Jade Lillie is known for her work as a leader, executive, facilitator, and specialist in community and stakeholder engagement. She works as a consultant, facilitator and advisor for organisations specialising in strategy, co-design, senior leadership recruitment, governance, people and culture. Her current clients include not for profit organisations, local government, philanthropic trusts and foundations, cultural organisations and independent creative practitioners. Jade has worked in government (local, state and federal) and not for profit sectors with experience in regional, remote and metropolitan locations in Australia and SE Asia. A history of excellent work in collaboration with artists and communities, has led to Jade’s leadership in the field, continually shaping and articulating what contemporary models of community-engaged practice can be.

Her multidisciplinary, cross-sector approach to contemporary community engaged practice gives her work weight within wider socio-political contexts. As such, she works extensively with health, education and community organisations across Australia, advocating for the role of creativity and culture in achieving broader social, cultural and economic outcomes.

Jade has held a number of leadership roles including Head of Industry Development (Australia Council), Director and CEO (Footscray Community Arts Centre), Executive Director, Public Affairs (cohealth), Team Leader, Arts and Cultural Development (Brisbane City Council), Executive Director, Youth and Community (SpeakOut). In 2018, she received the prestigious Sidney Myer Fellowship for her thought leadership in community engaged practice and is primarily known and respected for her skills and expertise in strategy development, governance capabilities and her commitment to collaboration, creative leadership and advocacy in championing diversity and cultural change.

Her work in Thailand and Indonesia (2009 – 2017) includes a research initiative in reciprocity included the co-design of models for engagement and collaboration between Australian and SE Asian artists, collectives and organisations. Jade was the recipient of the Australia Council Kirk Robson Award (2009) for cultural leadership and was an Asialink Resident (Arts Management) in Thailand (2010).

She is the curator and editor for The Relationship is the Project, a book about how to engage effectively with communities with over twenty contributors from across Australia. It is the only practitioner-led resource of this kind and is set to launch a second edition in 2023-24. Jade is the proud Chairperson of All The Queens Men - an artist-led organisation known for celebrating queer culture and championing the role of arts and culture in community connection, wellbeing and combating social isolation.