Joanne is a Senior Analyst in the OECD’s Directorate for Public Governance and an Honorary Norham Fellow.
Joanne’s professional focus is on empowering people to shape policy responses to the issues that affect their daily lives. Drawing upon over 25 years of experience in comparative policy analysis and international policy dialogue at the OECD, she is committed to building global networks that leverage multidisciplinary and innovative approaches to tackling complex policy challenges, foster commitment to action and improve people’s lives.
Her core areas of expertise include citizen participation in policy making, public governance, skills and education policy.
Joanne’s current research focus is on strengthening democratic resilience through the design of inclusive public participation processes that recognise and account for differences in people’s skills, knowledge, behaviours, values and motivation. This includes defining the ‘skills portfolio’ needed at each life stage by children, young people and adults to be active citizens, mapping how they can be learned and exercised through formal, informal and non-formal education settings (e.g. at school, workplaces and communities); and exploring how these skills can be assessed and valued.
Joanne served as Senior Analyst in the OECD Directorate for Education and Skills from 2009-2024 where she led the OECD PISA for Schools project (2017-2024); the OECD National Skills Strategies project (2012-2017) and served as Counsellor and Communications Manager (2009-2017). From 2000-2008 she served as a Policy Analyst in the OECD Directorate for Public Governance working on open government and citizen participation in the design and delivery of public policy and services. Prior to this she worked for the SIGMA programme at the OECD (1998-2000). In 2006, she served as a Senior Advisor for online participation at the New Zealand State Services Commission (SSC).
Joanne earned a BA in Natural Sciences at Cambridge University (UK), an MA in Political Science at The Johns Hopkins University (USA) and a Ph.D in Political and Social Sciences at the European University Institute (Italy). She has been a guest lecturer at Sciences Po (Paris) and the Central European University.
