Diana Fear is a farmer from the drought ravaged Central West NSW, the CEO of Central West Farming Systems and a strong and active advocate for rural women.
Ann Wooldridge is a former policewoman and now the General Manager of AdSAFE, which was established on the back of the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse to provide protective services to children. She lives in Terrigal on the NSW Central Coast.
Women on Boards Executive Director, Claire Braund, congratulated both women on their successful applications.
“WOB has always had a strong sense of social purpose in its work and understood that access to quality leadership and board development programs can be out of reach of some people and the organisations they serve.
“Diana and Ann are both working in sectors of significant social need, are experienced in management and have clearly expressed how further professional development to take on leadership roles.”
WOB partners with AON on the Next Generation of Female Leaders program, which is now in its 9thyear and has more than 250 alumni.
Diana Fear
Diana wishes to use the learnings from the scholarship opportunity to “advocate for better outcomes in the ‘bush’ and help mentor others (particularly women) to play a role in creating a more resilient and sustainable rural Australia.”
She already works closely with Federal and State government departments and has built excellent professional relationships to encourage policy development for the benefit of the Central West region. Her current role provides an opportunity for her to effectively contribute to the community in terms of community resilience and the untapped resource of women and youth to ensure future sustainability in rural areas. This also includes educating metropolitan communities to fully understand food production and rural issues. Through continued political interactions and networking; engagement with the media and participation in a number of industry steering committees, she hopes to maximise her rural leadership skills.”
Ann Wooldridge
Ann is seeking to influence decision making throughout the Seventh Day Adventist Church worldwide. “I want to be able to empower other women in our organisation to aspire to leadership positions and be able to influence decisions that directly affect the wellbeing of children, young people, women and other vulnerable persons.”
Ann has worked in child protection her entire career and is keen to draw on her experiences to broaden her scope and step into new ways to lead change in her organisation across the globe.
For more information and for interviews contact:
Claire Braund – 0409981781
Diane Fear – 0427897530
Ann Wooldridge - 0408028984