Directors

Kate Roberts 

Kate is a specialist in evaluation design and methodology, with particular strengths in collecting and analysing qualitative data. The completion of over 80 evaluation projects has given her wide experience in this field. She specialises in participative evaluation and her doctorate concerned the development of a coexistive model of evaluation recognising the different perspectives of multiple stakeholders.

Kate has led projects dealing with training, natural resource management, water use, capacity building and continuous business improvement. Her research interests are in extension, action learning and evaluation theory. Underpinning her project work are her post graduate studies in communication theory and organisational behaviour, including organisational culture.

Jim Roberts  

Derived from his 25 year academic career, Jim has a strong background in qualitative research and writing. As a former Head of the Department of Law at the University of Southern Queensland, and a principal in his own legal firm, he has broad organisational experience. He provides project management support to the firm's projects as well as research design, data collection and report writing skills. He is the author of a legal guide Environmental Requirements for Victorian Farmers (DPI Victoria) which was compiled as part of the Environmental Management Systems (EMS) program.

Staff

Jacqueline Storey - Consultant

Jacqueline is a cultural anthropologist, interested in understanding the ways that individuals and communities experience and respond to programmed interventions. She has expertise in designing and implementing monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and in building the capacity of program staff to measure and reflect on their work. Her program evaluation consultancies have included evaluation of community and stakeholder engagement and capacity building, environmental education and awareness, behaviour change initiatives, health promotion, organisational partnerships and cross-government collaboration.

Prior to joining Roberts Evaluation in early 2007, Jacqueline's previous research experience included drafting a framework to evaluate Indigenous welfare policy reforms for the Cape York Institute and a study of the Indigenous advocacy role of Oxfam and World Vision in Australia. Jacqueline is a member of both the European and Australasian Evaluation Societies. She maintains research interests in evaluation capacity building, action learning, and evaluation culture.  

Byron Pakula - Senior Consultant

Byron is an environmental economist with a wide range of experience in the field of natural resource management and evaluation. Having previously worked as an economist and policy officer within the Victorian Department of Primary Industries and as a researcher for a Bangladeshi civil society think tank, he brings to the team a suite of skills in both short and long term economic analysis.  He has worked on projects relating to water trading, salinity trading and pricing, and the productivity of agricultural activities. His experience includes research in the areas of natural resource management, use of market based instruments, welfare economics, cost/benefit analysis, environmental and ecological economics, general equilibrium modelling, econometrics and agricultural economics.

Byron has broad experience in evaluation and has worked on a range of projects domestically and internationally in Sri Lanka.  His work has involved the preparation, review and implementation of monitoring & evaluation systems, provision of policy advice, impact assessments, stakeholder analysis and the production of key documents such as strategy papers and reports. Byron holds a Masters in International Development and Environmental Analysis from Monash University and a Bachelor of Commerce with Honours in Economics from the University of Melbourne.

Stuart Raetz - Consultant

Stuart is a social researcher and has worked with Roberts Evaluation since 2007.  He has experience in monitoring and evaluating community engagement and development programs, particularly within Natural Resource Management (NRM).  At Roberts Evaluation Stuart has evaluated several programs for the Victorian State Government (the Department of Primary Industries (DPI), Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), Department of Transport (DOT), VicHealth), and consulted for the Victorian Auditor General's Office (VAGO), as well as Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs), and industry bodies (Australian Wool Innovation).

Prior to joining Roberts Evaluation Stuart worked in program design with World Vision Australia (2006/7), and undertook social research investigating social cohesion (2006), and religious voluntarism (2005).  He is completing a Masters Degree in Social Science (Urban and Environmental Management) at RMIT and is a member of the Australasian Evaluation Society and the Australian Sociological Association.

Joe Waller - Business Development Administrator

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Joe joined the Roberts Evaluation team in August 2008 with a focus on business development, communications and public relations and to continue expanding the business through pursuing business development opportunities. Undertaken a combined Arts/Commerce degree majoring in Chinese, Finance and Marketing from Deakin University. Joe's interest in business development was enhanced by personal research to develop a sustainable event for micro-breweries to emphasise the environmental and social attributes incorporating public education, building an environmental social consciousness.

Jill Campbell - Researcher

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Jill is in the final stages of her PhD which is based on an empirical study of farmers in the Goulburn Valley of Victoria.  It is being undertaken as part of an Australian Research Council funded project, Science and Citizenship: The Politics of Knowledge Exchange based at the University of Melbourne.  The project has been investigating the way members of rural communities negotiate expert advice about land management and natural resource management with a focus on climate change.  Jill's study draws on sociological and social psychological methodologies to demonstrate the importance of identity in the ways farmers negotiate the challenges affecting their land and environmental management.

In recent years Jill has gained experience as a research assistant and as part of the Science and Citizenship project using qualitative research methods for social research, including interviewing and focus group facilitation, transcription and data analysis.  She also has substantial experience in the collection of quantitative data for social research.

Lydia Lange - Researcher

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Lydia is an anthropologist interested in understanding and developing the integration of cultural, social and natural values in landscape management, with particular interests in the intersection of urban and natural environments, heritage and interpretation, transport systems, water, food systems and sustainability.  She has demonstrated skills in qualitative research methods, community consultation, data analysis, information management, and interpretation of landscapes and sites of significance within a framework of natural resource management.

Prior to joining Roberts Evaluation in mid 2009, Lydia worked in her home state of Western Australia within the private sector, government and charitable organisations, across the fields of sustainability, natural resource management and education.  In her role at the Department of Conservation and Land Management (Western Australia) she was responsible for the review and publication of new interpretive materials to support park use within regional sites across the city of Perth.  Her previous consulting experience includes project support on a number of large heritage studies in both metropolitan and rural Victoria, place naming and streetscape strategy development, social values assessment and the provision of community relations services for Melbourne Water.

Zazie Tolmer - Researcher

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Zazie has a background in International Development.  She graduated with a BA from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London and completed her MA at RMIT.  Zazie has experience working in the international context including time as a Social and Environmental Impact Analyst at People Tree, a Fair Trade company in Tokyo, as well as completing an internship at the United Nations University.

With a particular interest in Fair Trade, Zazie has delivered research and assessment projects to the World Fair Trade Organisation and to Fairtrade Labelling Australia and New Zealand.  Through this experience she has established a strong skill-set in performing research, monitoring, evaluating and reporting to deliver social impact assessments.  Since joining Roberts Evaluation, Zazie has focused on evaluation projects and impact assessments relating to Natural Resource Management.

Alice Fisher - Consultant

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Alice is an environmental scientist who has been working in the evaluation of projects and programs that work with people to improve management of biodiversity, coastal & marine environments, water quality and land condition.

Prior to joining Roberts Evaluation, Alice worked with a Natural Resource Management Regional Body in Queensland where she designed and implemented a Monitoring and Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement (MERI) system for the region.  This MERI system enabled the strategic prioritization of NRM projects at a regional scale and provided mechanisms for analysis of projects impact on environmental condition and social change.  Alice is experienced in evaluation techniques and processes such as program logic, monitoring system design and participatory evaluation as well as being experienced in the use of spatial sciences such as geographic information systems as an evaluation tool.

Alice is currently completing a Masters in Assessment and Evaluation to further develop skills in evaluation.  At Roberts Evaluation, Alice is currently undertaking research into biodiversity conservation mechanisms, and practice change for sustainable land use.

Julia McKenzie - Researcher

Julia is a zoologist with background in ecological research and is currently involved in projects relating to land use and agriculture.  Julia has previously conducted research at the Centre for Environmental Stress and Adaptation Research (CESAR) on the viability of integrated pest management as an alternative to pesticide use in vineyard systems.  She has also completed research for Alcoa Australia focusing on the development of the ecological communities on the rehabilitation sites of a coal mine.  This project also examined the ecological communities in the mine rehabilitation sites to sites that have recently experienced fire, or have had limited disturbance for several decades.  In addition to her Bachelor of Arts and Sciences (Hon) degree, she has undertaken additional training in conservation ecology and the environmental impact assessments of businesses.  Julia has worked in several youth volunteer organizations on climate change awareness and action programs.

Daniel Healy - Researcher

Daniel is a social researcher with a PhD in psychology.  His doctoral research focused on the adoption of rural land use practices including weed management and water efficiency.  Using primarily quantitative methods, Daniel has expertise in survey design, data collection, and the analysis of large scale data sets.
 
Since the completion of his PhD, he has conducted research on the role of leadership and teamwork in livestock science and qualitative analysis of communication in health care settings.  He also has experience in policy analysis, particularly related to environmental and heath issues.

Daniel has presented his research internationally and has several years experience teaching at the university level.  In 2001 he coordinated a Landcare education program in Queensland primary schools.
 

About our clients

Roberts Evaluation has conducted over 100 studies using a wide range of data collection tools and forms of analysis.  In our view this experience and our knowledge of relevant literature in our fields of expertise place us in a good position to provide insightful and useful advice and support to our clients.  Clients include a number of Victorian, New South Wales, Tasmanian and Queensland Catchment Management Authorities, water authorities, research corporations (RIRDC, Diary Australia, MLA and SRDC), Victorian Auditor General's Office, Federal State and Local Governement departments, industy bodies and community groups. 

 View list of clients