Meet Cohort #5 of our Policy Managers Intensive
We’ve just wrapped up our latest cohort of the Policy Managers Intensive.
In developing this training, we considered the three key skills required for Policy Managers, as being:
- stepping back and seeing the policy landscape,
- connecting with people and making the case for change, and
- leading a team and turning strategy into action.
With each cohort, we want to celebrate the people who are part of the Intensive.
Meet some of the people from our fifth cohort.
Laura Cameron, Policy Officer, Youth Action
Laura Cameron is a policy professional with over four years’ experience in the not-for-profit sector. She previously advocated for greater investment in the people, jobs and infrastructure of Western Sydney, and now leads the policy work of Youth Action, the peak body for young people and the youth sector in NSW. Laura works across numerous priority areas informed by regular consultation with young people and the sector, including youth justice, social infrastructure and disability supports, and engages with government stakeholders to drive change. She is driven to dismantle systemic barriers through developing solutions in collaboration with the young people they impact.
Manika Gupta, Senior Policy Advisor and Policy Program Lead, FORE Good
Manika Gupta is a policy professional based in Melbourne, Australia, currently serving as Senior Policy Advisor and Policy Program Lead at FORE Good (formerly FORE Australia). She leads a national fellowship of 100+ interns across five policy portfolios -climate and environment, health and disability, tech and AI, social services and communities, and justice and human rights. Her work spans policy development, advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and mentoring, with a focus on translating evidence into practical, equity-centred solutions. Manika holds a Master of International Relations from the University of Melbourne and is passionate about governance reform, social policy innovation, and strengthening democratic institutions through collaborative leadership.
Karen Taranto, Policy and Engagement Manager, Energy and Water Ombudsman (Victoria)
Karen Taranto is a policy and engagement professional, previously working in roles in government, frontline community sector organisations and recently at the peak body for community services in Victoria. She is currently the Policy and Engagement Manager at the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria (EWOV), which includes convening EWOV’s consumer consultative group to improve collaboration between EWOV and community sector workers and leading work improving consumer protections in traditional and new energy retail markets. Karen is deeply committed to social inclusion, shaped by her own lived experiences of experiencing barriers to participation.
Robert Taylor, Policy and Advocacy Lead, Australian Association of Social Workers
Robert Taylor is a social worker, researcher, and advocate. He has worked in universities, in frontline social work direct practice in mental health and Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD), and in AOD policy and now for the AASW representing the social work profession.
Jessica Walker, National Science Manager, SPCA New Zealand
Dr Jessica Walker is the National Science Manager at SPCA New Zealand, where she leads the Science & Advocacy team of five Scientific Officers driving evidence-based improvements in animal welfare in New Zealand. She has been with SPCA for seven years and holds a PhD in Animal Welfare Science, with particular expertise in companion animal welfare and shelter medicine. Jessica serves on several Animal Ethics Committees, and national Advisory Committees, and has experience working with governance boards. Her background also includes managing a companion animal not-for-profit organisation and teaching animal welfare at the tertiary level, bringing together science, policy, education, and practical leadership.
To find out more about future cohorts of our Policy Managers Intensive, visit our training page or subscribe to our newsletters.
21 August 2026
