Board
The Betty Brown Scholarship Board is comprised of representatives from the Shires of West Arthur, Wagin and Kojonup.
Eloisa Goss
Darkan Representative
Eloisa Goss is a Wheatbelt Education regional Principal and is passionate about supporting regional children to progress and experience success with their education.
During her 30-year career as an educator Eloisa has worked with many children as a teacher, Deputy Principal and Principal, with her leadership experience completed in the regional areas of Western Australia. She has been dedicated to improving the outcomes of children in the public education system and these efforts were recognised when she was a finalist for the 2018 WA Principal of the Year for the WA Education Awards and as a 2019-202 Harvard Fellow.
As the founding Board Chair for the Betty Brown Scholarship Fund Eloisa has shared her expertise to collaborate with board members to develop the governance procedures to support the scholarship in consultation with industry specialists.
Eloisa is excited to be a part of this initiative to broaden the outcomes and further the education of women and girls from WA public education schools of Darkan, Kojonup and Wagin.
Jo Abbott
Wagin Representative
Jo is an accomplished educator with many years of experience working as a teacher and a Deputy Principal in country WA. She has attained her Master of Educational Leadership from UWA. Jo is also a farmer in the West Arthur and Wagin Shires and is passionate about rural education, donating to an annual rural scholarship for university students in Western Australia.
Jo is the founding Board Vice Chair for the Betty Brown Scholarship Fund. Like Betty Brown, Jo would like to support women of all ages in continuing their education and encourages them to contribute to their rural community in their chosen field of interest.
Melinda King
Finance Member
Melinda is excited about the impact the Betty Brown Scholarship Fund will have on improving regional communities by providing support and opportunities for local women. Having grown up in regional Australia Melinda has an understanding of the additional challenges some students can face with furthering their education.
Melinda achieved a Bachelor of Business, Agricultural Commerce and has worked in finance for many years while farming with her husband in the Darkan area.
Janice King
Darkan Representative
Janice has been a long time resident of Darkan and has held a variety of positions in a variety of committees and organisations. Janice has had a career of more than more than twenty years at Darkan District High School, which then became Darkan Primary School, teaching children from early childhood through to high school classes.
Janice knew Betty Brown from the time that she married into her family, and shared a friendship with her, during which she came to appreciate Betty’s passions – education for all (especially girls), farming, (especially the wool industry), and the important role of women in agriculture. Janice came to appreciate Betty’s qualities – her commitment to ongoing learning, her interest in the pursuits of younger people of the family and community. Janice hopes that her participation on the Betty Brown Scholarship Board will ensure the continued legacy of Betty’s passions and generosity.
Jane Neil-Smith
Wagin Representative
Jane has been involved in the education system for many decades and is a passionate art teacher and has taught at two of the schools involved with this scholarship. Betty Brown was a close friend of the Neil-Smith family and Jane is happy to represent her family and her schools on the Board.
Tenille Norrish
Kojonup Representative
Tennille is a passionate advocate for regional communities, agriculture in general but especially for livestock and wool.
She and her husband are merino sheep breeders in Kojonup WA, where they have instilled a love of country living to their three children. Along with playing a big role in the day-to-day management of their properties, Tennille is also the Australian Wool Innovation Industry Relations Officer for Western Australia.
She says that one of the most enjoyable parts of this role is spending time with students from Primary through to Tertiary, teaching them about wool and its benefits and uses – but also about career paths and opportunities in the industry.
Tennille is looking forward to giving back to the agricultural community in the form of the Betty Brown Scholarship.
