“Teresa is diligent, quick on the up take and task-oriented. She is able to absorb and process detail and add value at pace. She is also full of energy and has a great sense of fun. What makes this extraordinary is that her chosen subject is transport and at present, within this, roads and road maintenance. These are sometimes treated as the more utilitarian components of our transport network and it is a delight to find someone with her energy bringing a subject thought to be dry so wholeheartedly to life.”
Nic Cary, Head of Digital Transformation, Data and Open Data, Department for Transport (2016)
“This is a project that brings together a range of activity related to your professional development. As you point out, it a work in progress, yet there’s certainly a broad and impressive portfolio here that comprises presentations, a business plan, assessment work for an external qualification, a conference programme, as well as journalistic writing for a variety of platforms. The level of detail in the submission is impressive.
The innovation in this project isn’t necessarily in the media artefacts presented here, but in your own presence within this sector as a community manager. You are something of a provocateur, creating the conditions that will help the highways sector undergo cultural change and embrace the world of open data and hackathons. This project is therefore the story of how tricky that is to achieve. It’s hard to point to specific work that would be seen as pushing the boundaries of online journalism practice (though I thought the live blog impressive). In a sense you are wrestling with the limits of your own knowledge of how to use open data in an innovative way but that doesn’t stop you being an effective commentator on its use within this sector.
What’s impressive is how a lot of effort has gone into negotiating organisational politics and you did well to produce good work under these circumstances. As you say: “innovating within an existing established organisation is a challenge.”
Overall, the marker is required to take a step back from the detail of this project and see the value in how you have created opportunity for yourself, drawing on your effective community management skills as much as your journalistic and business ones. In doing that we can see that the project is very good indeed.”
Dave Harte, Assessor for final MA Online Journalism project creating the Future Highways portfolio, Birmingham City University (2016)
“This was a difficult project to document, as so much of it existed within yourself as both a bridge and a catalyst for change within a deeply conservative sector. The scope for innovation therefore was within that role itself, rather than your content (which had to limit itself in line with its audience and publisher) although the liveblogging particularly stands out and you use Twitter well. You have achieved a lot, laying the ground for years of innovation to come. The literature on intrapreneurship is appropriate here, as would the community management literature identified by the first marker. Well done – this feels like just the beginning!”
Paul Bradshaw, course leader and moderator for final MA Online Journalism project creating the Future Highways portfolio, Birmingham City University (2016)
“Teresa is passionate about performance measurement, she really understands the need to produce meaningful data that allows managers, clients and other stakeholders to proactively improve business performance. As a former chair of the NHT benchmarking club, Teresa has a quest to develop meaningful and cross boundary indicators that will allow local authorities and their suppliers to understand how they can learn and improve customer service standards and efficiency”
Phil Atkinson, Interim Managing Director and Consultant (2013, in Mouchel)
“Teresa took on the role of chair of the NHT benchmarking group during a very difficult economical time and when budgets for Highways Maintenance were being slashed nationwide.
Teresa embraced the challenge and worked tirelessly to ensure the data collected by the benchmarking club was both accurate and meaningful. Teresa managed to unite a committe and membership that had lost its way a little with her enthusiasm, passion and intelligence and by demonstrating the value of benchmarking. Teresa also took it upon herslef to source better data collection and visualiation tools to support the benchmarking club effort
Teresa’s visionary approach to data and vizualiation and desire to achieve was constantly evident, I learned a great deal from her during our time together and I found her to be an inspirational leader who adopted a sensible and pragmatic approach to problem solving and who followed solutions through to the end always for the greater good.
Teresa is an absolute pleasure to work with”
Richard Whiting, Commercial and Operations Manager (2013, in the National Highways and Transport Benchmarking Club)
“Teresa is simply a joy to work with. Fiercly intelligent and brimming with enthusiasm she makes working on any project fun whilst at the same time delivering unfailingly on any task she carries out. I would recommend Teresa for any project that requires someone with drive, enthusiasm and the ability to deliver on time, to quality and excellent standard.”
Ali Bagley, Bid Manager, Mouchel Ltd (2013, in reference to business transformation projects)