She is the independent chair of Brisbane Housing Company, Queensland’s largest not-for-profit housing developer. Atkinson is also a director of the cross-disciplinary design practice Deicke Richards, where her broad knowledge of housing and development models informs current work for seniors’ living and aged care clients. She is also involved in design and collaborative masterplanning work within the education sector. Atkinson is a Churchill Fellow and is committed to working with clients who might not otherwise access professional design advice.