Regional Business HQ together with Bundaberg & District Chamber of Commerce are proud to bring together the business community to celebrate International Women’s Day and this year’s theme, Inspire Inclusion.
For International Women’s Day 2024 and beyond, let’s Inspire Inclusion. When we inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion, we forge a better world. And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there’s a sense of belonging, relevance and empowerment. The aim of the IWD 2024 #InspireInclusion campaign is to collectively forge a more inclusive world for women.
Hear from our three dynamic female leaders who will share their stories and what ‘inspiring inclusion’ means to them.
Magistrate Edwina Rowan
Magistrate Edwina Rowan is a regional success story. She was born in Bundaberg and began her career with century-old Bundaberg firm Charltons Lawyers in 2005 where she worked her way up to become appointed a partner in 2017.
As a solicitor, Edwina passionately advocated against domestic violence and volunteered her time to raise awareness to prevent domestic and family violence. In 2018 she was awarded a Queensland Police Community Service Award for her work with Edon Place, an organisation she had been both president and board member of.
Her contribution to the legal profession and community was recognised in 2019 when she was named the winner of the prestigious Agnes McWhinney award, named after the first woman solicitor in Queensland.
Magistrate Rowan was appointed a Magistrate on 4 January 2022 and presides in Bundaberg and Gladstone.
Tanya O’Shea, Managing Director, Impact Community Services
Currently the Managing Director of IMPACT Community Services, Tanya has more than 24 years’ experience working in the not-for-profit sector. During this time, she has had the privilege of developing leaders who share a common purpose of improving lives and creating a sense of belonging through inclusion for some of the most vulnerable within our community. In addition, Tanya has led IMPACT’s growth and diversification strategy under their Live, Grow and Prosper pillars. These pillars create a continuum of services that deliver a diverse range of programs within regional communities and enable the implementation of social enterprise models that create jobs and revenue streams specifically for people with a disability and living with a mental illness. Successfully completing a Bachelor of Psychology (Hons), Master of Mental Health Practice and Master of Business Administration, Tanya has had the opportunity to balance a strong academic and practical background in business management and leadership, with a keen interest in human behaviour and the interaction between mental and physical wellbeing. An advocate for taking personal responsibility for our wellbeing, she regularly shares articles on LinkedIn in the hope of instilling action in others that will build inner strength, resilience, and clarity of purpose.
Jo Leveritt, Lawyer & Founder, Wide Bay Advocacy
Jo Leveritt is a social justice advocate and human rights lawyer. She holds an Honours degree in Law and is a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland.
She founded Wide Bay Advocacy, a not for profit, registered charity. Wide Bay Advocacy delivers pro bono legal and advocacy outreach clinics to the homeless and disadvantaged in Bundaberg through its Bundaberg Street Law program.
Jo holds a number of Board positions including Zonta, in which she is also Chair of the Advocacy Committe, Rotary Club of Bundaberg, St Luke’s Anglican School and the Anglican Parish of Bundaberg. She is President of Wide Bay Advocacy and also President of Phoenix House.
Jo also has a weekly column in Bundaberg Today called Advocacy In Action and in Gladstone Today called the Justice Journal.
This event is proudly sponsored by Ergon Energy Network who are committed to driving inclusion in Queensland’s energy sector.
