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Today is International Women's Day, and the theme is #EmbraceEquity. Together, we can contribute to a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can all #EmbraceEquity.
Major Christine Wright, Head of College
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your role at Eva Burrows College.
I emigrated from England with my family as a 6-year-old and spent my formative years in Whyalla, SA. I joined the RAAF in my late teens where I met my husband, Michael. We were commissioned as Salvation Army Officers in 1996, and I am now in my 27th year as a Salvation Army Officer. I have been privileged to have been given opportunities to serve and minister in many varied roles which includes Corps appointments, several administrative leadership positions, a previous appointment on College Staff and as a Divisional Commander in Central Victoria Division.
As part of my current role at EBC, I have the responsibility of overseeing the five streams of the college – Higher Education, Learning and Development, Officer Formation, Support Services and Vocational Training.
What are your favourite bible passages that encourage you in your spiritual walk, and in your calling?
So many verses have encouraged and inspired me in my spiritual walk and my calling. The first verse I can recall that buried itself deep inside me was Psalm 94:19 ‘In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.’(NKJ) In my call to Officership, John 15:15a confirmed my calling ‘You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit.’ (NLT). Ministry, as with life in general, has many ups and downs, and through it all God’s Word and presence has held and sustained me. Sometimes it has come straight from my personal reading, at other times from people around me. The most recent verse that has both challenged and drawn me forward is Psalm 116:14 ‘I will keep my promises to the Lord in the presence of all His people’(NLT).
Have you been surprised by anything along the way?
Life in a ministry setting is often one continual surprise. In my personal circumstance, I can honestly say I have never felt discrimination due to my gender or marriage status. Was this a surprise, perhaps. However, I journeyed with a sense of security in this space, as a lack of discrimination had been the norm for me in all of the areas I had studied or been employed in. I have been presented with many opportunities and have been shown respect and support in my journey. I acknowledge this still is not the story for some.
What sort of leader do you aspire or work to be?
I aspire to be a leader that engages in a collaborative way, yet still acts with courage if a difficult decision needs to be made. I don’t believe that I am conscious of my gender as I consider leadership and who I am as a leader. I believe who we each are in personality and our values, has the greatest impact on our leadership. The greater understanding we have of ourselves, will assist to inform the development of our leadership.
What are you looking forward to in 2023?
I am looking forward to working with the team at EBC as each stream assists in developing both the leadership, practical, theological and ministry skills of those who engage with Eva Burrows College.
Robyn Fagan, Library Manager
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your career at Eva Burrows College.
I joined EBC in 2018 after working in public, school, corporate, and theological libraries. My job as librarian included consolidating the Melbourne and Sydney library catalogues, as well as relocating and recataloguing the Sydney collection. In addition, I took the lead on the contribution of our library holdings to the Australian National Bibliographic Database, making sure that the data was accurate and that our catalogue was configured to support seamless OAI-PMH (Open Access Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting). As a result of this initiative, our library collection is now accessible to a worldwide audience. Most recently, I was promoted to the position of Library Manager in March 2022.
How did you get to this point?
I have made the most of opportunities for professional development and enjoy learning new skills. In my varied roles, I have developed skills across all facets of Librarianship and Information Services. I see networking and continued professional development as important skills. I recently achieved Certified Professional status and am eligible for Distinguished Certified Professional status with ALIA (Australian Library and Information Association). Being a part of a professional association has enabled me to maintain and expand my transferable skills.
What are the challenges you face now – and what challenges will you face in the future?
I enjoy the challenge of a curly information request that leads me on a treasure hunt across varied sources to find the right answer or information for a borrower. It is a pleasure for me to help students, the Salvation Army community and the general public with their requests.
What are your favourite bible passages that encourage you in your spiritual walk, and in your calling?
Micah 6:8 “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”
Psalm 46:1-2a “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear…”
What sort of leader do you aspire or work to be?
I see myself as a leader who supports others, who encourages those around me to achieve their potential and one who is continually developing. There is much to learn.
Karen Lattouf, Territorial Leadership Development Specialist
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your career at Eva Burrows College.
I am Karen Lattouf and my role at Eva Burrows College is Leadership Development Specialist in the Learning and Development Stream. I’ve been in this role for over 7 years and part of EBC for 5 years. In TSA, I’ve had a few different roles, including 12 years of officership and 4 years managing one of the social expressions. Outside of TSA, I’ve been a relationship therapist with Relationships Australia, and an aged care chaplain at BaptistCare.
What are your favourite bible passages that encourage you in your spiritual walk, and in your calling?
There are so many bible passages that have encouraged me along the way. But in the context of International Women’s Day, I think the story of Esther is an inspirational one for me. She was put into the most unfamiliar, unsafe and uncomfortable environment, and yet she carefully, wisely and with dignity navigated a way forward that uncovered the truth and demonstrated incredible courage, paving the way for the safety, wellbeing and flourishing of her people.
Who have been ‘cheerleaders’ on your journey, and what specifically have they said or done to help you along the way?
I have had many cheerleaders along the way who I want to honour. They have made spaces for me, have championed me, have seen potential in me, have advocated for me, have mentored and coached me, and have believed in me.
There are some in TSA who I’d like to honour. I am always grateful to Chris Reid, a wise and insightful leader, who encouraged me to apply for the role I am now in. Her belief in me means everything to me. I’m grateful for Lucinda Gayl, a wise and amazing person who has always believed in me and championed me. My leader, Philip Clark is the most empowering, encouraging and supportive manager. He does all he can so that I, and everyone on our team, are resourced and supported to be our best.
There are others in my life who have invested in me, especially at times when I was struggling, overwhelmed or simply trying to figure out what to do next. Bryan and David have been great investors into my life.
And my mum was my champion for only 26 of my 58 years. She was Grace by name, and grace by nature, and I’m ever indebted to her for her love for me and her self-sacrifice for me so that I could have the opportunities that I’ve had, and have been able to build on, in my life.
What sort of leader do you aspire or work to be?
I want to be a leader who truly loves – that is, who truly wants the best for the people I lead. I want to be more than just an influential leader, I want to be a leader who inspires people to be all that they can be. I want to be the kind of servant leader who does what I can to support others to flourish and shine.
I want to be a leader who sees people regardless of any demographic, ethnic, gender or any other differences, who has hope, and who follows the example of Jesus.
How does the Salvation Army encourage and raise up female leaders?
The Salvation Army has been a trailblazer in encouraging and raising up female leaders, but I think that there’s more to do. There are still pockets of sexism that unfortunately I have seen, experienced and witnessed in others.
I actually have a hope that one day the world won’t need an international women’s day, because gender bias has been eradicated. The bible makes it very clear that in Christ there is no male or female, but that we are all one in Christ Jesus. All one doesn’t mean all the same. There is room for diversity, for difference of opinion, for differing perspectives. We need to invite difference to the conversations, ensuring that we are thinking wider and deeper than we ever have before.
How do you personally encourage and raise up leaders?
I hope that whenever I encourage anyone, it has more to do with their individual needs, personalities, skills and strengths than it has to do with gender 😊
Encouragement of others needs to be authentic, person-centred and inspirational. There needs to be a balance of truth and grace in our encouragement. My encouragement of leaders comes from a place of supporting them to be their best and serving them in the way so that they can reach their potential and realise their goals.
I truly hope that that’s how others experience my encouragement!
Kylie Casey, Vocational Training General Manager
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your career at Eva Burrows College.
I have had the privilege of being part of the vocational training team at the college for almost 14 years. Based in Sydney at the EBC Parramatta campus, I am currently the General Manager of Vocational Training. This role allows me to lead the amazing Vocational Training team who are responsible for delivering the wide range of vocational programs offered nationally.
How did you get to this point? What were some of the key decisions that brought you here?
After working for many years in an IT managerial role for a multi-national company, I took a break from the workforce to care for my young children. Returning to the workforce, I knew that I wanted to take a different career path. Unsure where to start, I enrolled in a TAFE course designed to assist women returning to the workforce. This was life-changing for me, as I realised that being involved in delivering a training program such as this was what I wanted to do!
Coincidentally, I became aware of a role to administer vocational training programs delivered by The Salvation Army aimed at upskilling vulnerable members of the community. Having grown up in a Salvation Army family and strongly valuing education and social justice, this was just the type of role I was searching for!
After starting in an administrative role, I was encouraged to take up further study and develop skills in adult education and was supported to step up into roles with more responsibility. Many years later, I am now honoured to lead the Vocational Training Stream, a role that I find highly rewarding.
Have you been surprised by anything along the way?
I have been fortunate to have not faced any significant sexism or bias throughout my working life. During my career in IT, the industry was male dominated though conversely, the Vocational Education and Training sector is primarily a female workforce. In fact, one of the challenges we face in our team is finding ways to increase the gender diversity.
Who have been ‘cheerleaders’ on your journey, and what specifically have they said or done to help you along the way?
On reflection, I have enjoyed working for women leaders who have supported, encouraged and upheld me along my journey. Particularly, when I started with at the college, Margaret Herring, invested her time and shared her knowledge with me. This included investing in formal training, coaching and coming alongside me as I learnt about the VET sector. I hope to be a similar type of leader who is able to foster strong relationships with the team and encourages and supports them to flourish.
What are you looking forward to in 2023?
The coming year will be full of challenges for the vocational stream as we work through the high load of course development work required. I am looking forward to working with the team to develop new and improved courses and to explore the potential of what we can achieve in the online learning space. I anticipate great outcomes for our learners and a sense of achievement for the team.
Captain Kylie Herring, Leader of Officer Formation
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your career at Eva Burrows College.
I am now in the second year of my role as Leader of Officer Formation. I had an incredibly steep learning curve last year getting my head around the different teams within the Officer Formation Stream and learning what a year looks like. We took some time as a team to understand how we can best work together, and made some terrific headway in collaborating across stages and sharing skills and experience where they were needed.
How did you get to this point? What were some of the key decisions that brought you here?
I never actually imagined myself in this kind of leadership role. It was quite a surprise to get a call explaining that my name had been put forward and would I consider the appointment.
I can’t say I consciously made any key decisions that led me to be considered for this role, other than engage with opportunities to learn and equip myself to grow in my leadership capacity.
I’m not naturally wired to consider career pathways, and am not ambitious in that kind of sense. I am grateful that senior leaders - some known to me and some anonymous (!) – were aware of the scope of my experience in ministry, observed my skills and capacities and considered and recommended me for a role that I would never have imagined for myself.
Have you been surprised by anything along the way?
I can’t say I have felt any bias or blockages along the way caused by other people or processes. The greatest block for me along the way has been myself – my own lack of self-belief in my capacity and abilities.
What are the benefits of being a woman in the role you’re in?
I think my role carries a sense of nurture – what we do is about formation, about creating environments where growth and development can happen. As a female, I wonder if that is something that is innate and comes more easily – in the sense that I don’t have to check a list or a decision making matrix to make sure those aspects have been considered.
I do have a natural curiosity about people and have the ability to ask questions that require a depth of honesty in answering them – and am frequently surprised that people willingly enter that territory with me! So - I wonder whether being a female makes a difference in those spaces – whether a warm, nurturing, curious questioner helps people feel more at ease and more willing to explore those internal landscapes that are generally more privately held. It’s in exploring those landscapes though that I see I can have considerable impact – in understanding and helping others discover how they work best, learning when I might need to seek their perspective to make a decision, learning how I can best support them and what might be helpful to support their growth and development.
What advice would you give to another young woman who is on a similar path – or even to your younger self?
Don’t let your inner critic have such a loud voice! Have the courage to believe what is good and true about who you are and what you can and are capable of doing.