Meet the team
The Cities Power Partnership team brings together skills in climate policy and research, project management, media and communications and events to support councils. The program is also supported by the broader Climate Council team of experts.
Dr. Portia Odell
Director
Portia Odell is Director of the Cities Power Partnership where she leads the delivery of the program’s strategy and impact. She holds a PhD from Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute and has a history working with communities, startups and governments helping them accelerate their climate projects. She is passionate about advancing the critical work of local governments taking meaningful action on climate change and is interested in the intersection between research, innovation and policy.
Victoria Fratin
Senior Communications Advisor
Victoria is responsible for the public relations, communications and stakeholder engagement work associated with the Cities Power Partnership. She comes with nearly ten years of communications experience and holds a honours degree in Environment Resources Studies and a post-graduate diploma in Sustainable Business Management. She is passionate about telling stories of local trailblazers taking climate action into their own hands.
Elizabeth Gleeson
Program Collaboration Coordinator
Elizabeth Gleeson is the Program Collaboration Coordinator of the Cities Power Partnership where she seeks to create and foster the means by which our member councils can connect, collaborate and share their knowledge with each other. She believes that through combined effort and access to networking and proven solutions, local governments can accelerate their climate projects and emissions reductions.
Sophie Parr
Council Liason & Partnerships Manager
Sophie Parr is the Partnerships Manager, responsible for liaising with new and existing CPP member councils and managing key external relationships. Sophie is a qualified lawyer, with diverse experience across operations and partnerships roles within non-for-profits, startups, and the film industry; connected by a passion for working in the sustainability and social justice space. She holds a BA in Politics & International Studies, as well as a Juris Doctor postgraduate law degree from the University of Melbourne.
Quimby Mills
Communications and Events Coordinator
Quimby Mills supports the team in key communications initiatives and events at the Cities Power Partnership. She also heads up the program’s annual Climate Awards, which celebrate the clean energy and climate action projects undertaken by member councils. Quimby has lived and worked internationally – in the US, Canada, the UK – and brings a unique perspective to the team.
Chris White
Climate Projects Officer
Chris is responsible for organising the data that councils submit as part of their involvement with the program. To extrapolate insights he approaches problem solving from a human-centred perspective, whilst also leveraging his professional experience in user-research and advertising. He has developed a strong understanding of local government through his involvement with multiple community groups and grassroots campaigns
Melinda Everett
Electric Vehicle Project Officer
Melinda Everett is responsible to support councils accelerate electric vehicle fleet uptake at a local government level. Melinda has over a decade of experience as an event executive and project lead across finance, infrastructure and the education sector. In previous roles, she has been privileged to find the innovators and change makers and connect them to people challenged to shift the status quo. Melinda is currently undertaking an Undergraduate Certificate in Antarctic and Climate Science at the University of Tasmania.
Chrissy Grubbs
Event Assistant
Chrissy is assisting the management and coordination of this year’s 2023 Climate Summit for Local Government. With a 10-year career spanning the education technology, learning design and professional development sectors for universities, Chrissy recently ventured into the sustainability and conservation domain. Passionate about encouraging women in science and the future of our planet, she has returned to university, embarking on an undergraduate degree in Wildlife Conservation Biology.
Climate Councillors
The Climate Councillors consist of experts across climate policy, climate science, energy markets, renewable energy technologies, climate change impacts and risks. They support the Climate Council and the Cities Power Partnership by co-authoring and promoting the 100+ independent peer-reviewed research reports published to date.