New Program Manager joins the Hub team

29 May 2026

When Laura Hassan talks about natural resource management, she rarely starts with policy, programs or technical frameworks. She starts with people.

“How do we design things in a way that actually works in the real world?” she said. “How do we make research and information useful and meaningful for people on the ground?”

It’s a question that has shaped much of Laura’s career, and one she’ll now bring to the Southern NSW Innovation Hub in her new role as Program Manager.

Based in Orange, Laura joins the Hub after almost eight years with NSW DPIRD, with a background spanning stakeholder engagement, behaviour change, sustainability and social research. But at the core of her work is a strong interest in adoption and extension: understanding how people make decisions, what barriers they face, and what helps good ideas gain traction in practice.

“I was really keen to get back on the ground co-designing with growers, partners and communities,” she said. “That intersection between natural resource management, learning, adoption and people is really my heartland.”

Laura said she was drawn to the Hub because of its strong focus on collaboration and impact.

“The Hub is very applied,” she said. “It’s about bringing people together and making sure projects actually lead to outcomes. I really enjoy that learning mindset of constantly asking: did this work, how could it work better, and what do we need to do differently?”

In the months ahead, Laura will support the delivery of a number of Hub projects, including the Smart Grazing, Stronger Lands project, emerging First Nations initiatives and supporting the implementation of the Hub’s Pathways to Impact Framework.

She sees the role as an opportunity to help connect research, government and communities in ways that are practical, grounded and genuinely useful.

“The world is complicated,” she said. “Every community is different, every context is different, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. That’s why great frameworks, listening, co-design and collaboration matter so much.”