It’s my pleasure to recommend Jen George. I have known Jen for over 10 years through collaboration with PLACE Laboratory. Jen led the community engagement for several our projects including St Stephens’ School Master Plan and Leschenault Inlet Master Plan for the City of Bunbury. On each project Jen has been collaborative, innovative and professional in her response to working with PLACE laboratory and understanding the client needs. I recall specifically Jen’s creative and inclusive approach to engaging with students St Stephens School to obtain valuable insights to support the development of the school’s master plan. Through her knowledge leadership and consultation approach, she can work across the full spectrum of community building issues ranging from the individual’s experience to broad intergovernmental strategy. Her professionalism and knowledge of community engagement has provided great value to our business and clients.

I found the Retreat Day well organised and very well facilitated by Jen George and Lyndal Tait from Comcorp. Dr George was very well prepared with an organised pre-event survey and a good working knowledge of the issues requiring discussion. The pre-event survey allowed for an honest and private expression of affirmations and concerns of every individual – making the expression of opinions both equal and representative. A well prepared analysis of the pre survey results allowed for efficient representation of issues at the start of the day. A positive start was helpful. Jen was able to draw out the positives in the schools and our common desire to support them. This was an excellent foundation before engaging in problem solving. The style of discussion and use of lists and post it notes ensured that all participants whether reserved or outspoken, had their opinion tabled (even the person on the phone). I believe this was a very professional and collaborative way to conduct the discussion.

Jen’s work on community governance for the GreenWay over the past 10 years has been insightful, innovative and effective. Her engagement with the four councils and the community about potential governance models in the early days was particularly valuable. She is organised, a great communicator and a delight to work with.

I have been delighted with the engagement of Dr Jen George in her assistance in establishing a garden space beside St Andrew’s Cathedral in the heart of the City of Sydney. Starting from scratch, Dr George undertook a community consultation of a large number of stakeholders in the project, from indigenous representatives, school student in our Cathedral School, Mothers Union and the War Widows’ Guild, as well members of the congregation, its governance committee and the City of Sydney Council. This thorough and comprehensive consultation process included personal focus groups, one-to-one conversations, as well as two combined group conversations with clearly stated aims and objectives, all of which enabled the final design to be approved and owned by all concerned. Dr George’s collaborative skills, her experience and professional capabilities enables me to give an unqualified commendation to any who wish to use her talents to improve urban landscapes or simply to unlock the potential of their property and social networks.

Jen has a superior ability to analyse the key issues and approaches required, so I highly recommend her research ability to draw out relevant evidence to create a basis for action. Her desire to advocate for and instil collaborative and community engagement in solutions is both ethical and evidence based. Her work is purpose driven and work of her kind is sorely needed to build trust and creative solutions in the community.

My firm has recently engaged Dr Jenny George for her strategic consultancy services regarding community engagement. We were very happy with the services provided, the delivery of those services and the outcomes of those services. Her insightful application of our strategic values was key to the success of our proposed development opportunity. We have used her data and research to further understand and pursue new opportunities and our knowledge of our target market has been greatly increased.

We asked Jen to do some initial community consultation work for us and help us think our way forward in finding more effective ways to engage with our [school] community. She worked really warmly with our clients, gave us clear options and always communicated well with me about results and options.

Jenny George worked as the lead research partner from Macquarie University for the GreenWay Sustainability Project from 2009 – 2012. The GreenWay was an ambitious, community-led green corridor project in Sydney’s Inner West. Four Councils were awarded grant funding from the NSW Environmental Trust to progress the vision. Jenny worked on the project for its duration to research best-practice sustainable governance models for green infrastructure and green corridor projects. Jenny also provided strategic advice to the project manager and team for the complex project implementation. Jenny worked competently with Council officers, decision-makers and community representatives. Jenny’s research enabled the implementation of a new governance model for the GreenWay. As the project manager, I found Jenny’s warm and friendly manner, professional approach and academic expertise highly valuable. I would recommend Jenny for community engagement, placemaking and sustainability projects.

Jen George engaged with St Stephen’s School to help the school consider how volunteering (as an aspect of community engagement) could be made more effective.  The catalyst for this engagement was that after 3 decades the traditional model of volunteering was losing traction and interest particularly among the parent community.  St Stephen’s needed to understand what was happening and plan a way forward. The leadership that Jen George provided to this initiative was of profound value to the school.  Her leadership was characterised by a collaborative approach. This approach honoured the work and commitment of those who had invested so heavily in leading volunteering and collaborated with them in such a way that they willingly came to their own decisions regarding ceasing their activities and transitioning to the new volunteering model. Engaging with key staff and volunteers was a clear part of her strategy.  This enabled her to understand what had been and what was currently happening.  She brought evidence-based research and professional expertise to the conversation in such a way that others were being educated in the community engagement field and thus able to make informed and thoughtful decisions.

Dr Jen George facilitated community focus groups in order to drill deeply on community perspectives. The information was powerful and community members commented that Jen ran the groups in an excellent way. They found it engaging, thought-provoking and lots of fun. I would highly recommend Jen for any strategic planning or community engagement forums as she really understood the brief. The results we have will be instrumental in setting out strategic plan for the next three years. Thank you, Jen “really enjoyed being part of a focus group and thought Jenny was a wonderful group leader” parent participant

Dr Jen George is a standout thought leader on the key topics of shaping communities, engaging stakeholders and enhancing collaboration. It has been our delight to work alongside Jen on a number of initiatives over several years and see her expertise delivered through presentations, consulting and project management.

I have greatly appreciated working with Jen George on building up educational communities, enhancing communication, and understanding how organisations work.  Jen has an impressive ability to ask leading questions that prompt deeper discussion of different strategic approaches.  She is very alert to the unique characteristics of each school, and responsive to workshop participants’ varying mind-sets and communication styles. I observed with awe as Jen followed up tangents raised in conversation to make them fruitful for the group’s deliberations, moving with mental agility into lines of inquiry that would lead to something constructive but unexpected.  She has a remarkable gift for organisational analysis, and an engaging way of making workshops both challenging and enjoyable.  I look forward to working with Comcorp again, after two very positive experiences which have refreshed my ideas, and prompted me to think about possibilities for change.