Justine Elmendorff

Member of

• Full Council (FC)
• Planning and Highways Committee (P&H)
• Shaftesbury Swimming Advisory Committee (SSAC)

Appointment to Outside Bodies:

• Fringe

Councillor Justine Elmendorff

I moved to Dorset in 2017 and fell in love with Shaftesbury. Prior to moving to the UK in 2003 I earned a Masters in Economic History and worked in project management for several United Nations Agencies and various NGOs, including Doctors Without Borders and Orbis. In the UK I started a second career as a teacher. Whilst raising my children I worked towards a Master of Education and spent 15 years teaching. Having my children in the audience watching me graduate was a very special moment.

I have been involved in local and regional charities, notably as a trustee of the Friends of Westminster Memorial Hospital (FoWMH), and as an Ambassador for the Prince’s Trust. I was delighted when, just before Christmas 2023, I received a call from Poole Grammar School to ask whether I could teach for two terms whilst they restructured their Modern Foreign Languages Department. As I am particularly interested in working with local initiatives to support youth development, education, and employment opportunities within Shaftesbury, I was delighted to re-immerse myself in the classroom.

My father immigrated to Canada as a young man and my mother was Jamaican. My multi-cultural background and exposure to varied working environments, including in South-East Asia and East Africa have taught me to be resilient and have allowed me to improve skills in advocacy, leadership, communication, and problem-solving as well as helped me develop the ability to work collaboratively with other stakeholders. I look forward to bringing my prior experience and skills to working collaboratively with fellow councillors, community groups, and local authorities to help make Shaftesbury the best place it can be.

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Address:

• Abbey House, Abbey Walk, Shaftesbury, SP7 8BB

Email

• JElmendorff@shaftesbury-tc.gov.uk

Phone

• 07880 556602

Interests:

• Register of Interests

Term of Office:

• May 2024 – May 2029

Past Mayor:

• N/A