Professor Roberta Ryan is a leading social researcher and policy, program evaluation and stakeholder engagement practitioner with over 30 years’ experience in both the public and private sectors. With a strong interest in the relationship between people and places she has worked in and with all levels of government in areas of community services, strategic planning, land use planning, sustainability, organisational change and development and citizen engagement. Roberta is the Director of the Institute for Public Policy and Governance (UTS:IPPG) and the Centre for Local Government (UTS:CLG) at the University of Technology Sydney. The Institute is also pleased to host the Australian Centre of Excellence in Local Government.