Kate Milligan Edger
Read more about Kate Edger here |
Kate Milligan Edger (1857-1935)
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Dame Charmian was instrumental in establishing The KEECT in 2005 serving as Chair from 2005 - 2013, and then as Chair of the Awards Committee and a Trustee up until her recent retirement in October 2021. The Trust grew out of the Auckland Branch of the New Zealand Federation of Graduate Women, who started assisting with regalia for graduations over 40 years ago. Academic Dress Hire was established as a social enterprise under the Trust, ensuring the continuation of funding for the KEECT Awards Programme. She is passionate about providing opportunities for women to undertake tertiary education, whether it be in assisting mature women to undertake study in order to return to a profession or to take up work in the community, or in encouraging young women to enter University or a Polytech and to extend their studies so as to reach their potential in creative activities or research. |
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Stephanie Harris (Chair) LLB Joint Managing Partner Glaister Ennor Stephanie has been one of The KEECT Trustees since 2007 and in the role of Chair since 2013. As joint managing partner at Glaister Ennor, she acts for a number of high profile businesses and attends to their day to day business requirements, in particular, as they relate to terms and conditions of supply, security interests, general structuring and finance. "I aim to deliver excellence to my clients in terms of my legal technical skills and to provide strategic problem solving solutions together with a clear and detailed understanding of what is the best client outcome." Stephanie acts for investors and developers with commercial property portfolios in both the private and public sectors. With over 20 years of experience, she has invaluable expertise in undertaking large and complex property transactions and developments. |
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Margaret Crannigan Allen MBA Manager, Scholarships and Graduations The University of Auckland Margaret has been with the Trust since 2009 alongside her role as Manager of Scholarships and Graduations at the University of Auckland. On an annual basis, the university administers more than $40M of scholarships to its students. With the use of scholarships as a recruitment tool, the office has an important strategic role at the University. Margaret sees students from their arrival at University from school, right up to their graduation - at undergraduate and post-graduate level. One of the most enjoyable parts of Margaret's role, she feels, is helping students to complete their education with financial support - and reading the success stories as they graduate. Margaret graduated with an MBA with specialisations in Corporate Governance and Negotiation, both of which have helped in her role as a trust member. |
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Sonia Pechner BSc (Hons), MPA, Accounting |
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Jill Smith (Granddaughter of Kate Edger) BA Jill has been a founding member of the Trust alongside Dame Charmian since its inception in 2005. She is the granddaughter of our namesake Kate Edger, and is proud to be connected with the Trust in her grandmother's name - which works to carry on her ideals to further the higher education of women. Jill attended Auckland Girls' Grammar School and gained a Bachelor of Arts degree at Auckland University College. Jill then trained as a singer and was given the soprano role in the inaugural production of NZ Opera's The Medium which toured and played in Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin Festivals with the NZSO. Jill then left for England, married and became a teacher. A move to Canada followed where Jill studied at The Toronto Conservatoire before returning to New Zealand with three small children. She then spent 15 years teaching English and assisting students with learning difficulties. |
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Hilary Lewis MBA and Master of Commercialisation & Entrepreneurship Hilary is now in her second tenure as a Trustee having joined the board in 2018. She attended Rangitoto College before heading to the University of Auckland to do a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting). Hilary subsequently followed that up with a Master of Business Administration and Master of Commercialisation and Entrepreneurship, both also at University of Auckland. Her strength and experience is in leading programmes of change, technology, innovation and business process improvement in large, medium, entrepreneurial and social enterprises. Success has come from clarity of vision, strong commercial imperative, attention to detail, and an ability to communicate to and engage all involved. This is supported by a strong finance, IT, commercial, strategic and executive background. Hilary is passionate about a number of issues facing women today, having been involved of Breast Cancer Cure (funding research to find a cure for breast cancer) for 12 years, and Shine (focused on preventing domestic violence) and sees education as being a key driver of greater diversity and equality in our community. |
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Professor Linda Bryder MA (1st Class Hons) (Auck) DPhil (Oxon) FRSNZ FNZAH Since joining the academic staff of the University of Auckland in 1988, Linda has served on many University and Faculty Committees, including Research, Staffing and Library Committees. She has been Head of Department, and has served as Associate Dean Research for the Faculty of Arts. She has been awarded a University Research Excellence Award and a Teaching Excellence Award. The latter was based on her successful record of mentoring and supervising graduate students, particularly at PhD level. She has also mentored in the University’s Women in Leadership programme. She currently serves on the Auckland Libraries Heritage Trust, and is co-editor of the New Zealand Journal of History. |
Ru Wilkie BSc Psychology, BCom Marketing, and Management |
Nina Tomaszyk, BSocSci
nina.tomaszyk@kateedgertrust.org.nz
Nina has been at the helm of the organisation since 2017, and her considerable experience in both the corporate and not-for-profit worlds has given her a unique perspective on the importance of running a social enterprise that funds and supports a charitable trust. “With The KEECT Awards Programme funding $600,000 awards annually and being almost entirely dependent on the proceeds of Academic Dress Hire, it is a balancing act of providing the best customer experience in the most cost-effective way.”
Nina is passionate about education and the opportunity it provides to create better outcomes. The KEECT’s mission to fund, encourage, advance and promote education is at the heart of every decision she makes, and building meaningful and ongoing relationships with staff, graduates, awardees and sponsor partners is something that Nina excels at. Her goal for 2022 is to expand the Trust's sponsor partnership funding arm to be able to offer even more awards in the future.
“Being able to provide valuable financial and emotional support that ensures successful educational outcomes is my driving force. Seeing our awardees stand proudly at the Awards Ceremony having their hard work and success acknowledged in front of their friends and whānau is what it’s all about for me. And I get that same wonderful experience when customers come for their graduation and legal regalia. It is a real ‘moment’ for them and whānau, sometimes it is their first real achievement.”