Mary Nega

Mary Nega is the CEO of Youth Affairs Council of Victoria. Her work focuses on supporting underrepresented or vulnerable communities, particularly young people and culturally diverse groups. She advocates for young people and represents the youth sector to uphold the rights of all young Victorians.

What inspired you to apply?

I was interested in undertaking this course so I can be best equipped to continue to contribute to causes I am passionate about. I thought serving on a not-for-profit or government board would present a unique leadership opportunity to contribute to solving problems in our community, in service of others. Professionally, I also thought furthering my board membership aspirations would be a fantastic opportunity to gain holistic insights into how organisations work and assist me in learning new ways to ask the right questions to get the best outcomes.

What has been the biggest take away message for you?

I currently report directly to a board. This training has been invaluable in understanding how I can best support the board to further our organisational aims.

The program has assisted me in understanding what best practice looks like, specifically in the not-for-profit sector. Throughout the course, each module has required applying the course content to real organisations. This has equipped me with a critical thinking skill set which I will take with me to my future boards.

Perhaps the most important thing I've learnt is to ask questions whenever you are in doubt. As a board member, doing your due diligence requires that you understand what is being discussed. Never shy away from asking a question. Odds are you will give others permission to do the same in doing so.

The course and scholarship have built on my legal qualifications to support my foundational knowledge of the responsibilities and obligations attached to directorship. The course offers several points at which you can take a critical lens and apply your learnings to your own experiences. This approach offers a rare opportunity that I consider to be very valuable. The financial literacy that the course offers is also particularly valuable for all board members.

One of the highlights is exposure to a cohort of current and aspiring directors. The cohort experience has been a fantastic opportunity to embrace expanding my professional networks to participants from varying disciplines beyond my own area of expertise.

The course and scholarship equipped me with the tools and knowledge to actively pursue board membership in my desired areas.