Women leaders applauded

The final 2005 Women of Achievement Awards were presented at a recent Women of Achievement Dinner. The two very worthy recipients were Jocelyn Cook, Manager, Educational Measurement, Performance and Accountability and Steph McDonald, Principal, Warnbro ESC for their outstanding leadership within the system.

Two outstanding staff members were acknowledged with Women of Achievement Awards at a recent Women of Achievement Dinner. The awards are part of the Department’s Women in Leadership strategy.

Central Office-based Manager of Educational Measurement, Accountability Jocelyn Cook and Warnbro ESC Principal Steph McDonald were recognised for their excellent leadership skills.

Jocelyn’s career with the Department spans more than 30 years and has included a long involvement in supporting women in the organisation.

Over the years she has worked in the Department’s equal opportunity branch and sat on the Women in Education Conference committee, but it is for the work she is doing in her current position that she has won acclaim.

Jocelyn received the non-teacher Women of Achievement Award for her outstanding commitment to leading innovative and internationally recognised work in the area of Monitoring Standards in Education (MSE) and Western Australian Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (WALNA).

She has also been credited for her ability to harness the unique skills and talents of her team to achieve outstanding results for the WA public school system.

Meanwhile, Steph McDonald received the teacher award for her strong commitment and passion to ensure her students surpass common expectations of students with disabilities.

Chair of the organising committee of the Abilities Careers Expo, Steph is highly regarded by her colleagues in the area of inclusive education and the driver behind many successful programs to improve opportunities for students.

She said she had received a lot of guidance and inspiration from women throughout her career with the Department and was glad that her current position allowed her to do the same for her staff.

“It’s really lovely to have acknowledgment from my peers but they have all also been of great inspiration and support to me, Steph said.

“Having awards like this make me realise just how much support and good leadership from women there is in the education sector.”