Elise Thorbecke

About Elise

Elise utilises her experience in both public and private sector roles to provide robust and bespoke advice for clients on challenging issues. With specific expertise in education, justice and social policy, Elise uses a multi-faceted approach in combining community consultation, stakeholder management, advocacy, project management, communications and policy and legislative research to deliver practical and actionable analysis and recommendations.

Elise specialises in assessing the effectiveness of learning enrichment and student engagement initiatives, targeted to a range of subject areas and learner cohorts. Elise offers considerable knowledge and skills in analysing the design of these programs, ensuring interventions are evidence-based and can adapt to the evolving needs of students in the diverse educational landscape.

Key projects Elise has worked on recently relate to:

• Evaluating a suite of national civics and citizenship education programs delivered to primary and secondary students across the education system
• Evaluating teaching and learning programs targeted to high-ability students
• Evaluating the implementation of early childhood education supports, programs and reforms, including for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities and for children with disabilities
• Evaluating the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) initiatives in preventing CVE in the community
• Evaluating school engagement, child safety, health, and wellbeing initiatives at a state and federal level
• Reviewing the implementation of training products in the care and support economy
• Research, analysis and framework development related to jobs and skills in the care and support economy

Prior to joining ACIL Allen, Elise worked in Government and non-Government settings in policy and project roles. Elise is experienced in applying systems change approaches to policy and legislative analysis at a cross-jurisdictional level, in leading the development of submissions to state and federal Governments and in supporting organisational measurement, evaluation and learning strategies.

Elise also brings a range of experience and knowledge in Victorian Government policies, legislation, programs, and projects having worked over 7 years in the Victorian Public Service, first as an Electorate Officer for the Parliament of Victoria and then as a Policy and Project Officer at the then Department of Education and Training.

Elise has a Bachelor of Arts with a Double Major in Australian Indigenous Studies and Sociology from the University of Melbourne, a Graduate Certificate in Project Management from RMIT and has completed an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Competence Course at the Centre for Cultural Competence.