MEDIA RELEASE

 

Five of Australia’s most promising public servants win Wolfensohn scholarships to Harvard

 

The Harvard Club of Australia (HCA) is delighted to announce the winners of the Sir James Wolfensohn Public Service Scholarships for 2022-23 to attend executive education at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government:

 

  • Brian Connors APM, Assistant Commissioner, Queensland Police Service
  • Letitia Hope, Deputy CEO, National Indigenous Australians Agency
  • Beth Jones, Deputy Secretary Rural and Regional Victoria, Department of Jobs Precincts and Regions
  • Andrew Kefford PSM, Deputy Secretary Social Cohesion and Citizenship, Department of Home Affairs
  • Tania Rishniw, Deputy Secretary Primary and Community Care, Department of Health and Aged Care


Mr Connors will attend Strategic Management of Regulatory and Enforcement Agencies, Ms Hope will attend the Senior Executive Fellows program and Ms Jones, Mr Kefford and Ms Rishniw will attend Senior Managers in Government.


With the support of the former President of the World Bank and Harvard alumnus the late Sir James Wolfensohn, HCA 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.

 

The five 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 Jamie Snashall, Georgina Carnegie, Mat Franklin and Zeke Solomon.

 

HCA is especially grateful to the Secretaries and agency heads from the winners’ home departments and agencies for their generosity in entering co-funding arrangements with HCA to cover course fees and other costs of sending the winners to Boston.

 

By funding executive education at the world’s leading school of public policy, the Wolfensohn Scholarship supports the design and delivery of good public policy in Australia. It also rewards outstanding individuals for their achievements in Government and motivates recipients in their successful public sector careers. 

Further information:

Jamie Snashall 0407 438 746 jamie.snashall@outlook.com.au