Dr Sally Angelson is an international development specialist and former teacher with more than 20 years' experience in research, strategy, programme design and evaluation. She combines senior programme leadership with rigorous qualitative research, helping organisations understand complex contexts, strengthen partnerships and translate evidence into practical decisions.
Sally has managed projects across Africa, Asia and the Pacific, including senior technical and programme leadership roles with ChildFund New Zealand. Her consultancy work includes a Pacific engagement strategy review, education programme design in Nepal, and a review of Otago Polytechnic's Design School. With Education Action International, she worked with refugees and internally displaced people in post-conflict settings. Four global voyages with Peace Boat took her to more than 50 countries.
Sally holds a PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Otago, where her research focussed on localisation, power and local agency in Solomon Islands. She developed a practical tool for examining how funding, governance, relationships and inclusion shape locally led development. Her approach combines strategic thinking with a people-centred approach to research and design, translating complex challenges into practical programmes, learning frameworks and strategic roadmaps grounded in the priorities, experiences and aspirations of the people they are intended to serve.
Based in Dunedin, Sally currently works with English Language Partners New Zealand, supporting refugees to navigate education and employment pathways. She is also a mum of two.
