Meet Our Team
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Tess Bishop
Council Liaison Officer Elaine has worked in various administrative roles across state government, with a brief foray into the private sector and the last 8 years in local government as an Executive and Governance Support Officer where she provided high level personal assistance, administrative and secretarial support to the Director and other departmental staff across all areas of Mareeba Shire Council. Elaine is excited to continue her involvement with local government in her new role as Council Liaison Officer for LGMA and will bring with her a high level of communication, interpersonal and public relations skills to ensure that LGMA offers a range of programmes to support officers at all levels and continues to be relevant to, and engaged with, councils across the state. In her down time Elaine enjoys reading and you won’t find her far from her Kindle. She has also just recently found a creative outlet in painting by numbers, but luckily there’s no deadlines for completion as her perfectionist traits might win out. |
Office Manager Lillie joined the team in 2022 with over 7 years of customer service and event experience. Lillie usually has her hands in a bit of everything, from answering the phone, responding to email enquiries and website support. Lillie also assists with our event registrations and you may hear from her in the lead-up to some key events such as our Awards for Excellence and Annual Conference. She is also busy with invoicing, the Job Board and our monthly newsletter. In her spare time, Lillie loves to relax and spend time with her dog, Boots, as well as hitting up various brunch spots! |
Elaine Brown
Lillie DommettAnna Hebron Policy and Governance Officer Anna Hebron is a trusted governance advisor and transformation partner with over 20 years' experience across not for profit, government and commercial industries. She brings clarity, confidence and capability to organisations navigating complexity and change, drawing on deep expertise in governance, risk, strategy and organisational performance. Anna partners with board and CEOs to simplify complexity, strengthen accountability and build frameworks for sustainable success. Her toolkit spans board advisory and company secretary roles, strategic planning, corporate reporting, crisis preparedness and cultural transformation tailored to each client's needs. A skilled navigator of bureaucracy and a natural connector, Anna has spent more than a decade supporting the Women on Boards community through mentoring and facilitation. She is known for building trust quickly, leveraging relationships with diplomacy and moving complex processes forward with practical, results-focused leadership. Anna is Deputy Chair of the Queensland Council of the Governance Institute of Australia, a Fellow of the Institute, a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and holds Company Secretary credentials. She is regularly sought for high-trust engagements where sound governance and steady leadership are essential. |
Strategic Communications and Membership Manager Crissie brings more than 25 years of experience in strategic communications, marketing and stakeholder engagement, with a career spanning membership organisations, local government, aged care, disability and the not-for-profit sector. Her background in service marketing has centred on understanding people, building trusted relationships and creating meaningful experiences that deliver value for members, customers and communities. Throughout her career, Crissie has led strategic communication, brand, engagement and marketing initiatives that connect people with information, opportunities and each other. She is passionate about continuous learning and helping people build their skills, grow their confidence and reach their full potential. Drawing on her extensive experience in member engagement and service delivery, Crissie is focused on ensuring LGMA continues to provide valuable professional development and meaningful networking opportunities that support members throughout their careers. She believes strong relationships, collaboration and knowledge sharing are central to developing confident leaders and strengthening local government communities. |
Crissie O'DeaEVENTS TEAM
Lisa is the Event Manager at LGMA. This encompasses managing events such as the Awards for Excellence, Inspire Conference, Women in Local Government Conference, Village Forums and Webinars, Regional Forums, the Annual Local Government Conference and many more. She also looks after our valuable corporate partners. The other part of Lisa’s role is training. Since joining LGMA in 2016 Lisa has spearheaded the Propeller Programme and in-council training for council officers. Propeller is an annual experiential learning model that provides a broad range of local government experiences and insights from a shire, city, regional and aboriginal council perspective. Lisa says Propeller is one of her favourites as each year she meets great people and experience different communities hosted by varying Queensland Councils. Prior to LGMA, Lisa had a rewarding career within the hospitality, tourism and event sectors and held managerial positions within major hotel chains in Brisbane, Sydney (10 years) and Perth (2 years). Key responsibilities included: staff management and training, sales and marketing, business development, financial management, food and beverage operations and event management. She then followed her heart and went into teaching! This was a huge learning curve and stretched her comfort zone. She taught at TAFE Queensland for approximately 10 years, based at Ithaca, Bracken Ridge and South Bank campuses delivering certificate and diploma programmes for hospitality, tourism and events. She really loved working with students and seeing them grow, develop and find employment. So the role at LGMA was a pleasant surprise as it combined Lisa’s two loves (the work ones) – events and training. What she did not expect was how much she would enjoy working in a small team and meeting with different LG sectors of Queensland. The diversity of the roles and requirements of councils was an eye-opener and makes the role of hosting and creating events and training opportunities an absolute joy. |
Event Coordinator Angelina works Monday to Friday Prior to joining us at LGMA Ange has worked in the events industry for 3 years at an operational level in the role of Banquets/Functions Team Leader. At LGMA Ange is here to assist you with your event needs! Teaming up with Lisa, she ensures that our events run smoothly from start to finish and, most importantly, makes sure our local government officers are being looked after. Whether you have enquiries about our upcoming events or need assistance with registrations, Ange is ready to lend a hand! In her spare time Ange enjoys listening to music, in particular live music as well as spending time with friends and family. |
Lisa Hamilton
Angelina Graham TRAINING TEAM
Gemma Haskings Training Coordinator Gemma brings over 15 years experience in communications, stakeholder engagement and programme delivery, with a strong background working alongside local government across Queensland in the areas of tourism and economic development. As LGMA’s Training Coordinator, Gemma is keen to support the sector through meaningful learning and development opportunities and is known for her collaborative approach, strong relationships and ability to deliver practical, effective solutions. Outside of work, Gemma enjoys travelling, reading, cross-stitching and heading off on little family adventures with her two boys and dachshund, Penny in tow. |
Organisational Development Specialist Andrew works Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
Andrew brings more than 20 years of global business and consulting experience across the public and private sectors. He began his career in international shipping before joining a global consulting firm in 2006, where he worked extensively across the Pacific, Asia, the UK and Europe. He combines deep operational and corporate experience with strong consulting expertise, and is known for his pragmatic, outcomes-focused approach. Andrew is passionate about developing people and works with leaders and teams at all levels to build capability and performance. He has a particular interest in partnering with executive leaders to strengthen leadership teams and support sustainable organisational performance. Andrew draws on his strong understanding of human behaviour, motivation and his experience leading geographically diverse teams to deliver practical, people-centred solutions. |
Facilitator Cassie works Monday to Thursday Cassie is an experienced teacher and trainer with over eight years in the education sector. With a background in international education, skills training, resource development, academic coordination and compliance, she specialises in designing and delivering tailored programmes that address the needs of highly diverse learner groups. Cassie takes a practical and engaging approach to training, focusing on developing real-world skills and competencies. She is committed to meeting participants where they are, building their confidence and empowering them to achieve their personal and professional goals. Passionate about the learning process, Cassie encourages a growth mindset—helping learners embrace challenges, learn from setbacks and succeed with confidence. Outside of training, Cassie enjoys painting, whittling and exploring a new hobby every other day. She firmly believes that no education is ever wasted and is always eager to expand her own skill set. |
Andrew Madams
Cassie Van Beek