Warrior Woman Foundation

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Kerry Stubbs

Advisor in NFP Leadership

Kerry has extensive human resources, research and teaching expertise in the areas of anti-discrimination, equal employment opportunity and social justice. She has been appointed to a number of government and not for profit Boards and has worked as an academic at both Sydney University and the University of Technology. Kerry has been appointed to the College of Adjuncts at Western Sydney University, and to the Board of Trustees of Western Sydney University and was appointed Deputy Chancellor early in 2018. She has undergraduate and postgraduate honours degrees in Government and Public Administration. She is particularly interested in using design thinking to foster innovation and better co-design of services and systems for the people who use them, and in particular disadvantaged and minority communities. In 2015 Kerry was voted among the top 25 Australians in Pro Bono Australia’s Impact List and in 2007 she was chosen as the NSW Telstra Businesswoman of the year in the Community and Government sector.

Kerry’s working life has moved through a range of industries and roles, largely with organisations that are focussed on service to the community.  She worked as a junior lecturer at Sydney University, and then in the NSW Parliament as a researcher.  She moved from there to take up roles in Equal Employment Opportunity and Human Resources for Sydney Water, and then into operational management in Sydney Water and Australian Water Technology P/L.  From there she moved to St Vincents and Mater Health Australia, first as Group Human Resources Manager, and then as Executive Director of St Vincent’s Hospital and Sacred Heart.  Her most recent Executive role, which she held from 2008 to September 2020, was as Managing Director and CEO of The Northcott Society, which she led through a period of enormous change and growth.

In this year of Covid-19, she has been appointed to the Advisory Council to the AHPPC on disability pandemic planning. She has also been appointed to the NSW Government Domestic and Family Violence and Sexual Assault Council, and is a member of the Community Advisory Committee for the Australian Digital Health Authority.

Kerry has also served as an independent Director on a number of Boards and currently she is the Chair Achieve AUSTRALIA, and a Director on the Board of  Healthy North Coast Ltd,  the board of Trustees of  Western Sydney University, the CRC for Water Sensitive Cities, and the Water Sensitive Cities Institute.  She Chairs the Finance and Investment Committee for Western Sydney University and the Audit and Risk Committee for the CRC.

We provide a safe and welcoming space for young women to share, learn, heal and grow. Each young woman is connected with a mentor as well as a network of diverse community-minded women who provide ongoing support and share their life experiences, resources and opportunities:

  • Connection to a safe, stable, and socially inclusive network of female role models to turn to for advice and ongoing support for the duration of the six-month program.
  • Connection to a non-judgmental group of young women who are facing similar challenges.
  • Connection to Kindred Warrior Peers, young women who have experienced challenges in life and have gone on to achieve life success.
  • Weekly one-to-one mentoring sessions with a safe mentor.

We teach young women the life skills they need to succeed in everyday life. Our “teach a young woman to fish” approach gives them support and guidance at every step, knowing that true empowerment comes from them learning to do things for themselves. In particular, we focus on financial literacy and job readiness:

  • Life-skills workshops to build self-reliance.
  • A six-week Financial Literacy program (in partnership with MoneyGirl).
  • A four-week Job Readiness program.
  • Assistance in gaining and retaining meaningful employment.
  • Access to a range of vocational skills scholarships (e.g., Code Like a Girl) and internships.

Many young women experience trauma which negatively impacts their confidence, self-esteem and self-worth. We support and nurture the trauma healing process in safe psycho-educational workshops facilitated by experts. In these sessions, young women learn to engage with self-compassion, and to soften and contain threat-based emotions, such as fear and anxiety, anger, shame and self-criticism.