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Elizabeth Montgomery

Freelance

PRIMATE

Elizabeth Montgomery, a freelance professional with PRIMATE, works at the intersection of community development, communication, and purpose-driven leadership. With experience spanning emergency capability, local engagement, and public participation, she focuses on building stronger, more inclusive communities through empathy, collaboration, and open dialogue. In this interview, Elizabeth shares how her values of justice, candor, and prudence guide her work, and why genuine connection remains at the heart of meaningful social impact.

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1. What advice would you give to someone just starting out?

   The advice I’d give to someone just starting out is to value the people around you as much as the work itself. Skills and knowledge matter, though it is interpersonal connection, morale, and camaraderie which sustain us through challenges and shape the culture we create. Take time to listen, learn, and uplift those who experience life and work alongside you, because progress is never a solo journey. We make an impact by fostering communities and teams which lead with empathy, purpose, and genuine connection - where every individual feels seen, supported, and part of something larger than themselves (because we are).

2. How do you define success in your current position?

   I define success as living in alignment with my values, purpose, and vision. This means ensuring that what I do each day reflects who I am and what I stand for, whether that is in relation to my work or in making moments for introspection. Staying grounded in how I contribute to my capability and community, success is not always about achieving effective and endorsed outcomes - it is the integrity of knowing that my actions move in the same direction as my inner being.

3. How do you inspire or mentor others on your team?

   The values that guide my decision-making are justice, candor, and prudence. These principles support me to stay grounded, fair, and intentional in what I do. Justice reminds me to consider equity and impact in every choice; candor ensures I communicate with honesty and authenticity; and prudence helps me balance empathy with practicality. Together, these values keep my work aligned with integrity, purpose, and the greater good of the community I am a part of.

4. What’s one change you’d like to see in your industry?

   One change I’d like to see in my industry is a stronger focus on genuine connection over compliance - where community engagement is utilised as an opportunity for collaboration, empathy, and understanding. Too often, policies or programs are designed for people instead of with them. I’d like to see more spaces which encourage open dialogue, embrace diverse perspectives, and translate collective insight into real, sustainable action.

5. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone building expertise?

   I continue to grow and stay current in my field by encouraging being open-minded and intentionally curious. As a result, it becomes invaluable to dedicate time and effort toward learning, listening, and reflecting. Moreover, this growth is inspired by exploring ideas from various angles, considering both history and current social trends. Growth, to me, also means being willing to contemplate and challenge thought-patterns and social stigmas - which includes noticing contradictions, sitting with discomfort, and allowing new information to reshape perspectives.

6. Who or what played a key role in your success story?

   The accomplishment I’m most proud of is choosing to persist - to stay in existence, to learn, and to live with intention even when life is considerably tragic and heavy. That decision reshaped everything, teaching me that the truest form of leadership begins within, and that in order to lead others, we must first learn to lead ourselves. Through reflection, I defined my values, purpose, and vision, aligning my inner life with the work I pursue outwardly. Oftentimes, that which stirs our emotions is closely linked to what we align with. As such, this journey not only grounded me, it also led me towards the pride I have in my continued persistence within emergency capability and community development.

7. What lesson from your first job still guides you today?

   One defining moment early in my career was choosing to take the scenic route - to explore rather than rush, to learn rather than label success before I found my own definition thereof. Along the way, I discovered that every detour held valuable lessons: in resilience, connection, and deciding on a set purpose and vision. By accepting diverse experiences, I built a path that has not been linear but has been incredibly meaningful. My hope is that my journey will remind others that sometimes we may not fully understand the journey, and that we can still find direction regardless of whether we opt for the scenic route or the highway.

8. What’s one thing people should know about your role or your work?

   One thing people should know about my work is that it is driven by vision and purpose - to strengthen community connection and capability. Whether through emergency services, local engagement, or public participation initiatives, my focus is always on supporting people to feel informed, involved, prepared, and empowered. Impactful community development begins with communication - listening, understanding, and translating ideas into action.

   Whether operational or strategic, the question remains: how can we build safer, more inclusive, and more resilient communities together?