Shona Whitton

Shona Whitton is the National Lead, Recovery and Psychosocial Support at Australian Red Cross responsible for the coordination and development of domestic disaster recovery and psychosocial programs. Shona is currently leading the coordination of Australian Red Cross recovery operations following the 2019/2020 Bushfires, 2021 NSW Floods, Tropical Cyclone Seroja and Wooroloo Bushfires. Prior to returning to Red Cross in February 2020, Shona worked as a consultant specialising in post disaster recovery, psychosocial support and community resilience, including working as a Field Recovery Specialist during the 2019/2020 bushfire season with the NSW State Government. Shona has a background with Red Cross where she worked on developing the organisations approach to disaster recovery programs and psychosocial interventions. In 2015, Shona was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship to explore approaches to temporary and permanent disaster memorialising in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Norway. She has since provided technical advice to local and state governments and community organisations in relation to collective memorialising and psychosocial support at temporary memorials following a number of collective trauma events. Shona holds a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology), a Masters in Community Development (Emergency Management), a Graduate Diploma of Psychology, a Graduate Certificate in Gender Mainstreaming Policy & Analysis, and an International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance.