panels
• National Learning & Development Coordinator for a big supermarket chain

Zoe is also passionate about social justice issues. She has volunteered for a range of not-for-profits, including in South America where she made educational films for a youth support group and a foundation providing clean water solutions to regional farming communities.

Influential work at dandolo

• Re-engineered dandolo’s enterprise resource management processes to be more accurate and user friendly for project managers
• Provides regular business intelligence reporting to dandolo leadership to support decision making
• Introduced incentives to promote a higher timesheet completion rate for the consulting team
• Project managed and quality assured a major early childhood provider’s tender to provide services to recent migrant and refugee communities
• Photographs dandolo staff for the website, in a manner which they broadly tolerate

Ask Zoe about

Oscar’s Law, doodling, and dismantling the patriarchy

‍

‍

About JP

JP has considerable experience in qualitative research, with a specialised interest in leading interviews and facilitations, quantitative data analysis, and conducting both short- and long-term evaluations. These projects have spanned many sectors, in particular education, skills, innovation, and mental health and wellbeing. Prior to joining dandolo, JP was a Touring Manager in the creative/education industry for many years. In this role, he developed and facilitated workshops for educators in the areas of curriculum, communication and engagement.

Influential work at dandolo

• Evaluation of an education department’s approach to implementing place-based and collective-impact approaches to address inequity in schools
• Supporting a Commonwealth Working Group to develop an ‘earn while you learn’ training model
• Conducting a long-term evaluation of a high-profile mental health initiative in high schools
• Conducting interviews and facilitating roundtables in each jurisdiction as inputs into the development of a workforce strategy
• Analysing, researching and developing an understanding of an emerging service-system workforce for a large philanthropic organisation
• Reviewing a long-standing national youth touring science program
• Developing a prospectus to promote investment in an innovative public health program
• Developing a strategy to procure software in schools for an education department
• Facilitating a complex co-design process between a Government department and multiple industry skills bodies to develop performance arrangements
• Analysing the market positioning and financial performance of various products and services of a major education organisation

Ask JP about

Health and wellbeing support programs in schools; engaging with young people; conducting evaluations; The Tragedy of Macbeth; spotting bluffs in Texas Hold'em.

‍

About Samantha

Sam is a qualified early childhood educator and primary school teacher and has worked across a range of settings within the early childhood sector in Australia. She is a skilled communicator and critical thinker and enjoys applying these skills to solve complex problems. Her doctoral thesis focussed on parent and professional experiences of inclusion in early childhood programs in Victoria. She has experience in both qualitative and quantitative analysis, program evaluation, and facilitation.

Influential projects:

• Reviewing measures taken to support school students with disability during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Developing an insights paper on the barriers to accessing allied health for children requiring specialist supports for a not-for-profit
• Conducting a scoping study to understand the barriers and opportunities in scaling up a maternal child health sustained nurse home visiting program
• Facilitating a series of planning workshops for a jurisdiction preparing to implement three-year-old preschool
• Developing an evidence review of effective funding principles for Aboriginal Community Controlled integrated hubs
• Facilitating and report writing for stakeholder consultation on primary prevention of violence against women in new settings for a not-for-profit
• Developing induction support resources for the kindergarten and pre-prep workforce

Ask Samantha about

Early childhood education and care; early intervention; playgroups; inclusive education; professional learning; toy libraries.

‍

About Nikita

Nikita’s expertise encompasses end-to-end evaluation, policy design, strategic reviews, and research. At dandolo, Nikita works across a range of portfolio areas including human and social services, school and tertiary education, and health. As a passionate advocate for social and economic inclusion, she brings a people-centred and empathic approach to all her engagements, building rapport with stakeholders.

Prior to joining dandolo, Nikita worked at the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness, and Housing where she led on large-scale gender equality reform, in for-purpose consulting across a range of policy areas that focused on system change, and the not-for-profit sector.

Nikita is also a member of the Australian Evaluation Society.

Influential work

• Evaluating a school-based health initiative to support young people to recognise, understand, and manage pelvic pain for a not-for-profit
• Evaluating a co-design project to translate an evidence-based framework to support prevention of violence against women and children with a disability
• Evaluating the Digital Skills Cadetship Trial pilot funded by the Commonwealth Government
• Evaluating a strategy designed to support the safety and wellbeing of the education workforce
• Supporting an expert panel to present a new vision for a state’s senior secondary school pathways
• Developed a funding proposal for a large national health not-for-profit
• Leading a business case for to consolidate a state government’s approach to student mental health and wellbeing

Ask Nikita about

Family violence reform, lived experience engagement, evaluation, restaurants in Melbourne, the perfect chocolate chip cookie

‍

About Kerstin

Kerstin has a background in community services in Australia as well as the international humanitarian and development sectors. Prior to joining dandolo Kerstin worked as a Senior Assessment and Research Officer with IMPACT Initiatives Syria mission where she managed large-scale quantitative and qualitative research projects to provide accessible analysis for the humanitarian response to inform decisions on programming, policies, and resource allocation. Kerstin also worked as a Research Officer for the United National High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) where she supported the development of strategic partnerships to leverage policy outcomes for refugees across the Middle East and North Africa region. From these and her other professional experiences in the non-for-profit sector Kerstin brings valuable skills in multi-stakeholder coordination and consultation, research design and data analysis, and advocacy. Kerstin holds a Bachelor of Environmental Management, Diploma of Languages in Arabic, and Master of International Relations where she specialised in social policy and development.

Kerstin’s recent work with dandolo includes:

• Developing options for a national ECEC information sharing model to support child safety
• Conducting a return on investment analysis for a non-for-profit organisation delivering an early-years program aimed at improving literacy outcomes  
• Supporting a co-design process with an Australian Government department and industry-led organisations established to address VET sector and workforce challenges to develop a collective performance framework
• Conducting quantitative and qualitative analysis of an early childhood education and care organisation’s administration and program data providing synthesised findings to its Board and stakeholders

Ask Kerstin about

Applied social research in complex environments, new approaches for Arabic language curriculum development, salsa dancing, Syrian and Lebanese soap operas.

‍

About Arielle

Starting her career as a corporate lawyer and Judge’s Associate, Arielle has since applied her skills as a project manager, trainer, experienced designer, facilitator and fundraising consultant on projects with various for-purpose organisations.

Prior to joining dandolo Arielle worked as Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships Manager at Trawalla Foundation, where she oversaw the monitoring and evaluation of the award-winning Pathways to Politics for Women program and helped coordinate Australia’s largest ever study on gender representation in news media. Arielle also worked as a Senior Associate at Wendy Brooks & Partners, supporting not-for-profit organisations to position for philanthropic funding and providing strategic planning services. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and Bachelor of Arts from Monash University.

Examples of Arielle’s significant work at dandolo include:

• Supporting the co-design of new national licensing and subscription arrangements for a federated non-profit organisation
• Leading project management and stakeholder consultation for a government department of education re-design of a national professional learning suite that supports inclusive educational practice and legal compliance
• Reviewing a literacy and numeracy test for Initial Teacher Education for a government department of education

Ask Arielle about

Gender-lensed philanthropy, being a birth doula, secular Buddhism and gorditas.

‍

About Ellie

Ellie is an experienced public policy consultant who has worked on a range of projects for government, not-for-profit and philanthropic clients. In her time at dandolo Ellie has worked on a range of policy areas including early childhood education and care, schools, higher education, vocational education and training and community and human services. As a trained secondary teacher, Ellie joined dandolo with relevant experience as an education professional.  Ellie previously taught at Victorian schools in a variety of contexts. This experiences and her work at dandolo have cemented her interest in educational inequity.

Influential work

• An evaluation of the implementation of a gender and equality framework in TAFEs across four jurisdictions
• A strategic review of a national science education touring program
• A comparative evaluation of two early learning STEM programs on behalf of the Australian Government
• The development of induction support resources for the kindergarten and pre-prep workforce
• The development of a workforce strategy for the vocational education and training sector
• An evaluation of a project to develop resources for government, policymakers and disability and prevention practitioners to translate the evidence base of primary prevention of violence against women with disabilities
• The development of a policy-focused insights paper for an early childhood focused place-based initiative, which focused on wrap-around allied health support and the barriers to accessing allied health for children requiring specialist supports
• A secondment in the school-aged learning team of a large Australian philanthropic organisation
• A significant review of initial teacher education (ITE), focusing on the opportunities to improve professional practice experiences of ITE students

Ask Ellie about

Education equity, theatre recommendations in Melbourne, Formula 1, walking and attempting to learn languages.

‍

About Gabriella

Gabriella brings experience from her work in academia, arts education and community development. At dandolo, Gabriella has worked on projects including evaluations, reviews, strategy development and policy reform, predominantly in the education and arts sectors. Prior to joining Dandolo, Gabriella worked at the University of Auckland in the Faculty of Education where she authored academic publications, taught at both undergraduate and postgraduate level and contributed to significant educational research projects. She is passionate about education and brings a strong lens for equity and inclusion to her work. Gabriella holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, and a Master of Social and Community Leadership from the University of Auckland.

Influential projects:

• Developing an industrial change proposal for a mental health organisation
• Supporting a youth mental health consortium to provide advice on sector reform
• Developing a strategy for primary prevention against gendered violence in the TAFE and VET sector
• Estimating the operating shortfall to run ECEC services in regional and remote communities for a new philanthropic organisation
• Evaluating an educational body positivity program
• Evaluating a government funded early years STEM education program
• Reviewing a statutory authority’s professional learning outputs against best practice
• Supporting an independent review of administration and compliance burden in government schools
• Performing a lapsing program evaluation of a prominent film festival
• Evaluating a significant government funded initiative aimed at increasing student wellbeing
• Conducting a review of the professional experience offering for a leading Initial Teacher Education provider

Ask Gabriella about

Educational equity; cultural competence; hedonism; and the importance of public schooling.

‍

About Hannah

Hannah has a background in politics, policy and governance and brings excellent written and verbal communication skills from previous roles in client services. While at dandolo, Hannah's work has focused on topics including integrated and hub-based service delivery models to children and families in vulnerable areas, interventions to support student mental health and wellbeing and disadvantaged school cohorts, as well as strengthening teaching employment pathways and training. She is adept at providing advice to government and non-government organisations about the roles they can play in improving student education outcomes. Hannah is currently writing a Policy and Governance Masters dissertation on power dynamics in integrated early years initiatives.

Influential work

• Evaluating an education department’s approach to implementing place-based and collective-impact approaches to address inequity in schools
• Evaluating a national provider of paediatric allied health services in regional and remote Australia
• Review of models of integration and collaboration in the early years
• Evaluating a major funding initiative for student wellbeing
• In principal assessment of a place-based initiative
• Supporting a Commonwealth Working Group to develop an ‘earn while you learn’ training model
• Evaluating a program to fund alternative pathways into teaching

Ask Hannah about

Agonism, integration in early years services, compost.

‍

About Ella

Ella has experience working across different social policy areas both in the federal government and at dandolo. At Dandolo, Ella has worked and supported a range of different projects, including evaluations, reviews and strategic policy development. Her work has spanned a range of different sectors including social policy, disaster recovery, medical research institutions, education, and mental health and wellbeing. Prior to joining dandolo, Ella worked as an Advisor at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet on the review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). She previously worked as a Data Officer at the Department of Social Services, supporting the handling and synthesis of large and sensitive datasets belonging to the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC).

Influential work:

• Evaluating a not-for-profit organisation's multi-state community disaster recovery program supporting children and families affected by floods
• Evaluating a state education department’s strategy aimed at improving staff mental health and wellbeing
• Evaluating a national provider of paediatric allied health services in regional and remote Australia
• Supporting a national science agency to explore barriers and enablers of commercialising products and services that address anti-microbial resistance (AMR)  
• An evaluation of an educational body positivity program
• Developing a business case for a state department of education to fund a multi-year teacher supply strategy
• Assessing the value of a major NSW medical research institute to a university partner

Ask Ella about

All things data (quantitative and qualitative); applied psychology theories; the disability sector; and the curly girl method.

‍

About Lucy

At dandolo Lucy has been a valued team member on many projects varying in scope and scale across sectors such as vocational education, secondary and early education and primary prevention of gendered and family violence. She greatly enjoys being part of work that delivers impact for communities and has a deep passion for for-purpose work.

Prior to joining dandolo, Lucy was a vocational education student studying a Certificate III in Business in an earn while you learn model, and becoming a qualified massage therapist. After studying her Certificate III, Lucy worked in orchestral operations in the arts sector while studying a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in sociology at Deakin University. Lucy also brings decades of experience as a participant, volunteer and employee in grassroots community sport and remains passionate about the role of sport in society.

Influential projects:

• Project management for a consortium of sector experts to provide advice to government on youth mental health reform
• A lapsing program evaluation of a state government program to support secondary school students undertaking school-based apprenticeships and traineeships
• An evaluation of a framework to help registered training organisations embed gender equality and respect for women in their organisation
• An evaluation of two early years initiatives that support educators to teach STEM in early education
• A tender for an ECEC provider to provide culturally safe care for newly arrived refugee and migrant families
• Development of the VET Workforce Blueprint
• An evaluation of the Digital Skills Cadetship Trial

Ask Lucy about

What I’m cooking for dinner, crochet, dog training (and, by extension, my dog!) and the complex gender dynamics of professional and grassroots sport.

‍

About Indi

Indi has a background in politics and international relations, and economics. Prior to joining dandolo, Indi primarily worked in the not-for-profit sector, where she led a team focused on international youth development and supported a partnerships team at an organisation dedicated to advancing female economic empowerment. She contributes to various projects at dandolo, spanning evaluations, strategy and policy development. Her experience encompasses diverse areas such as education, early childhood care, technology, and social policy. Through her work at dandolo, Indi hopes to make a positive social impact.

Influential work

• Evaluating a STEM program delivered in early primary schools
• Completing a market scan of assistive technology and support for students with complex communication needs
• Analysing the Australian funding landscape for medical and health research on behalf of a government department
• Evaluating a state department of education strategy designed to support the safety and wellbeing of the education workforce
• Assessing and providing strategic advice on the value that a medical research institute provides to a partner university

Ask Indi about

Development in the Asia Pacific region, predatory AAC software subscription models, brainrot.

‍

About Saskia

Saskia has experience in government, media and advisory organisations, and is skilled in policy design, development and implementation. At Dandolo, she has supported projects in education, early childhood education and care, workforce development and skills provision, health and defence. Prior to joining dandolo, she worked at the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department. She has also previously worked as a research officer and subscriptions manager for a publication on energy policy in Australia.

Saskia completed a MPhil in Public Policy at the University of Cambridge and a Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) and Diploma of Languages (French) from the University of Melbourne. She is a passionate advocate for the rare disease community and has also volunteered for a range of other not-for-profits, including a refugee rights organisation in Geneva, as well as an indigenous language centre in Far North Queensland.

Influential work

• Supporting an independent review of administration and compliance burden in government schools
• Advising a Jobs and Skills Council on options to align Vocational Education and Training (VET) requirements for aircraft maintenance engineers with the Part 66 modular licencing option
• Advising a peak childcare body on the implications of a supply-side funding model for the ECEC sector, including key risks and considerations for quality, equity and supply
• Providing a not-for-profit with strategic advice on education outcomes and interventions for vulnerable school-aged cohorts in Australia
• Developing a targeted funding approach and value proposition for a medical research institute

Ask Saskia about

The Millennium series, classics, cross country skiing.

‍

About Sam

Sam joins dandolo with a background in engineering and philosophy. He previously worked as an analyst at a medical devices company, with roles spanning design, market research, and operations. His experience as a volunteer for Engineers without Borders sparked a deep interest in educational equity and leveraging technology to create social value.

Sam holds a Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy) from the University of Sydney. His thesis proposed a promising, novel approach for the reconstruction of bone defects using minimally invasive surgery. Through his work at dandolo, Sam hopes to inform impactful policy decisions, and a bring a lens of creativity to strategic problem solving.

Influential work

• Developing a performance framework for a state run early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector leaders
• Developing options for a national ECEC information sharing model to support child safety
• Evaluating a school-based apprenticeship and traineeship program for a state education department
• Mapping the health and medical research funding landscape
• Conducting a process evaluation of two place-based education initiatives for a state education department
• Reviewing a statutory authority’s professional learning outputs against best practice
• Supporting an independent review of administration and compliance burden in government schools

Ask Sam about

Media system dependency theory; highball bouldering; nanotechnology; SSRN.

‍

About Gemma

Gemma has recently joined the dandolo team as a Consulting Analyst, where she supports a range of fieldwork and reporting across different project contexts.

Gemma holds a Master of Applied Psychology from the University of Melbourne and has previous experience in commercial and academic research.

Prior to joining dandolo, Gemma worked at a market and social research agency primarily servicing government and not-for-profit clients. She has also contributed to academic research around behavioural cancer prevention as a Research Assistant for the Melbourne Centre of Behaviour Change. Gemma also has experience in the primary care sector and is interested in improving healthcare engagement. In these roles, Gemma has used her expertise in psychology and behavioural insights to unpack issues with broader policy implications.

Prior to starting at dandolo, Gemma has:

• Sensitively conducted surveys for a leading primary prevention organisation, exploring attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions about workplace sexual harassment for employees and managers
• Tested and provided advice on best use of digital assets for a public health organisation designing a campaign to promote physical activity in women from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds
• Supported academic research projects focused on cancer prevention, including policy recommendations around tobacco reform
• Performed a segmentation analysis of donor behaviours to explore giving patterns for a national charity
• Explored public sentiment regarding different schooling models through surveys for a state-wide representative organisation
• Contributed to an engagement strategy to improve GP adoption of an evidence-based mental health app

Ask Gemma about

de-sludging, the primary care system, research methods, and the cultural importance of Kath & Kim.

‍

About Monica

Starting her career as a pharmacist and medical information advisor, Monica has worked within the public healthcare system and the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining dandolo, Monica worked as Clinical Pharmacist at Royal Women's Hospital, where she specialised in women and neonatal health. She has also previously worked as an associate at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and as a Medical Information Specialist at a life science consultancy where she was responsible for addressing scientific inquiries from healthcare professionals.

Monica holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy (with Honours) from Monash University, and is currently completing the final semester of her Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Melbourne, specialising in Health Policy and Evaluation Science. Monica also studied community health and development in rural India with the Nossal Institute for Global Health, where she learnt about the implementation of health programs in resource-poor settings. Her masters research project focuses on evaluating a large-scale mental health initiative launched by the Victorian Government. She is interested in supporting underprivileged communities and has volunteered at a community-run primary school in Southern Brazil that helps children from low-income families.

Monica’s experience prior to starting at dandolo includes:

• Conducting a qualitative study assessing patient satisfaction with hospital pharmacy services at a public metropolitan hospital
• Implementing a hospital-wide health promotion program educating pregnant mothers on the importance of hepatitis B immunisation at birth
• Launching medical information projects for three global pharmaceutical clients, focusing on oncology and immunology therapeutic areas

Ask Monica about

Primary healthcare programs; reproductive justice; universal health coverage; Mandarin and Portuguese languages; freediving.

‍

About Zeph

Zeph is a Consulting Analyst at dandolo, where he supports a range of fieldwork and reporting across different project contexts.  

Zeph holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Melbourne and has previous experience in program delivery and academic research.  

Prior to joining dandolo, Zeph worked in the gender-based violence sector, leading the delivery of a primary prevention program. He has also contributed to academic research in cancer screening as a Research Fellow for the University of Melbourne. Zeph also has experience in public health policy and is interested in the social and economic benefits of preventing ill-health.  

Examples of projects Zeph has been involved prior to joining dandolo include:

• Facilitating primary prevention workshops to community sporting clubs covering a range of topics including gender equality and responding to disclosures of gender-based violence

• Leading systematic reviews into methods to increase participation bowel cancer screening and interventions to support cancer screening in people with disability

• Researching the effect of a vaccine decision support tool designed for parents to guide their decision making for vaccinating their child for COVID-19

• Investigating the need for a dedicated preventative health advisory committee, tasked with funding cost-effective preventative health programs in Australia

• Supporting the development of public health policy for submission to government inquiries  

Ask Zeph about

My favourite public health success stories, health policy, zoonotic viruses, and dogs.

‍

About Sarah

As Team Administrator, Sarah supports dandolo's directors and provides business support to our wider team. This involves a range of responsibilities including calendar management, event planning, preparation of professional correspondence and management of general administrative requests.

Prior to joining dandolo, Sarah worked in the private sector and across government. From her experience, Sarah brings strong organisational skills and attention to detail.  

Prior to dandolo, she most recently worked as a:

• Grants Services Officer at a government authority
• Practice Support Manager at a landscape architecture firm
• Administrative Officer at a government department

Sarah's academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts with Honours, double majoring in International Relations and Philosophy, and a Diploma of Languages in German studies from the University of Melbourne.

Influential work prior to starting at dandolo:

• Initiating and leading improvements of established training processes and resources
• Leading the reconfiguration of digital file storage systems
• Updating government record-keeping and archiving processes
• Conducting research into influential international migration policies

Ask Sarah about

Organisational apps, philosophical thought experiments, and German idioms.

‍

About Steve

Steve has 15 years’ experience in public policy, most spent in senior policy and management roles in the Victorian Department of Education and Training. He has extensive experience working on high-profile and complex policy and strategy. Most notably, Steve spent three years (2016-2019) as Policy Manager for Tech Schools, where he was responsible for the policy and service design for the Victorian State Government’s flagship STEM initiative. Most recently, Steve was Policy Manager for the infrastructure component of the Victorian State Government’s landmark $5 billion three-year-old kindergarten reforms. He combines his skills in policy and strategy with a clear and compelling communication style.  

Influential work

• Evaluating a program for emerging school leaders in disadvantaged regional schools.  
• Reviewing the regulation of vocational education and training (VET) providers in Australia.
• Supporting a Victorian university to secure funding for new energy research.  
• Assessing initial teacher education panel training for AITSL  
• Developing options for additional Commonwealth investment in social sciences research.  

Steve has a Bachelor of Arts (honours) in political science and history. He’s also the author of nine novels.

‍

About Claire

Claire has worked in consulting, advisory and management roles in both the private and public sectors and is skilled in strategic business analysis, business development and opportunity identification and assessment, and intellectual property licensing and commercialisation.  Her work has spanned the information technology, resources, education, and private equity industries.

Prior to joining dandolopartners, Claire advised a major multinational on commercialisation opportunities for a new bio-product and a patented process; provided strategic and policy advice to a major government funded online learning initiative, including development of an online intellectual property regime and funding renewal plan; led a feasibility assessment for the establishment of a bio-informatics centre in regional Australia; developed a strategic action plan for a digital arts incubator; conducted business development for one of Australia’s top 20 companies; undertook strategic planning and opportunity assessment for a venture capital fund; and managed programs for a $15m investment fund designed to stimulate the growth of Victoria’ multimedia industry.

Since joining dandolopartners, Claire has led or managed a number of projects including development of:

• A strategic and business review of a government funded organisation operating in the high technology industries
• A strategic review of government funded programs focused on the supply of teachers  
• A review of an export development grant program
• Commercial and market assessments of opportunities for exploitation of intellectual property in the form of both patents and products
• A review of the impact of COAG on the future strategic direction and governance of a government funded education sector entity
• A formative evaluation of an initiative designed to retain and/or re-engage young people of post-compulsory age in education and training
• A review of capital borrowing arrangements in the TAFE sector.

Claire has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne, Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Business Administration from RMIT.

‍