Ashtree Projects

Strategists supporting organisations and communities with complex histories. Ashtree Projects is Ember Parkin & David McGinniss We met as PhD students at Federation University’s Collaborative Research Centre in Australian History. After years of thinking, writing and table tennis, we started AshTree Projects to keep working on the things we are passionate about, in ways that make sense to us and our clients. David is a historian with a natural talent for making sense of micro details and macro context. Following a career in strategy, planning, and program delivery in the community sector, David completed his PhD on the histories and complex legacies of children’s institutionalisation in Ballarat, Victoria. David is an excellent facilitator and presenter whose enthusiasm is infectious. David is also a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at ACU, focussing on histories of activism by care experienced people in Australia. Ember is an expert community engagement specialist, with a knack for building deep and trusting relationships. Her PhD in sociology positions her as a leading expert in understanding the motivations and drivers of young people in regional communities. Ember designs and delivers public exhibitions, events and experiences, and likes nothing better than to bring meaning and joy to people’s worlds. We like to keep things simple, and to the point. As doctors of history and sociology, we have seen too much ink, paper and pixel wasted by unnecessary words.