Noel Sutton
Managing Director
Noel has over 35 years experience as a leader, manager and adviser in the public and private sectors. Currently the Convenor of the Canberra Evaluation Forum, Noel maintains a good knowledge of public sector trends and challenges in the fields of evaluation, strategic planning, performance audit and corporate governance.   He has demonstrated skills in analysis and complex problem identification, project management, strategic planning, evaluations and reviews, organisational development, and interactive workshop facilitation.   He also has a strong interest in training and development, delivering the Leadership and Change, and Managing Service Delivery modules on the Public Sector Management Course for over four years.  Noel's academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts, Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management, and a Masters Degree in Organisational Development.

Karen McLennan
Senior Consultant
Karen has over 20 years experience in research, analysis and policy development and has held a number of senior analytical and management positions in a variety of public sector agencies.  She has demonstrated experience and skills in a variety of fields, including the design and conduct of evaluations, reviews, and internal and external performance audits; project management, strategic and operational intelligence, futures research, and the development and delivery of related training in these areas.  She also has practical experience and knowledge of a range of analytical and performance monitoring tools, including environmental scanning, surveys, risk assessments, focus groups, and indicator and warning sets.  Karen's academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Economics , Post Graduate Diploma in Communications (Majors in Research Methods, Marketing and Advertising) and a Master of Arts (Strategic & Defence Studies).

Margaret MacDonald
Senior Consultant
Margaret has a depth of experience and skill in public policy, program management and consultancy in both the public and private sectors, with 17 years experience as a senior manager in the Australian Public Service.  Her experience spans a variety of fields with particular expertise in health, community services and education.  Particular strengths include evaluation, strategic planning, policy analysis and change management.  Her skills include group facilitation, and education and training with a particular interest expertise in customising solutions to client program and policy needs.  Margaret's academic qualifications include a Masters of Public Health (policy, evaluation and health economics) and, Graduate Diplomas in Education and Librarianship and a Bachelor of Arts.

Meredith Edwards
Senior Consultant
Dr Edwards is an Economist with a PhD from the Australian National University.  Through her career, Dr Edwards has been a lecturer, researcher and policy analyst.  Professor Edwards worked as both a senior public servant and senior academic.  Dr Edwards spent fourteen years working on major social and employment policy initiatives.  In her last four years in the public service, 1993 - 1997,she was the Director of the National Housing Strategy and in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet as Head of a Taskforce on long term unemployment issues and later as Deputy Secretary of that Department.  Until recently Dr Edwards was the founding Director of the National Institute of Management undertaking major governance and public policy consultancies, mostly for the Australian Government.

Sue Funnell
Senior Evaluation Consultant
Sue Funnell is a close associate of Courage Partners and a recognised expert in the field of evaluation.  A former President of the Australasian Evaluation Society, Sue has more than 30 years experience in conducting, managing, facilitating and reviewing a wide range of projects involving evaluation, performance measurement and reporting, and organisational learning and development  She has been one of the key contributors to the development, dissemination and use of program logic approaches in Australia over the last two decades and has extensive experience in the application of such processes across a wide  array of areas of public sector endeavour.  Sue  holds a Master of Arts Degree with First Class Honours (thesis specialising in evaluation) and a Bachelor of Arts Degree with First Class Honours in Psychology.

Linda Doolan

Senior Consultant

As a consultant, Linda has significant experience in the design and conduct of customised surveys developed to gather client feedback, staff perceptions or to support evaluation, review and planning activities.  Her strong project management, strategic development, research and report writing skills have been utilised to assist our clients in the development of key documents, implementation of performance improvement plans and conduct of reviews. Linda holds a Bachelor of Education and  is a qualified internal auditor.

Helen Swan
Senior Consultant
Helen has twenty years of experience in the public and private sector comprising a depth of project and program management, team facilitation and collaboration and specialist knowledge of the three spheres of government.  She has a deep academic and practitioner base underpinning her experience providing her with a strong grounding in policy development, implementation and evaluation; research; qualitative and quantitative methodologies including interviewing, workshop and focus group facilitation and survey and questionnaire design; stakeholder and community engagement; data and consultation analysis and complex report writing. Helen holds Bachelor and Master Degrees in Social Planning and Policy from Charles Sturt University-Riverina and a PhD (Government) from the University of Canberra.  Her PhD thesis addressed policy coherence and governing for sustainability within the Australian Federal Government policy framework

Graham Smith
Senior Consultant
Graham has a deep knowledge of government administration gained mostly through leading or conducting many forms of audit, review and evaluation.  These include internal and performance audits, risk management, evaluation and developing performance indicators.  He has also been instrumental in improving management practices, including through business process reviews.
Other skills gained have included experience in communicating at high levels, including with CEOs and ministers. He has good presentational and meeting skills, including conducting individual interviews, planning and delivering training and running focus groups.  He has also prepared succinct reports covering complex issues. 
Graham has excellent quantitative skills dating from his first degree, a Bachelor of Science (Hons) from the University of Melbourne.  He also holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Canberra and is a Certified Internal Auditor.

Karen Roberson
Business Manager / Project Support
Karen is an integral part of the Courage Partners team. She manages the administrative and technical aspects of the company and provides project support to our consultants and business partners. Karen has considerable experience in the development of appropriate data display techniques to support survey reports, manipulation of survey databases, preparation of materials for workshops, production of high quality reports and coordination of business functions and events.

Margaret Goode
Senior Consultant
Margaret Goode is a senior consultant with over 10 years experience in providing management consulting services to both private and public sector organisations.  A former Director with Coopers & Lybrand, Margaret has conducted numerous consulting assignments with particular emphasis on organisational planning, strategy and design, management and process improvement, change management, cost reduction, policy analysis, program evaluation and performance audit. Margaret's academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts, Graduate Diploma in Librarianship and Diploma in Human Resource Management. 

Belinda  Bannister
Senior Consultant
Belinda is an Australian Chartered Accountant based in Canberra, with over 20 years experience in both the public and private sectors.  Belinda has demonstrated success in a variety of fields, with particular emphasis on: audit; business improvement and process re-engineering; financial modelling and analysis; project management; leadership and management; analytical problem solving; and communication and engagement.  In addition to being a Chartered Accountant, Belinda's qualifications include an Economics Degree and post-graduate Diploma in Finance and Securities.  Belinda's background, qualifications and experience gives her an excellent understanding of client needs, an ability to think outside the square and solve complex problems, from both a technical and people perspective.

Wayne Thompson
Senior Consultant / Coordinator Consulting Services
Wayne has over 25 years of broad change enablement experience across most business sectors throughout Australia, New Zealand, India and Indonesia.  As a proven project leader and business advisor Wayne brings great credibility to his assignments.  He graduated from Auckland University with a BSc in Chemistry.  From 1979 to 1992 he worked for one of New Zealand's leading brewers .  In 1993, he joined KPMG as a Senior Consultant ; over a 5 year period he worked with KPMG's leading clients assisting them develop and implement their quality and operational improvement programs.  In 1997 he founded the SOL Company and conducted many projects designed to assist companies develop and implement change programmes including reviews of complex programmes and projects, process management, process improvement, business development, performance management, facilitation, mentoring and training.  Wayne has also been a lead assessor and has conducted hundreds of system audits for certification agencies.   Through his experience Wayne brings to each assignment an in depth understanding of business issues and experience of managing and facilitating teams in ever changing environments.

Derek Russell
Senior Consultant
Derek Russell has over 30 years public sector experience spanning Commonwealth and ACT central agencies, and Commonwealth line agencies in transport and immigration.  He has undertaken evaluations or reviews in the Attorney-General's, Defence and Immigration spheres and has a special interest in the specification of performance indicators and effective reporting of performance at the outcome and output level.  Derek's academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Economics and a Master of Engineering Science in transport planning.

Michael Reid
Company IT Support
Michael has over 12 years experience in the provision of Information Technology Infrastructure services and has worked in permanent positions within the Public Sector and privately as a contractor. He has a variety of Information Technology skills including PC and network design, management and support. Michael specialises in addressing the infrastructure requirements of smaller businesses with complex requirements.