Riarna and Terry Join the RDA-NI Team

We recently welcomed Riarna Sheridan from Glen Innes and Terry Dodds from Tenterfield onto our Committee. We are excited to hear their perspective and input based on their wealth of knowledge and experience as part of the RDA-NI team.

Riarna Sheridan

Riarna is an Accredited Building Certifier and Town Planning Consultant who operates a small building certification and town planning consultancy business with her husband that services the New England Region.  Prior to opening the business, Riarna worked for over 10 years in local government, predominantly throughout the Upper Hunter and Newcastle / Lake Macquarie Regions prior to making the move to a property outside of Glen Innes to pursue a sustainable lifestyle.  Throughout her career, Riarna has gained vast experience in the areas of project management, development, town planning, building certification, governance and local government management (with her final role being Manager of Planning & Regulatory Services at Glen Innes Severn Council).  Riarna has also earned a number of qualifications throughout her career with the most recent including a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Graduate Certificate in Management (both through the University of New England).

Riarna was drawn to the role at RDANI due to realising that despite the New England being mostly well-equipped in terms of attracting development and business to the locality, there is more she believes can be done, particularly in the connectivity / technology spheres within rural / remote New England locations and with the implementation of sustainable ‘green’ building practices.

Terry Dodds

Terry did the usual things a young, ambitious yet naive person normally does by undertaking studies in engineering, project and contract management, human resources and many others, thinking that would assist. He thought that working in private enterprise, State and Local Governments across three States in eight senior positions spanning 24 years would put him in good stead. He thought with 38 years’ experience and his common sense approach to problem solving that the management of change would be easy.

How wrong could one be?

He should have listened to his grandmother and studied psychology, as he now sees that the way government works doesn't require someone with technical, financial, logistical, environmental or human resource management finesse, to be successful in government you need the skills of Machiavelli. He’s also realised being a little nuts yourself also greatly helps.