International Women's Day, celebrated this year on Friday 8th March, is a great opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women in project management and highlight their contributions to the field. In recognition of International Women's Day, PMI Tasmania would like to celebrate and feature some of the women leaders of our organisation. We hope you enjoy getting to know some of the members of our Board of Directors; Bec, Mel and Nerissa...
Rebecca "Bec" Greenwood, PMI Tasmania President
What industry do you work in?
I work in project management consulting, across a broad range of sectors. I have a 25+ year career in Project Management in the arts, government, utilities and community sectors.
Tell us about your current role/position
I am currently Managing Consultant at Resonance. We are a Tassie firm with a great crew, and we do a wide variety of projects and project related consulting.
How did you get into project management?
I completed a Bachelor of Fine Art (Hons) and worked as an artist/curator/community artist for 10 years, then consulted in public art before working as a project officer in government. In this role, I managed the state government public art scheme. Dream job. 12 years later I was a Senior PM involved in whole of Govt and intergovernmental projects developing platforms and services for businesses. I got certified and was mentored by some awesome senior women PMs to help me upskill and meet the challenges of the job. I’m committed to paying it forward now, helping up and coming PMs.
What do you love about project management?
I get to meet and work with diverse people in a wide variety of settings; and help set up and improve services that make a difference to people’s lives and work. The theory and practice of project management has changed a lot and the increasing focus on people, teams and leadership is fantastic. I think project management is a great career if you are creative and love problem solving.
Tell us about a career highlight.
Hmm tough question. I loved managing public art projects. More recently, setting up a project management framework for a utility was very satisfying - creating a clear, simple, user-friendly framework, with a lot of collaboration with stakeholders. Very recently, I worked with a group of social workers to set up a new service, it was very rewarding to work with a compassionate and caring team helping disadvantaged people in our community.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I am the President of the PMI Tasmania Chapter, and I’ve just signed up to mentor a younger PM. I love puzzling, art, reading, gardening and cooking on weekends when it doesn’t feel like a chore. We have two big dogs and getting out of town to enjoy Tasmania’s amazing beaches is a regular treat.
Melanie "Mel" Strachan, PMI Tasmania Treasurer
What industry do you work in?
I work in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), but specifically Health ICT. I have career spanning over 25 years in Project and Program Management and the bulk of this has been in the Health and Emergency Management sectors.
Tell us about your current role/position
I am currently contracting to Tasmania Health as a Digital Health Advisor.
How did you get into project management?
My first job after completing a Bachelor of Information Technology was an internship with the Queensland Department of Emergency Services in their ICT branch. In this role, I rotated between ICT Departments. When I rotated into their Project Management branch, I had a great mentor and I just knew I was "home". I really appreciated the opportunity that an internship offered and the mentoring I received in this role. I have carried that philosophy with me throughout my career. "Share knowledge, pass on wisdom; create futures!". I've just signed up to be a PMI Mentor to a junior/emerging PM.
What do you love about project management?
There are 3 things I really love about Project Management. The first is the variety. No two days and no two projects are ever the same. I've tried Operations Management and it's just not for me. The second thing is knowing that the work in some small way is making a tangible difference. This is especially true working in Health and Emergency Management sectors. I also have a passion for Benefits Realisation. To be able to say that - in some small way - I helped ambulances get to incidents faster or I helped to increase patient flow or decrease outpatient waiting times is very satisfying and makes it easier to push through those "tough days" that we all experience at some point working in projects. And the third thing is seeing blossoming junior Project Managers experiencing that same satisfaction for themselves when they achieved some milestone or project success.
Tell us about a career highlight.
Working on the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) implementation for Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service in Queensland, I learned something about myself. If you want me to achieve something, tell me I can't do it. After finishing another very challenging project in a clinical setting, my team was dropped into the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) project. They were facing an imminent go-live and the data migration hadn't been going well - it hadn't even really started. My team and I decided that if we were to achieve the hard deadline, we needed to adopt a wildly different data migration approach to any previous EMR implementation. There were those who said we would never do it. Not only did we hit the deadline, we achieved the most successful and highest accuracy data migration ever achieved by a Queensland Health EMR implementation.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Ironically, I kinda do projects in my spare time. I am the Treasurer and Webmaster for the PMI Tasmania Chapter, I volunteer with a not-for-profit youth organisation and when that leaves me with any spare time, I love to restore furniture, project manage home renovations, or plan our next holiday.
Nerissa Haines, PMI Tasmania Director or Education
What industry do you work in?
I work in the IT, Finance, and Infrastructure sectors.
Tell us about your current role/position
Currently, I am the consultant IT Program Manager at the University of Tasmania, where I direct strategic IT initiatives and manage a multi-million-dollar capital portfolio and programs, projects to enhance project management practices and operational efficiency. My role involves uplifting project management practices, coaching Project Managers, providing strategic advice to the Senior Executive to ensure alignment with strategic objectives, and fostering a culture of productivity and collaboration.
How did you get into project management?
My journey into project management was a natural progression as my background in IT management and a keen interest in strategic planning and stakeholder engagement guided me towards project management, where I could leverage my skills to make impactful changes.
What do you love about project management?
I love the dynamic nature of project management, and the ability to bring together diverse teams, navigate challenges, and drive projects from conception to completion. It's deeply rewarding to see the tangible results of my work, whether it's transforming business processes, enhancing service delivery, or contributing to strategy.
Tell us about a career highlight.
A standout moment in my career was launching my PMO, Program and Project consulting company and being nominated as a 2023 Finalist TasICT Women in IT for my program work reinvigorating and delivering on time and budget a business-critical ERP implementation during COVID-19 for local government.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare time, I enjoy Yoga, and sketching. I'm also passionate about continuous learning and professional development opportunities and contributing to our project management community as the Director of Education for PMI Tasmania Chapter.