Supporters

About /

The following wonderful people stand beside the Australian Centre for Leadership for Women as valued supporters.

Lorraine Denny

Manager, Professional & Organisational Development Services, University of Wollongong

Lorraine Denny has worked in training and professional development for twenty years. She has a passion for supporting people, especially women, to learn new skills that will make a difference in both their professional and personal lives and enable them to reach their full potential. Lorraine has a particular interest in emotional intelligence and business coaching. Lorraine is currently Manager, Professional and Organisational Development at the University of Wollongong where she is responsible for leading a team of professionals in providing a comprehensive range of organisational and career development initiatives across the University.

Christine Langford

Gender Equality Advocate

Christine Langford is a mother, grandmother, prolific reader and philosopher, aiming for Eudaimon in her life. Christine has been engaged in a number of rural women’s groups and issues. Her work to assist women reflects her strong advocacy for women’s issues.

Ana Tiwary

Producer and Director, indiVisual Films

Ana’s production company indiVisual films is based in Ultimo, Sydney.  Ana is passionate about telling untold stories and creating content that brings gender, racial and cultural diversity to our screens. She was selected by Screen Producer Australia as “Ones to Watch” producers in 2015. Ana’s career has been shaped through her work on Bollywood films in India, at National Geographic Channel in the US and producing several documentaries for ABC’s Compass program.  Ana holds a Masters in Film & TV and her latest works include documentaries ‘Sunshine & Shade’, ‘God in Games’, ‘Sacred Animals’ and ‘Turban Legends’.

Born in India, and having lived in Germany and the US, Ana moved to Australia over ten years ago and has served as Vice President of Women in Film & TV (WIFT). She was finalist for the NSW Woman of the Year award in 2009 for creating the Media Mentorship for Women program. This year Ana was selected by Screen Australia to be part of a special program that develops diverse filmmakers. Ana continues to be a thought leader on diversity in the Screen industry and mentors emerging filmmakers from all backgrounds.

Tracy Howe

CEO, Council of Social Service of NSW (NCOSS)

Tracy has worked in both government and non-government settings, including with Domestic Violence NSW as CEO  and as a senior legal advisor in Federal government. Tracy currently sits on the NSW Government’s Social Impact Investment Expert Advisory Group and is appointed to the NSW Domestic and Family Violence Council, the NSW Premier’s Council on Homelessness and was the NSW non-government representative on the National Plan Implementation Panel for the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children. Tracy is also a Director of Community 21, a community sector owned bank. In February 2015, Tracy won the Agenda Setter Award at the NAB Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards. Tracy holds degrees in Gender Studies and Law.

Sue Salthouse

Advocate for people with disabilities

Sue Salthouse is a leading advocate for the realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of people with disabilities. She is particularly concerned with the intersecting discriminations of gender and disability which combine to lower the living standards and reduce life opportunities for women with disabilities. Within this power vacuum, women with disabilities are subject to a high incidence of violence, abuse and neglect. Since sustaining a Spinal Cord Injury in 1995 she has worked tirelessly to address discrimination. She wears many hats in the community including as Convener of Women with Disability ACT, ACT Official Visitor for Disability and Co-chair of the ACT Disability Expert Panel advising the government on the implementation of the National Disability Strategy and the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Sue was ACT Senior Woman of the Year in 2014 and the 2015 ACT Citizen of the Year.

Michelle Rush

Senior Manager Woolyungah Centre, University of Wollongong

Michelle is a proud Aboriginal Women from Wiradjuri Nation Central West of NSW; she is the Senior Manager of Woolyungah Indigenous Centre at the University of Wollongong and has contributed to enhancing outcomes in Aboriginal Higher Education for over 17 years. Prior to this, Michelle worked as the Community Engagement Support Officer for the Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) in the Illawarra region.

Ms Rush has worked in health, education, as a culture presenter, undertaken public speaking, mentoring and coaching for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students and community members she has also been a master of ceremonies at many cultural and educational events, including Reconciliation and NAIDOC Week celebrations.
Michelle is also the Illawarra International Women’s Day recipient of the Aunty Mary Davis Scholarship 2017 were she devotes her volunteering time in assisting young Aboriginal School girls and community members dealing with family and Domestic Violence. Michelle has also been a recipient of a variety of The University of Wollongong Community Engagement Grants relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Illawarra and South Coast.
Ms Rush has been on the Department of Education and Training Selection panel for many years she is also a strong committee member of the Gabun Djam Naway and Djinggi steering committee and sub-committee for school base trainees in the Illawarra and South Coast. Ms Rush has strong links to the local Aboriginal Communities she was the former President of the Northern Illawarra Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) and previously an organiser of the Illawarra Flame Trees Female Aboriginal Youth Leadership for young Aboriginal women in the Illawarra. Michelle has established wider community links through engagement of the Nyirripi and Yuendumu communities in the Northern Territory on culture education exchange.

Madam Nazhat Shameem

Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva, 
Barrister and solicitor of the High Court of Fiji and a Barrister of the Inner Temple London

Justice Nazhat Shameem is a judge of the High Court of Fiji, a position she has held since 1999. She was the first woman judge appointed to the High Court of Fiji. She previously held the position of Fiji’s Director of Public Prosecutions. While in that office, she chaired the Children’s Coordinating Committee, a Committee set up by Fiji’s Cabinet, to implement the rights of the child in Fiji after ratification of the CRC. She also worked with the police force to set up a Sexual Offences Unit in the police force, and has worked for many years on improving access to justice for women and children in Fiji. She is a member of the Advisory Council for Initiatives For Gender Justice In The International Criminal Court, and has worked with that NGO on gender training for the judges of the ICC at the Hague. She is a graduate of Sussex University, Cambridge University, and is a barrister of the Inner Temple, London.

Nazhat Shameem is a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of Fiji and a barrister of the Inner Temple London. She is a graduate of Sussex University, England, where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Law and of the University of Cambridge where she obtained a Masters in Law degree and a Master of Philosophy degree in Criminology.  She was born in Fiji, and was a prosecutor at the office of the DPP from 1984 to 1999. During her time as a prosecutor, she conducted a variety of prosecutions ranging from sexual assault to homicide and fraud. She was Fiji’s Director of Public Prosecutions from 1994 to 1999. In 1999, she was appointed a High Court judge. She was the first woman to be appointed a judge in Fiji. She served as a criminal judge until April 10th 2009, when the Constitution was abrogated by the President. She now runs her own consultancy, and spends much of her time conducting workshops on legal skills, on corporate governance, on gender justice and on public sector corruption and fraud.
Nazhat has a special interest in the way the justice system treats women and children, and has helped to conduct seminars on gender justice for judges, magistrates, prosecutors and police officers in Fiji and abroad. She has also assisted in initiatives to combat fraud and corruption in Fiji, and in particular in the judicial and legal sectors. She is a trustee of a number of non-governmental organizations, including the Women’s Action for Change, and Really Make a Difference, an NGO committed to youth justice and self-empowerment programmes for young people. She is a member of the Advisory Council for the Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice on the International Criminal Court. She is married to Aslam Khan, CEO of Vodafone (Fiji), and they have two children.

Speech-by-Madam-Nazhat-Shameem-High-Court-FijiDownload

Jennifer Wittwer

CSM FAHRI Technical Expert, Women, Peace and Security. Women, Peace and Security Section (Arab States). UN Women, New York

Jennifer is a senior officer in the Royal Australian Navy.   She joined the Navy in 1981 and is a Maritime Logistics officer and a strategic human resources specialist.     She has served in a variety of junior maritime logistics and administration appointments at HMA Ships Creswell, Albatross and Nirimba until 1993.

Following completion of Navy Staff Course in 1993, for which she was awarded the Lonsdale Medallion, Jennifer served as the senior maritime logistics officer of HMAS Swan in 1995-96. This was followed by a posting to the Australian Defence Force Academy as Officer Commanding Supply Squadron in 1996 and then as lead Navy investigator for Redresses of Grievance (ROG) in Complaints Resolution Agency (CRA) in 1999.  Jennifer was promoted to Commander in 2001 and served in Navy Headquarters in a financial management position and then as inaugural Director Navy Organisational Culture (DNOC) in 2002. In 2004 she transferred to the Navy Reserve and undertook duties as a Case Manager in CRA.
In 2008, Jennifer transferred back to the Permanent Navy and was appointed as DNOC for the second time. During 2009-2010, she served as the Cultural Project Coordinator for New Generation Navy, a five-year program addressing leadership and values, and cultural and structural reform.   In 2010, she designed and implemented Navigating the Change, a workplace behaviour education program for Navy people.  In 2011, Jennifer was appointed the inaugural Navy Women’s Strategic Advisor and a member of the Chief of the Defence Force Gender Equality Advisory Board. In this role she developed and implemented a Navy women’s leadership, mentoring and networking program, and the Navy Women’s Leadership Strategy 2012-2015 to further drive gender initiatives.
In 2013, Jennifer deployed as a Gender Advisor to International Security Assistance Force Joint Command in Afghanistan, responsible for implementing North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) policies on women, peace and security (WPS) into military operations. On her return to Australia in August 2013, Jennifer was appointed the inaugural Director National Action Plan for Women, Peace and Security.  Jennifer also contributed to NATO efforts to implement WPS through her participation in the annual NATO Committee on Gender Perspective conference from 2012 – 2015.  Jennifer has now been seconded for three years to UN Women in New York as a Technical Adviser, WPS (Arab States team).
Jennifer is a Fellow of the Australian Human Resources Institute and a Chartered Member of the Institute of Logistics and Transport.  In recognition of her expertise in gender diversity, Jennifer was appointed as a member of Women & Leadership Australia National Advisory Board in September 2011 and continues to remain involved in this capacity.
Jennifer has been recognised for her efforts towards the development and advancement of women nationally and globally.   In 2010, she was the 3rd place Bronze winner of the Centre for Leadership for Women inaugural national Advancement of Women in the Workplace Award, and in 2011, a state finalist in the Telstra Business Women’s Awards in two categories.   She was awarded a (military) Conspicuous Service Medal in the 2013 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.  On International Women’s Day, 2014, Jennifer was recognised as a Defence Woman of Influence, and in October, was selected in the 2014 national Australian Financial Review / WESTPAC 100 Women of Influence Awards.  In 2015, Jennifer was appointed as a YWCA Respect Champion.  Jennifer was also recognised in the 2016 Who’s Who of Australian Women.
Jennifer has been awarded a Flag Officer’s Bronze Commendation in 1991 for exceptional service to the military, the NATO Afghanistan Medal, Australian Active Service Medal with Clasp ICAT, Afghanistan Medal, Defence Long Service Medal with Third Clasp, Australian Defence Medal and Returned from Active Service Badge. 

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