Wolfensohn Scholars 2018 Announced

August 9, 2018

MEDIA RELEASE

Four of Australia’s most promising public servants win Harvard scholarships

The Harvard Club of Australia has announced the following recipients of the 2018 Sir James Wolfensohn Public Service Scholarship:

10 August 2018
Richard Bolt, Secretary, Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transports and Resources, Rebecca McGarrity, Executive Director, Social Policy, Damon Rees, CEO, Service NSW and Darren Foster, Director General, Department of Premier and Cabinet are the 2018 recipients of the Sir James Wolfensohn Public Service Scholarship.

The scholarships will allow Mr Bolt, Ms McGarrity, Mr Rees and Mr Foster to undertake an executive education program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in 2018 or 2019.

With the support of the former chairman of the World Bank, Jim Wolfensohn, the Harvard Club of Australia established the Wolfensohn Scholarship in 2012 to promote the development and delivery of good public policy.  Each of the candidates was chosen on the basis of their potential to contribute to the benefit of Australian society.

Mr Bolt’s chosen course is Leadership for the 21st Century: Chaos, Conflict and Courage, Ms McGarrity’s chosen course is Driving Government Performance: Leadership Strategies that Produce Results, Mr Rees’s chosen course is Senior Managers in Government and Mr Foster’s course is Senior Management in Government.

The four recipients were chosen from a wide field of candidates, all nominated by a Commonwealth, state or territory department or agency head.  A shortlist of candidates was interviewed by a panel of Harvard University alumni comprising Naomi Flutter (Wesfarmers), Nick Whitlam (Port Authority of NSW) and Peter Thompson (the Australia and New Zealand School of Government).

Contact:  Luke Woodward, 0402 257 604