Our people
Amy Mehrton
Executive Director
Amy Mehrton is the Executive Director of the Melbourne office at ACIL Allen, where she leads a diverse portfolio of complex social policy projects. Her work focuses on tackling challenging social issues through rigorous research, evaluation, and strategy development, with a particular emphasis on vulnerable communities and systemic change. Amy is known for her innovative methodologies, including developing novel approaches to measuring intangible outcomes and navigating sensitive stakeholder environments.
About Amy
Her expertise spans a range of critical areas, including justice, public safety, family violence, workforce development and education. She has led several groundbreaking projects, including:
- the first-of-its-kind Clean Economy Workforce Strategy for a state government, designed to support the transition to net zero. This project required extensive economy-wide analysis of jobs and skills, considering supply and demand, education provider capacity, social licence, and industry supports;
- the development of the National Mental Health Workforce Strategy, a 10-year plan informed by broad consultation with consumers, carers, employers, peak bodies, and education providers, which has led to significant government initiatives to grow the workforce.
Amy's work often involves developing new measurement frameworks and applying them to complex social issues such as:
- the Clontarf Longitudinal Study, which created a unique way to measure non-cognitive skills within First Nations communities, combining a capability measurement framework, journey mapping, and linked data analysis;
- the Women in STEM program meta-evaluation, assessing the impact of initiatives across the education and industry spectrum and making significant recommendations to advance gender equality.
In the education sector, Amy has conducted multi-year evaluations of early childhood reforms and Indigenous education strategies, grappling with the challenge of measuring contribution rather than attribution in complex program environments.
Within the justice sector, Amy has pioneered innovative evaluation methodologies, including:
- the world-first cost-benefit analysis of a Fixated Threat Assessment Centre, requiring complex whole-of-government data linkage and the estimation of the economic impact of preventing rare but potentially catastrophic events;
- the meta-evaluation of the NSW CVE Program, developing a complex approach to assess the individual and collective impact of diverse initiatives aimed at countering violent extremism;
- the Independent Review of the National Legal Assistance Partnership 2020–25, which involved extensive consultation, complex financial modelling, and a deep understanding of the legal needs of priority populations.
Amy is also deeply involved in addressing family violence, currently leading:
- the longitudinal evaluation of Victoria's internationally recognised Respectful Relationships initiative, tracking changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours related to family violence prevention;
- the development of a strategy for People who Use Domestic and Family Violence, a highly sensitive project focused on shifting the burden away from victim survivors to focus on those who are responsible for harm.
Amy holds a Master of Arts (International Studies – Middle East) from the University of Washington, and a Graduate Certificate in Development Policy from the Evans School of Public Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) from the Australian National University.