This month we spoke with Melanie Amezdroz, Team Leader Governance, City of Prospect, about her role, why she decided to undertake the Management Challenge and her experience in a composite team, and her love for musical theatre. 

What is your role and how long have you been in local government?

I have been with the City of Prospect for 3 years and I am currently their Team Leader Governance. I started in local government 15 years ago with Kingston District Council, performing a range of different roles, including WHS, risk, events, volunteer management, project planning, grants writing, and a wide breadth of governance functions. I’ve also worked in governance roles at the City of Onkaparinga and had a short stint at the District Council of Yankalilla. The opportunity to work at both small and large councils has provided me with an understanding of the magnitude of functions councils perform and a perspective on how these functions are accomplished.

You’re currently competing in our local government Management Challenge – what drew you to the development opportunity?

The Management Challenge is a unique and exciting professional development opportunity and something I have wanted to participate in for several years. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of the 2026 challenge. Being part of this experience has allowed me to meet and collaborate with some amazing people, learning from their experiences, sharing my knowledge, and building skills that I can use to support my organisation.

Your team for the challenge is a composite of two councils - City of Prospect and City of Unley. How has the experience been working so closely to prepare alongside a different council?

Working with a composite team has presented some logistical challenges, but the results have been well worth it. We have all made the effort to connect as often as we can, investing time in really getting to know each other, resulting in a tight-knit group with genuine connection. Another key advantage is that we had two sets of Executive Leaders to support us! We also had the chance to examine the differences (and similarities) in how the two councils approach challenges and opportunities.

Tell us something about you that we don’t know?

I’m a bit of a Musical Theatre nerd – I love a good musical. I’m lucky enough to have been able to travel interstate and overseas chasing my favourite shows. I’m now successfully infusing the same love into my 10-year-old daughter, though I’ve not made any progress with my 8-year-old son. My colleagues also get to enjoy my love of musicals, however reluctantly, through my constant chatter about the next show I am seeing and the incessant humming when I have a new favourite!