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Facilitation

Facilitation is the practice of using understanding of human interaction to help groups of people work together effectively.

A good facilitator can help groups successfully explore problems, prepare for change, make joint decisions, plan for the future, learn from each other and disrupt existing habits of behaviour or thinking.

We have a team of expert facilitators at RMCG who are highly regarded for our work facilitating diverse groups from community, government and business. Our facilitators are smart, engaging and grounded in the content. While always objective in our work, we have a good understanding of each project’s content and context, a crucial element in guiding groups effectively.

The scope of our facilitation work ranges from small community meetings to large government assemblies. We are frequently called in to facilitate on controversial issues, or where relationships have broken down.

Team

Claire Flanagan-Smith

Claire Flanagan-Smith

Principal

B.Env.Eng. (Hons)

Claire has more than a decade’s experience in strategic planning, facilitation and community engagement in a range of industries. Claire’s people and strategy skills are underpinned by a strong understanding of engineering and policy. She helps communities and organisations deal with complex issues, supporting insight and constructive strategy. Claire has delivered quality projects including investigations of community concerns related to mining, regional strategic planning, socio-economic impact studies and strategic planning for a wide range of organisations.

Simon McGuinness

Simon McGuinness

Associate

B.Ag.Sci.

Simon specialises in strategic planning, critical thinking, evaluation and facilitation.  He works primarily in the natural resource management sector, and also has deep experience in rural and regional development. With expertise in mediation and conflict resolution, he has led numerous projects requiring skilful delivery of community and stakeholder engagement processes.

Adrian Kennelly

Adrian Kennelly

Associate

B.Ag.Sci. (Hons), M.Ag.Sci., CPAg.

Adrian has more than 30 years’ experience in agricultural business and natural resource management research, policy, education and extension. He is a specialist farm business management adviser, who consults to medium to large-scale private farmers, agribusiness investors, agricultural industry groups and government agencies.

Adrian has specific skills and experience in strategic planning, business analysis, impact and loss assessment, facilitation, and training and education in rural Australia.  Adrian chairs the advisory boards of a number of family farming operations in south-eastern Australia and has undertaken due diligence exercises for several domestic and international investors.

In addition to this, his most recent industry project work includes the development of an Investment Attraction Program for Rural Councils Victoria, an agricultural impact assessment of the Western Highway bypass of Ararat and the development of a business planning program (Our farm, our plan) for the Australian dairy industry.

Clinton Muller

Clinton Muller

Senior Consultant

M.Sust.Ag., B.Bus. (Hons), B.A.

Clinton has extensive experience in sustainable agriculture, with a specialist focus on horticulture and intensive production systems. With a strong agricultural industry focus, Clinton has worked across a range of agricultural commodities and natural resource management issues in Australia and internationally.  Clinton’s diverse range of capacities including program design and management, stakeholder engagement, partnership management, monitoring evaluation and reporting, extension, facilitation, action research and science communication.

Carl Larsen

Carl Larsen

Associate

B.Env.Sci., B.Soc.Sci. (Env.), PG.Cert.CCPI.

Carl is a socio-environmental scientist with 15 years’ experience in planning, delivery and evaluation of agriculture and natural resource management programs, integrated water management, climate change and stakeholder engagement. He understands the practical implications of policy and science on communities and agriculture. Carl has worked with a range of government departments, resource management agencies, research and development corporations, private organisations and communities around Australia on catchment management, sustainable water use, resource management in agriculture/horticulture, land use, climate change, strategic planning, industry development, extension and practice change.

Dr Anne-Maree Boland

Dr Anne-Maree Boland

Principal

PhD., B.Ag.Sci.

Anne-Maree has 25 years’ experience in dealing with natural resource and water management in agricultural industries. This has included research and development and consulting in the areas of sustainable management practices, water use efficiency, recycled water and environmental management systems. Anne-Maree has been a Non-Executive Director for GWRDC and IAL, is a Churchill Fellow and recipient of the University of Melbourne Chancellors Prize. She has extensive experience as a knowledge broker and establishing partnerships with diverse stakeholder groups including government, water and agricultural industries.

Daryl Poole

Daryl Poole

Principal

B.Ag.Sci. (Hons), CPAg., GAICD

Daryl has over 20 years of experience is in the areas of agribusiness and farm management, particularly the dairy industry.   He has a diploma in Human Resource Management (Dairy) and can assist farming businesses with their employment practices to ensure their workforce is both effective and compliant.  Daryl also has an in depth understanding of water policy and what it means at the farm level which allows him to assist irrigation businesses develop their water risk management strategies.   Daryl has both facilitator and strategic planning experience and can assist farming businesses and organisations to achieve their goals.

Steph Drum

Steph Drum

Senior Consultant

B.Nat.Res. (Hons)

Steph has specific skills and experience in natural resource management and sustainable agriculture, stakeholder and community engagement, policy and strategy development and evaluation. She has broad ranging experience in the design, implementation and evaluation of natural resource management programs. Steph combines her technical NRM knowledge with her expertise in building community capacity to develop tailored approaches to delivering and evaluating both environmental and social outcomes.

Melissa Ludeman

Melissa Ludeman

Senior Consultant

B.Env.Sci. (Hons)

Mel is working primarily in the facilitation and strategy area of the business. She has completed a Bachelor of Environmental Science (Environmental Management and Sustainability) at Deakin University. Prior to joining RMCG, Mel was employed in conservation projects around Victoria. For her honours project, Mel worked with an Aboriginal Cooperative to evaluate their grassland management strategies in the You Yangs.