Resilience Matters Webinar Series
The Resilience Matters webinar series will focus on systems, environments and human factors that intersect to influence the varying levels of risk, harm and equity that people experience before, during and after a disaster.
Presenters from a variety of research, government and community backgrounds will be invited to provide their insights and perspectives as we seek to understand how we can reduce harm in these systems to reduce disaster risk and build resilience.
Throughout the series, we will build on these foundational concepts. Everyone is welcome to attend, whether you are an experienced practitioner or new to these concepts, or somewhere in between.
Look out for new webinars as they are developed and added to the events calendar.
Webinar nine: Community-based disaster risk reduction: Putting communities at the centre
Wednesday 29 July 2026
Communities are not passive recipients of disaster planning and recovery. They are critical partners in identifying risks, strengthening local capacity and driving long-term resilience.
Join us for this Resilience Matters webinar as we explore the principles and practice of community-based disaster risk reduction. Through stories, lessons and practical examples, our speakers will examine how communities can play a central role in identifying and addressing the risks that matter most to them.
Hear from Maree Grenfell, founder of Once Upon Tomorrow and a leading practitioner in community and disaster resilience, alongside Natasha Odgers and Sally Foreman from Neighbourhood Centres Queensland. Together, they will share insights from their work supporting community-led initiatives, building local leadership and strengthening the relationships and networks that underpin resilience.
This webinar will be of interest to emergency management practitioners, local government, community organisations, resilience and recovery professionals, researchers, and anyone interested in strengthening community-based approaches to disaster risk reduction.
Presenters
Maree Greenfell
Founder, Once Upon Tomorrow
Maree Grenfell is a prominent change strategist and facilitator specialising in urban, community and disaster resilience. She is passionate about this beautiful world and committed to working with others for lasting change.
Maree is best known for her landmark tenure as the Deputy Chief Resilience Officer for Resilient Melbourne (part of the Rockefeller 100 Resilient Cities network), where she co-authored Australia’s first metropolitan-wide resilience strategy involving 32 local councils. Her career spans leadership roles at the City of Melbourne and Cairns Regional Council, as well as academic contributions to the University of Melbourne's Beyond Disasters Advisory Committee.
By blending strategic urban planning with a human-centered approach, Maree excels at helping organisations build "collaborative capacity," fostering the courageous conversations needed to shift perspectives and create equitable, future-ready communities.
Natasha Odgers
Sector Lead - Disaster Resilience, Neighbourhood Centres Queensland
Natasha is passionate about supporting communities to build resilience in the face of the increasing frequency and intensity of disasters. As the Disaster Resilience Lead with Neighbourhood Centres Queensland, Natasha has developed the peak body work in disaster resilience since its inception 6 years ago. This includes the Queensland Neighbourhood Centres Strategy for Disaster Resilience and three earlier disaster strategies.
Natasha is also a consultant and volunteer, working directly with local communities to develop community-led disaster resilience arrangements and capacity.
Through work at the state and local levels, Natasha combines her knowledge and skills of disaster management with 25 years of study, work and teaching in community development to offer practical applications and reflective insights on community-led practices for resilience.
Natasha also has a strong interest in hearing and sharing about initiatives and learnings from others to strengthen collective knowledge about community-led practices in the disaster management sector.
Sally Foreman
Sector Project Officer, Neighbourhood Centres Queensland
Sally Foreman is a development practitioner with over 18 years international and Australian experience across emergency services, gender, social inclusion, justice, tourism, livelihoods and education.
With the peak body Neighbourhood Centres Queensland, she works in the community‑led disaster resilience space, supporting Neighbourhood Centres to strengthen locally driven preparedness, response and recovery efforts, and raising awareness of the vital role Centres play in disaster management. As Sector Project Officer, she supports Centres with a wide range of other projects and initiatives.
Sally is driven by a commitment to supporting communities to strengthen reflective leadership that enables meaningful change in complex environments. She holds a Master of Development Practice and a Bachelor of Business - International Business.
Hosts
John Richardson
Executive Director, Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience
Dr Mayeda Rashid
Manager Capability Development and Engagement
Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience