This month we spoke with Joanne Edwards, Manager - Community Insights, City of Playford, about her role (and her 15 years in council!), how her team are the 'dot connectors' painting a rich picture in local government, and how she's raising her little one with her growing VHS collection.

What is your role and how long have you been in local government?

My role at the City of Playford is Manager of the Community Insights team. I’ve been in local government for 15 years – all with Playford. It’s where I’ve grown from a bright-eyed uni graduate to a new mum balancing work and family while leading an incredible team. Playford has given me the chance to learn, strengthen my stakeholder engagement skills, explore different disciplines, return to study, and work alongside people who genuinely care about the community. I’m grateful for every part of the journey.

This year, you celebrated 15 years at the City of Playford. What do you love about working in local government?

What I’ve loved most is how local government allows you to evolve; no two days are ever the same for me. You can build a career across many disciplines, with community always as your compass. Over 15 years, I’ve never felt like I’ve ‘outgrown’ the organisation; there’s always a new challenge, opportunity, or part of the community to learn from and connect with. Playford’s growth means the work is dynamic, engaging, and meaningful. I’ve learned, contributed, and built life-long friendships along the way, and feel lucky to be here.

You’ve had the opportunity to work across multiple units in council, including Libraries, Data & Analytics, Marketing and Communications, and Community Insights. What are the benefits of getting to know such a variety of areas and how they contribute to your council’s shared goals?

Working across libraries, marketing, data & analytics, and engagement has given me a holistic view of how council teams and services connect to achieve shared goals. Starting in libraries grounded me in Playford’s community, history, and character, while other roles showed how interdependent our work is - insights from one area often inform another. Through it all, community is the common thread, and empathy is key: understanding the stories and people behind data helps us make more informed decisions. My team and I often call ourselves the ‘dot connectors,’ bringing together research, engagement, customer experience, and analytics to help paint a richer picture.

Tell us something about you that we don’t know OR What do you do with yourself in your spare time?

I’m 20 months into being a new mum, which has been my most fun and humbling role yet – and our little girl already loves the library and her books! For something a bit geeky, my partner and I have started a VHS collection and even have a working VCR. We’re big on 80s/90s nostalgia, with a shelf full of classics and retro memorabilia. It’s amazing how quickly it sparks memories in others – mention a VHS tape, and suddenly you’re bonding over rewinding tapes, weekend-night rentals and recording music clips on Rage. I secretly love that our daughter will grow up knowing all about it.