Bridging Scholarship & Real-World Impact
With over a decade of academic rigor, teaching, and leadership, I bridge the gap between deep scholarship and real-world application. I partner with government, philanthropists, businesses, and community organizations to solve complex social challenges through collaborative research. Together, we measure success and amplify your positive impact.
My Expertise
I am a global expert in human geography and social policy, dedicated to designing systems where diverse communities can participate fully, safely, and meaningfully. As a scholar-practitioner, I bridge the gap between theoretical research and practical, place-based policymaking to solve complex social challenges.
Holding a PhD in Social Sciences from Western Sydney University and having served as a Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Race and Gender (2016–2018), my doctoral research uncovered the spatial dynamics of racism and belonging. With deep expertise in how urban policy decisions shape the democratic access of Muslim and racialized communities, I actively translate this academic rigor into high-level policy reform, advising government bodies on anti-racism strategies and multicultural affairs across global contexts.
In addition to my research, I am a trusted figure in public forums, translating academic evidence into compelling narratives that inform and shape public debate. I am a sought-after keynote speaker and commentator, having addressed major international audiences across a range of media outlets, forums and platforms for diverse audiences. Whether facilitating high-stakes roundtables with government Treasurers or delivering keynote addresses on intersectional gender equity, I am known for my ability to influence stakeholders and amplify marginalized voices in the media, on stage, and in intimate classroom or workshop settings.
My approach is defined by "engaged scholarship"– working with communities, not just for them. I specialize in designing culturally safe frameworks that integrate lived experience into every stage of the policy cycle. By centering the voices of multicultural and historically underrepresented communities, I help develop and implement culturally-informed and co-designed solutions in alignment with community needs.
Most recently, I served as the Director of the Centre for Western Sydney at Western Sydney University (2023–2025), where I led a strategic research and policy agenda that influenced major government policies on economic development, equity and social cohesion for Australia's most culturally diverse region.
Currently, I am providing consultancy and advisory services focused on social impact, multicultural and inclusive policymaking. My active projects include advising Federal, and State government agencies, providing impact evaluation support for philanthropic partners and designing fit-for-purpose community engagement models for higher education institutions.
My work is deeply personal; as a first-generation Lebanese Muslim woman raised in Western Sydney and later living in the Bay Area, I draw on my own lived experience to champion inclusive policies that strengthen inclusive democracy.
Contact
Rhonda Itaoui
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