Mari Koeck

Mari Koeck is Director of Engagement and Impact at the United States Studies Centre. She leads our engagement and impact team, with an emphasis on agile, multichannel strategies. Her career spans state and federal government in the United States and Australia as well as non-government organisations.

Recent roles include leading the state-wide communications teams for energy, resources and water with the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment and managing engagement for the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust. In these roles, she has led campaigns with budgets up to $1 million and has coordinated engagement networks across local, state and federal government.

Her media relations have landed front-page news and she has testified in three parliamentary hearings, being cited in the final recommendations for all. She has run training sessions and coaching for public speaking, team building and grant writing. As a passionate advocate of training and development, a career highlight has been participating as a mentor in the NSW Government Women in Senior Leadership program. She is also a commended facilitator, being invited to moderate town hall meetings, public board meetings, roundtable discussions and live events with hundreds of attendees.

Mari holds a Bachelor of Arts in both Political Science and Secondary Education in Social Science (with honours) from Wheaton College in Illinois. In a short-term stint with the White House Advance Team, the Secret Service called her “Smiley.”