Dr Wendy Russell is the Director and Principal Consultant of Double Arrow Consulting. She has diverse experience in science, social science, policy and engagement practice, which brings a breadth of perspective to her work in engaging, synthesising and integrating across boundaries. She set up Double Arrow Consulting in 2013 to provide engagement services and to develop deliberative engagement methods in the ACT. She is a strong advocate of technology assessment (TA) and is developing capability in Research Engagement and Impact, particularly in relation to social, cultural and environmental impacts, and in Responsible Research and Innovation.
Wendy is a research fellow and sessional academic at the Centre for the Public Awareness of Science at the Australian National University and an associate of the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. Previously, she was an academic at the University of Wollongong researching social aspects of biotechnology, transdisciplinary research and technology assessment, reflected in over 20 refereed journal articles and book chapters, several highly cited, and numerous national and international conference presentations. She is also an award-winning tertiary teacher and education researcher. Wendy has a PhD in plant sciences and has refereed publications and awards associated with her research on photosynthesis.
Wendy’s CV can be downloaded here.
With professional training and experience in community and stakeholder engagement, deliberative democracy, facilitation, research impact assessment, writing and editing, training and assessment, and tertiary teaching, Wendy brings her research training and knowledge to sharpen her practice. Her professional leadership is reflected in her professional activities and affiliations. She is an organising committee member for Deliberate ACT (a community of interest in Canberra), and an active member of the ANU Dialogue group, the Asia-Pacific Science Technology & Society Network (APSTSN) and the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2).
She leads a network of practitioners and researchers of deliberative democracy, known as Deliberators without Borders, having organised two workshops with this group, Crossing the Divide (link:http://www.governanceinstitute.edu.au/magma/media/upload/ckeditor/files/DD_workshop_crossing_the_divide_2015.pdf) in 2015 and Beyond the Vote (link: http://www.doublearrowconsulting.com.au/beyond-the-vote/ ) in 2016. She was the regional coordinator for the ACT network of IAP2 from Nov 2012 until Jun 2016. She has also been involved in organising Sunday Assembly Canberra.
Associates
Wendy works with a number of associates, who specialise in particular areas and skill sets and thus complement each other’s work.
Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance, University of Canberra
This research centre is led by Prof John Dryzek and is the largest and most active deliberative democracy research centre in the world, with eight research staff members, six PhD students, and numerous associates and visitors.
Double Arrow has recently worked with Dr Simon Niemeyer and Prof John Dryzek (with Vicky Darling) to provide advice to the ACT government on deliberative democracy and community engagement.
In a current project, Wendy Russell is working with Kei Nishiyama, Pierrick Chalaye and Jane Alver on a Deliberation in Schools pilot.
Link: The Centre’s website
Dr Nicole Mazur, ENVision Environmental Consulting
Nicki has been Director of EEC for 10 years and specialises in social research, stakeholder and community engagement and program evaluation, particularly in relation to environmental and natural resource policy and management.
Nicki and Wendy have worked on several consultancy projects together in recent years, including currently on a social evaluation of the social research program of the Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre. Nicki has been an important mentor for Wendy in setting up Double Arrow.
Link: www.envisionconsulting.com.au
Dr Janet Salisbury, Biotext
Until recently, Janet was Director of the very successful company, Biotext. Biotext has built on its high-quality work in writing, editing and information design services, and also developed strengths in research, engagement and training. Janet developed a strong interest in community engagement and dialogue methods through her work on significant biotechnology issues and she is an member of the ANU Centre for Dialogue practitioners group. In 2009, she initiated Canberra Conversations– a series of deliberative forums dealing with important local issues.
Janet and Wendy worked together to deliver a communication and engagement strategy to the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator, Wendy has delivered training through Biotext, and Wendy and Janet have once again worked together recently with Julie Irish from Biotext on an asbestos communication project for the Australian Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency.
Link: www.biotext.com.au
Vicky Darling, Vicky Darling Consulting
Vicky is a consultant with extensive government experience who now provides advice on policy design, community and stakeholder engagement strategy, and policy implementation.
Wendy and Vicky are active in the ACT IAP2 network, have worked together in co-facilitation roles, and hope to work together more in future. They also provide professional and emotional support to one another, and generally keep each other sane.
Meetu Sharma Saxena, Hyperspace Pty Ltd
Meetu is an architect and urban planner who brings with her a depth and breadth of more than 20 years’ experience in the Urban Policy and Design space. She has worked internationally on large-scale urban and regional projects. She has conducted various levels of stakeholder consultations related to urban design, planning and heritage issues. Recent work includes working with the City of Sydney to formulate their policies for the City Map component of their services.
Wendy and Meetu have been conspiring to work together on a planning project in Canberra, soon!
Desley Renton, Renton and Co
Desley is a practitioner with over 20 years’ experience in the community
engagement (CE) field, both in Government and the not for profit sector. With a demonstrated track record of award-winning practice, Desley’s commitment to excellence speaks for itself. Her engagement practice is grounded in theory while allowing for new, innovative and improved methods. This approach has seen her work nationally recognised as industry leading. As a qualified and experienced deliberative democracy (DD) practitioner, Desley has designed and delivered some of the country’s largest and most complex DD processes.
Desley has been active in IAP2, including previously as Australasian and
International President, she held the position of Manager of Community
Engagement with the City of Melbourne for 7 years, and she is currently Vice-President of Engage2Act.
Desley and Wendy have met over the years through IAP2 and more recently
through deliberative democracy workshops. Wendy is actively looking for
opportunities to work with Des (‘cause she is a star!).
Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/desleyrenton/
Martin De Los Rios
Martin is an experienced practitioner in social planning, group facilitation, project management, conflict resolution, training and community engagement. He worked as a community engagement officer for the City of Melbourne for several years. Martin also worked for Shire of Yarra Ranges as a community engagement and community planning coordinator. Martin’s clients include Brimbank City Council, Health West Partnership, North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network, City of Melbourne, City of Boroondara, City of Darebin, City of Bayside, Yarra Ranges Council, EPA Victoria, Greater Shepparton City Council and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. He has a Master of Environment specialising in community development (U. Melbourne) and a Master of Project Management specialising in social
planning (U. Queensland).
Martin and Wendy know each other through various networks and are looking for opportunities to combine their talents.
Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-de-los-rios-46800314/
Dr Nicola Marks, University of Wollongong
Nicola is a senior lecturer in the Science and Technology Studies (STS) Program at the University of Wollongong. She has a background in Human Genetics and Sociology of Scientific Knowledge, having completed a PhD and post-doc at the The University of Edinburgh on public participation in stem cell research. Her research interests include public engagement in science, and social and political aspects of science (especially gender and power dimensions of new reproductive technologies, and the role of lay people in decision-making about science). She is Vice President for of the Australasian Association for Historical, Philosophical and Sociological Studies of Science and member of the Australian Academy of Science’s National Committee for History and Philosophy of Science and the Asia-Pacific Science and Technology Studies Network.
Nicola and Wendy have written a peer-reviewed article on public engagement in science, and are working on another.
Link: https://lha.uow.edu.au/hsi/contacts/UOW059466.html
Mark Spain
Mark Spain is a dialogue practitioner, who leads the ANU Dialogue Group, which has become an important professional development forum for Wendy (and numerous others). Mark is a senior partner in Global Learning, where he works and plays with leaders and teams on the forward edge of personal and system innovation. The conviction driving his work is that complex system problems of the 21st century cannot be solved with old ways of thinking.
Wendy and Mark have worked together informally through DeliberateACT and are looking for further opportunities to work together.
Link: https://globallearning.com.au/about-global-learning/
Keith Greaves, Mosaic Lab
Keith is a well-known and talented engagement practitioner from Melbourne. He works with colleagues, Nicole Hunter and Kimbra White, as MosaicLab, a company specialising in high influence engagement and deliberative democracy, who have run numerous successful engagement projects across Victoria and Australia. Keith uses a range of innovative methods to design and facilitate effective and productive engagements for a wide range of clients. He also has a science background and worked in the UK on public engagement in science.
Keith worked with Wendy on one of the STEP into the Future engagements and they have worked together since on the deliberative democracy research-practice workshops and network – Deliberators without Borders.
Link: https://www.mosaiclab.com.au/
Max Hardy, Max Hardy Consulting
Max is a highly regarded practitioner, now based in Melbourne, who works with leaders and organisations to achieve results through collaboration. A coach, facilitator, process designer, trainer and strategic advisor, his approach is to work with people where they are at, understand their challenges, and co-create new ways of responding to those challenges.
Max worked with Wendy on the co-design process for the STEP framework and on one of the STEP into the Future engagements. They enjoy stimulating cafe conversations and are hoping to work together more in the future.
Link: http://maxhardy.com.au//