NSW Office For Women Scholarship Winners

The NSW Office for Women supported five women to attend the 1st National Diversity on Boards Conference . The scholarship recipients are profiled below:

Libby Skipworth

Lake Cargelligo NSW

Libby is an experienced community director having served on:

  • AFBM Network – Chairperson (voluntary)
  • Lake Cargelligo Health Council – Chairperson (voluntary)
  • Ungarie Lake Cargelligo Railway Action Group – submissions and research resulting in the maintenance of grain rail freight services to the region (voluntary)
  • Lake Cargelligo Wetlands Council (new community group yet to be incorporates) – preparation of constitution, goal setting and preliminary planning, administrative support (voluntary)
  • Participation and support to federal ministerial drought reviews (voluntary)

Her target Areas for Board Positions are rural and regional development advisory boards, Indigenous affairs boards, infrastructure, business and industry boards in agriculture( particularly grains) and not for profit  boards in areas of environment, indigenous, agricultural, research and development.

This is a rare opportunity for Libby who is professionally isolated to develop and seek support for her skills, aspirations, and future contributions.

On a personal note Libby has recently experienced seven years of drought, recent wild storms (resulting in natural disaster declarations) that drowned 20% of our productive sheep, destroyed 35-40 kilometres of fencing (at $5,000 a kilometre to replace), and damaged other farm infrastructure, with 1500 acres remaining flooded and out of production for at least the next 6-10 months.

Wendy Berkley

Armidale NSW

Wendy Berkley is a 42 year old retired lawyer living in Armidale, NSW. She has had a career primarily with the Commonwealth Government (Attorney-General’s Department, Minister for Social Security and Member of the Refugee Review Tribunal). However, she was medically retired from the latter office in early 2004 following a serious injury.

Wendy is hoping that the WOB Conference will give her the opportunity to take advice on her Curriculum Vitae and make it more ‘board friendly’. She is open to advice and counsel on many levels. She has indicated she would be thrilled to come away from the conference with an informal mentor or two.

Wendy is particularly looking for opportunities to network with women who have been successful in obtaining board positions from rural and regional areas as well as women with mobility impairments. Wendy is a board member of the Zonta Club of Armidale. She is the club’s Public Relations and Communications Chair and newsletter editor. Through the club she has become involved in a range of community activities. The club has a focus on encouraging young women into non-traditionally female careers such as science and engineering. Recently Wendy accepted an appointment as a consumer representative on the New England Division of General Practice Aged Care Panel. She has also commenced mentoring a student at Armidale High School through the ‘Plan-It Youth’ Mentoring program run by the Department of Education. She is also in the process of exploring the possibility of running as a candidate in the Local Government elections which are being held in September.

As Wendy has been away from paid employment for a couple of years she feels it is now time to return to some form of intellectual and contributive activity commensurate with her skills and background.

Jo Comans

Central Coast NSW

As a WOB member for some time Jo is keen to find a position as a board member where her experience and skills can contribute to the goals of the organisation/company. In attending the conference she is looking for further information, education and new networks to assist my progress to making this goal a reality.

Jo has experience as both a facilitator and secretariat support to a national community not-for-profit Board as well as membership of community boards and ministerial advisory committees over the more than two decades.

Ann Sutton

Coolah NSW

hohaynes@bigpond.com

Ann Sutton is owner/manager of H.O. Haynes IGA, a country department store comprising and IGA Supermarket, Newspower Newsagency, etc. in the dynamic town of Coolah, NSW.  She is an active community member and co-ordinates fundraising activities regularly under the IGA Community Chest Program for local and national charities, and has received considerable recognition for this.She loves to travel, is passionate about art and would one day like to be involved in administration of an art gallery or art organization.

Christine White

Coolah NSW

Chris is currently a board member of a private business board, where five rural family businesses perform the role of non-executive directors for each business.  This board process has been in operation for over four years, and has achieved a number of fundamentals in board processes, business objectives, personal development and community awareness amongst all members.  In particular, the skills she has gained from this board process has charged her with the confidence to commence seeking board positions in the rural industry, particularly advisory and the sheep industry.

Chris has recently accepted a position with the not-for-profit Kondinin Farm Improvement Group Northern Overview Group (NKOG), where she has been advising on rural issues that the Group can research and disseminate information through their publications and IT website service for northern agriculture.

In addition, she has taken on community volunteer committee positions where she facilitated the redevelopment of Coolah’s town hall into an engaging social and health fitness centre for visitors and residents.

This contrasts with the dynamics of operating a livestock business as a working director with husband, Henry White.  Although a business ‘board’ of only two, the dynamics, processes and outcomes are similar to those met within a larger working group.  Their successes from developing a flexible livestock business as a husband and wife team was recognised recently through the inaugural ‘Raising the Baa’ competition as NSW State Winners.

Personally and business-wise, Chris has already gained valuable experience of understanding what makes a board operate effectively.  This experience has led me to further my interests in seeking board positions to represent the agricultural industry, particularly in the areas of advisory and the sheep industry.