Scholarship recipient announcement

The Australian Scholarships Foundation and the Harvard Club of Australia are delighted to announce Jonathon (Jono) Peatfield and Renee Wilson as the Harvard Club of Australia Ferris Family Fellowship recipients in 2023. Jono Peatfield is the Chief Executive Officer of Life Education NSW, delivering wellbeing education to children, and Renee Wilson is the Chief Executive Officer of Australian War Widows, supporting and serving veteran families.

With the continued rising demand on the not-for-profit sector services to support communities, these fellowships allow recipients to build strategic decision-making skills and international networks, studying at the prestigious Harvard Business School.

On receiving his award Jono Peatfield shares, “What an incredible opportunity to experience a unique learning environment, studying at Harvard has always been an aspiration, or maybe more of a dream”. In his role as CEO of Life Education NSW, Jono supports a team of 80 people delivering health and wellbeing education to around 280,000 children right across NSW/ACT, with a little help from the infamous mascot Healthy Harold.

“I can’t wait to dive into this course and bring back learnings to share across our team and with other not-for-profit leaders. Learning from others helps us grow and develop, and I intend to gain and share as many learnings from this opportunity as possible. “Jono said.

Harvard Club of Australia, scholarship Award Luncheon, 26 May 2023. (L to R) Lisa George, Renee Wilson, Jono Peatfield and Louisa Graham.

Since commencing with Australian War Widows NSW in 2020, Renee Wilson has developed and is implementing a new strategic direction and plan for the organisation to enhance the organisation’s reputation, re-establishing it as a leader in the veteran community sector.

“Australian War Widows NSW is on a rapid journey of change and one that will result in it being the most inclusive veteran families’ organisations in Australia. This opportunity will help us make the changes necessary within our organisation and system to support, connect and serve the families of our veterans,” says Fellowship recipient Renee Wilson, who, in addition to her role as CEO of Australian War Widows, also sits on the ACT Government’s Ministerial Advisory Council for Veterans and Families.

This opportunity will help us make the changes necessary within our organisation and system to support, connect and serve the families of our veterans.

Fellowship recipient Renee Wilson, CEO of Australian War Widows

“We are delighted to award these two scholarships to Jono Peatfield and Renee Wilson.  The work of both these leaders and their organisations reflect the dedication and tireless efforts of the broader nonprofit sector. It is therefore critical to invest in them to further develop leadership skills and help create a more sustainable and thriving sector,” said Lisa George, Chair of the Harvard Club of Australia’s Nonprofit Fellowship Program.

Louisa Graham, CEO of the Australian Scholarships Foundation said, “Demand for professional development remains high, with four applications to every ASF scholarship. With the pressures of limited government funding, and the need to show impact and strategic solutions while fostering social cohesion, leaders need the skills and opportunities like those offered by the Harvard Scholarship. We would like to thank the Ferris Family and Harvard Club of Australia for their generous ongoing contribution, which ultimately leads to a more robust Australian Not-for-Profit sector.”

These Harvard Club of Australia Ferris Family Fellowships recipients will attend the highly regarded six-day  Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management course at the Harvard Business School, Boston, United States. Studies will assist them in examining their missions, develop new strategies and improve the effectiveness of their organisations.

—ENDS—

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Media enquiries 

Please contact
Leona Spencer
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Harvard Club of Australia

The Harvard Club of Australia was founded in 1961, and as the official Club for alumni of Harvard welcomes all those that have attended Harvard to join the Club and connect with the broader Harvard community. The Harvard Club of Australia is part of the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) and has chapters in NSW, ACT, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.

Australian Scholarships Foundation

The Australian Scholarships Foundation (ASF) is a registered charity that works with not-for-profit groups to develop inspirational leaders. In the past 14 years, it has partnered with experts to offer education in leadership, governance, finance and project management to more than 5,000 people from a wide range of not-for-profit organisations across Australia.