2015 Harvard Club of Victoria Fellowships Awarded
The Harvard Club of Victoria Celebrates Fifteen Years of Investment in the Leadership of the Community Sector
The Harvard Club of Victoria celebrated the 15th anniversary of its Non-Profit Fellowship at Eureka 89 on Tuesday and presented the 2015 Fellowships to Carmen Guerra, Founder and CEO of the Centre for Multicultural Youth; Paul Ronalds, the CEO of Save the Children; and Simon Ruth, CEO of the Victorian AIDS Council. Short biographies of 2015 fellows are below.
Simon, Paul and Carmen will be attending Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management course in Boston this July and undertaking a study tour of North American community sector organisations. The SPNM course is part of HBS’ Social Enterprise Initiative which applies innovative business practice and managerial disciplines to drive sustained, high-impact social change.
Donations from club members and proceeds from club events have made it possible for the Harvard Club of Victoria to invest in 30 Non-Profit Fellows since 2001.
At Tuesday’s lunch, Graeme Kelly, 2010 Fellow and CEO of E.W,Tipping, and Micaela Cronin, 2014 Fellow and CEO of MacKillop Family Services, recounted the important roles Harvard Club fellows have played in their organisations and in sector reform, including the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the ongoing reforms in support of vulnerable children and their families.
Graduates of the Strategic Perspectives course are given a mission as they leave HBS:
“Lead. Be smart. Do good.”
The Harvard Club of Victoria is proud to support 30 smart leaders who are doing so much good in our community.
For more information on the HCV Non-Profit Fellowship, including a list of fellows, please visit the Harvard Club of Victoria’s website. Applications for the 2016 Fellowships will open in early February 2016.
To make a tax deductible donation in support of the Non-Profit Fellowship, please visit the Harvard Club of Victoria Non-Profit Fellowship page at the Charities Aid Foundation.
Harvard Club of Victoria Non-Profit Fellowship Committee
Mandy Croker, Kingsley Gee MPH‘76, Lisa Hennessy MBA‘97, and Alice Hill AB’81, PhDBE ’91 (Chair)
For enquiries or donations, please contact Alice Hill at nfpchair@harvardclubofvictoria.org.au.
2015 Harvard Club of Australia Non-Profit Fellows
Carmel Guerra - Centre for Multicultural Youth
Carmel Guerra is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY). CMY was the first organisation in Australia to work exclusively with migrant and refugee young people, by providing services and advocating for their needs.
Carmel has over 25 years’ experience in the community sector and extensive research experience in the multicultural space, particularly in relation to youth issues. Carmel convenes the national Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN) and has recently served as a member of the Australian Multicultural Council and Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council. She is a member of the Victorian Youth Parole Board and is a Director of the Migration Council Australia. Carmel has been awarded a Churchill Fellowship, earned a Centenary Medal for services to young people, migrant and refugee communities, and was entered into the Victorian Women’s Honour Roll.
Paul Ronalds – Save the Children
Paul Ronalds is the Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Australia. Save the Children is headquartered in Victoria and works in every state of Australia and in more than 120 countries around the world on children’s education, health and protection issues. Last year its programs and campaigns touched the lives of more than 55 million children globally.
Prior to joining Save the Children, Paul held senior executive roles in government, both domestic and international NGOs and in the private sector. Paul is a graduate of the St James Ethics Centre’s Vincent Fairfax Fellowship in Ethics and Leadership and has degrees in economics and law with honours from Monash University, a graduate diploma in applied finance and a masters in international relations from Deakin University. He is the author of The Change Imperative: Creating a Next Generation NGO, a book that examines the organisational challenges faced by international NGOs in a rapidly evolving global political context.
Simon Ruth – Victorian AIDS Council
Simon Ruth has been the CEO of the Victorian AIDS Council for the last 18 months. Prior to working for VAC, Simon has worked for Peninsula Health, the Salvation Army, YSAS and the Ozanam Community. He is on the Board of the Victorian Alcohol and Drugs Association and was its President for five years. He is also the Vice President of the Australia Federation of AIDS Organisations. Simon has a 25 year history working in alcohol and drugs, homelessness, HIV and healthcare.
The Victorian AIDS Council has a 32 year history of leading the fight against HIV in Victoria through providing HIV prevention campaigns, support for people living with HIV and challenging stigma and discrimination faced by people living with HIV and members of the GLBTI communities. VAC is Australia's oldest AIDS organisation, is Victoria's largest community based HIV organisation and has an active and engaged membership.