Women’s Company Director Training Scholarships Announced

The 34 successful recipients of the Victorian Women’s Not for Profit Governance Scholarship program have been announced by Women’s Affairs Minister Mary Wooldridge.

The scholarship program is a joint initiative of the Victorian Government and the Australian Institute of Company Directors to provide 34 women with training in corporate governance through participation in the organisation’s highly respected Company Directors Course.

Wooldridge said the Coalition Government’s $180,000 investment aimed to provide practical tools and experience to Victorian women serving as directors of Not for Profit boards that currently receive state government funding.

“This initiative acknowledges the important roles that women play in leading and supporting their communities and will help further develop each of the 34 scholarship recipients’ individual skills, confidence and experience,” Wooldridge said.

“Not only will the women who participate in the program benefit from the scholarships, but so too will their current boards.

“The recipients work in a broad range of areas, including the disability, environment, health and ageing sectors.

“These organisations often rely heavily on the goodwill of the community and on volunteers, so it is vitally important that the people sitting on their boards have the necessary knowledge and expertise to help ensure they run properly.

Company Directors Victorian State Manager Paul Geyer said the scholarships reflected the
organisation’s broader commitment to promoting good governance in the NFP sector.

“Almost half of our 31,000 members are involved with NFP organisations, which are traditionally burdened by financial constraints and staffed by volunteers. Their boards are facing increasingly complex organisations, operating environments and stakeholder expectations.

“By providing scholarships for formal director training we are helping to ensure that the organisations’ funds are directed back into their core mission to benefit the lives of individuals and communities across Australia,” Geyer said.

Geyer said that the Victorian Women’s Scholarship Program also recognised the value of board diversity for enhancing organisational performance.

“While women are well represented on NFP boards, it is important that they receive the appropriate training and education to continue their directorship careers

Victorian Women’s Governance Scholarship recipients:

Meseret Abebe                            Footscray Community Legal Centre Footscray
Kathryn Arndt                                Diabetes Australia Victoria Melbourne
Durkhanai Ayubi                          Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre Preston
Sharon Bates                               Big Brothers Big Sisters Flemington
Michelle Blackburn                       Interchange Braybrook
Barbara Brown                             Primary Care Connect Shepparton
Loretta Carroll                              Mudgegonga & District Landcare Group Mudgegonga
Wesa Chau                                   Intouch Melbourne
Margot Druce                               Vista Community Support Carnegie
Janine Fisher                               Arthritis Victoria Elsternwick
Elizabeth Gillies                           Uniting Care Community Options Glen Waverley
Debra Goldfinch                           Eating Disorders Victoria Glen Iris
Julie Goodall                                 Regional Information & Advocacy Centre Shepparton
Rosemary Hermans                     Alpha Autism Inc Sth Melbourne
Robyn Hunter                                AQA Victoria Limited Fairfield
Helen Johnson                              Carers Victoria Footscray
Amanda Jones                             Public Interest Law Clearing House Melbourne
Aileen Kemp                                 Familycare Shepparton
Natasha Krajcar                           Women's Health North Thornbury
Lyn Lanham                                  Women's Domestic Violence Crisis Centre Melbourne
Fiona Loveland                            Connections Uniting Care Mount Waverley
Elizabeth Maynard                       Women's Legal Service Victoria Melbourne
Geraldine McDonald                   Family Planning Victoria Box Hill
Eleanor Mitchell                           SNAP Gippsland Inc Bairnsdale
Margaret Montague                     Foodbank Yarraville
Carolyn Moore                             Southern Way Direct Care Service Inc Warrnambool
Llewellyn Prain                             Western Region Health Centre Footscray
Megan Puszkar                            Mambourin Werribee
Joanne Richie                              Grampians Community Health Stawell
Leigh Russell                                Women’s Health West Footscray
Carleen Slattery                           St Ignatius College Geelong
Jennifer Smith                              St Mary's House of Welcome Fitzroy
Anne Webster                              Mallee Accommodation & Support Services Mildura
Adriana Zuccala                          VincentCare Victoria Glenroy