Dr. Theresa Ruig has joined our assessment panel, which reviewed over 1,800 scholarship applications in 2021.
Theresa is a member of the leadership team at Vision Australia, a leading national provider of blindness and low vision services in Australia which work through 28 centres in NSW, ACT, Queensland and Victoria.
Theresa has lived experience of disability, having been vision impaired since the age of 10.
Prior to joining Vision Australia in 2019, Theresa spent 15 years as an academic in the Higher Education sector at the University of New England in Armidale NSW. There she served as Program Director for all undergraduate and postgraduate business and management degrees, and as Deputy Head of the Business School. She has been published widely in a range of book chapters, national and international journal publications, and has been cited in the national press in the areas of career management, diversity, gender and leadership.
Theresa has supported the sector for many years and was awarded the Young Distinguished Alumni award in 2008 from the University of New England for her contribution to the not-for-profit sector. She has held roles in the sector as Director on the board of Blind Citizens Australia; Board Director and Deputy Chair for Vision Australia; and Board Member with the Australia & New Zealand Academy of Management.
Each scholarship offered by the Australian Scholarships Foundation is allocated a volunteer assessment panel aligned with the eligibility criteria of the scholarship. Louisa Graham, CEO of the Australian Scholarships Foundation says, “ensuring our selection process is rigorous and equitable is a vital part of what we do at Australian Scholarships Foundation. Our highly regarded independent assessors ensure our process remains of high quality.”
Our assessment panel members
The Australian Scholarships Foundation’s panel of independent assessors help ensure the integrity of our scholarship program, we thank them for their ongoing support, they include:
- Josephine Buontempo, Managing Director and Non-Executive Director, Kasali Migration Global; Non-Executive Director, Foundation Housing Ltd; Advisory Council Member, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
- Shirley Chowdhary Non-Executive Director, Australian Associated Press; Chair of the Advisory Board, Octadoc
- Mike Evans, previous Vice President, Kaplan Higher Education
- Melinda Muth, Board Member, Australian Scholarships Foundation, Facilitator, Faculty Advisor and Fellow, Australian Institute of Company Directors; Specialist advisor, Peakstone Global; Director, Harvard Club Australia Philanthropy; Managing Director, Streamwise Learning
- Ricki Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Access Care Network Australia
- James Toomey, Deputy Secretary – Housing, Disability and District Services, NSW Department of Communities and Justice. Former Chief Executive Officer, Mission Australia
- Tricia Vilkinas, Adjunct Professor of Management, University of South Australia.
More information:
If you would like to volunteer for future assessment panels, please contact our team.
Congrats to all our scholarship recipients in 2022
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