Connie Steers

Connie Steers is a principal engagement consultant and planner who excels at delivering engagement as well as strategic and policy projects with a collaborative, human-centered approach and a keen interest in the wellbeing of regional and rural communities.

Connie’s early career experience involved the preparation and implementation of placemaking and renewal strategies across regional NSW, each with a strong focus on community engagement and place visioning. Having worked with countless communities, many in regional and rural settings, she has a down-to-earth approach to engagement that ensures planning and development projects are communicated effectively and prioritise future community needs.

Connie has worked with local and state government entities to deliver critical social and recreational infrastructure projects, each informed by community co-design inputs. Providing people with the chance to meaningfully shape the spaces in which they live, work and play is central to her commitment to engagement-informed planning. Her experience also extends to nation-building projects, including the Snowy Mountains Special Activation Precinct. This involved broadscale strategic planning, key legislation amendments, and master planning to establish Australia’s alpine capital as a resilient, year-round tourism destination.

Since relocating to Tasmania and joining the team in 2023, Connie has led Era’s efforts on important policy, tourism and strategic projects across the state. These range from structure planning on the East Coast to design guidelines for medium-density housing to infrastructure needs analysis to support sustainable tourism. The highlight of each of these projects for Connie is embedding the passion and knowledge of local communities into sound planning outcomes and initiatives that will shape a positive future.