Leadership is difficult at the best of times but even more so in the 21st century socially distanced world.
Good workplace relationships are integral for reaching goals and this is no different in politics. Sandy Bolton is one such leader who has excelled at this and when COVID-19 hit Australia, she ensured that the Noosa community stayed connected and informed.
In this episode, Sandy discusses some of the ways that she has maintained her strong yet compassionate style of leadership during the pandemic and the importance of maintaining clear, empathetic communication.
Meet our guest:
Sandy Bolton
Founder, Innovate Noosa and Independent Member for Noosa
For 30 years, Sandy has lived, worked and raised her three children in the Noosa community. She shares her life with partner Ian ‘Shoey’ Schuback OAM, a gorgeous rescue dog named Jet, and an assortment of furry, feathered and scaled visitors.
A diverse background covering 35 years in managerial and consultancy roles in the tourism, agriculture, sporting, community, training, disability and social services sectors has been invaluable in helping her to serve the community. In addition, Sandy has been engaged in a wide range of voluntary roles including as a founding member of Innovate Noosa, Director of the four local Bendigo Community Banks, and Community Advisory Council Member of the Sunshine Coast Primary Health Network.
She holds formal qualifications in social innovation through Central Queensland University and was one of the inaugural Councillors to form the de-amalgamated Noosa Council in 2013.
Sandy was elected to State Parliament as the Independent Member for Noosa in 2017 and is now in her 2nd term.
Meet our interviewer:
Victoria Barnes
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and Master of Engineering (Chemical and Environmental Engineering)
Andrew N. Liveris Academy Scholar, 2019
After relocating from a country town in Mississippi, USA, to Noosa, Queensland at the start of her Year 10 schooling, Victoria graduated high school as the Dux of her College while simultaneously training for (and completing) the 48km Brisbane Kokoda Challenge. Victoria has developed a great love of the outdoors, and always enjoys a nice stroll in the Noosa National Park or a day off at the beach with her dogs.
After discovering a passion for chemistry in high school, Victoria knew that she wanted to use her skills to invent new ways to limit the waste that ends up in our environment. Ideally, this would mean working towards increasing the efficiency of industrial processes so that they produce less by-product, or implementing new methods of waste management from a chemical engineering point of view.
Learn more about the Liveris Academy.
