Meet Courtney Stanley – Director of Community Engagement

Meet Courtney Stanley (Williams,2006) – Director of Community Engagement

When I first walked through the College gates as a kindergartener in 1994, little did I know that it would be the beginning of a lifelong – and full circle – connection with Pymble. It was a joy to have spent my formative years at Pymble and to have moved through the College; from the Prep School where I proudly paraded my Easter bonnet creations; to the Junior School where my friends and I danced the Macarena at the Father-Daughter dances; to the Senior School ; to finally finishing Year 12 as an empowered and confident graduate ready to take on the world. For me, Pymble was always a place of endless opportunities and if I wasn’t busy playing tennis or debating, I could be found rehearsing for musicals and plays.

It was during my years at Pymble, and more specifically in Year 11 and Year 12, where I fell in love with English, writing and critical thinking – thank you Mrs Wyse! After graduating from Pymble, I decided to pursue a Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) at the University of Sydney, with every intention of becoming a journalist. It wasn’t until I began a course unit on public relations and commencing a part-time role at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (then Coca-Cola Amatil) that I found my calling in corporate communications.

I spent the next 16 years working in corporate affairs and communications roles across a range of industries, including FMCG, agribusiness, real estate and professional services. I’m very fortunate that my work has taken me around the world, from running Annual General Meetings in Jerilderie and facilitating BBC Breakfast TV interviews in Manchester, to supporting trade delegations to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam and working with growers in India to harvest their crops. During this time, I also married my husband Alex and had two beautiful boys, Henry (who would insist that I say he is a big boy and four-and-a-half years old) and Edward (18 months old) as well as our toy cavoodle, Coco.

At the end of last year, my career journey came full circle when I had the opportunity to join Pymble as the Director of Community Engagement. It’s been an incredibly surreal and meaningful experience to ‘return home’ to the College and give back to an organisation that has given so much to me over the years. I now lead our wonderful Community Engagement team, who are responsible for fostering and supporting connections with our students, parents, staff, alumni and wider community, and overseeing our events, alumni, design, marketing and communication activities.

It is wonderful to be so deeply immersed in and part of the unending chain that is Pymble. I love walking through the College gates each morning and being greeted not only by the memories of my time at Pymble, but the faces of our incredible future changemakers who are busy making memories of their own.