Vanessa is an Adjunct Associate Professor with the UTS Institute of Public Policy and Governance and lecturers in the Masters of Business Administration, Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificates in Local Government Leadership and leads the Executive Certificate for Elected Members in addition to various international public sector teaching programs.

She is a contemporary local government industry leader and executive management consultant with a reputation for innovation and driving public sector transformation. She has over 20 years experience in strategy and operations across various NSW Councils, including a decade in executive management. This includes successfully leading Ashfield Council as General Manager before being appointed as General Manager to lead the Inner West Council merger. Vanessa has serviced on the NSW Ministerial Advisory Group for Local Government

Her experience in broad and includes working in top-tier private sector consulting firms, including as a Director with the Public Sector and Social Impact Practices at Deloitte and is a Senior Associate at Spencer Maurice. Her work in this space has included engagements with the National City District Commission in Port Moresby supporting the Governor to better align local government operations to emerging strategic priorities and the NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse. 

Her passion piece is her work as Chair of ‘Head Start Homes’, an innovative new social enterprise supporting First Nation, refugee and single parent families move from social housing into home ownership through disruptive collaboration between banks, developers, community housing providers and government.