Stem at Council: The Incredible Women Behind The Scenes 👷♀️📐🧪👩💻
In the spirit of International Women’s Day, we here at Moree Plains Shire Council would like to recognise the important role of women at Council. Focussing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), we share four stories with you of authentic and self-assured women who have made a tremendous contribution to Council and the community.
SCIENCE:
With a passion for understanding scientific processes, coupled with a curious and analytical mind, Sugeesha knew a role in science was her calling from a young age.
Since graduating with a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and starting at Council, Sugeesha has worked on some impressive projects. The Integrated Water Cycle Management strategy and implementing the rollout of automatic water meters throughout the Shire are two major projects Sugeesha is proud of completing.
Sugeesha’s role model, Indra Nooyi, is a successful businessperson and former CEO of PepsiCo. “How she manages to balance her family and her career is inspiring. She started her career with a bachelor’s degree in science and then became the first female CEO of one of the world’s largest corporations. She is my inspiration both professionally and personally.”
Sugeesha aims to encourage young women to pursue a career in science and to always strive for more. Her advice: “believe in yourself, work hard and your dreams will come true; never give up no matter what obstacles are thrown your way”.
TECHNOLOGY:
Rebel Woodham is Council’s Acting Senior Communications Officer and Web Writer. Besides managing the website, she creates and distributes Council’s communications for digital and print mediums. Whether designing, coding or writing, Rebel excels in her multitasking role and goes above and beyond in anything she is tasked to complete.
While working and completing a bachelor’s degree in multimedia studies, Rebel discovered digital media-fuelled her creative energy and she knew this would be an industry she could thrive in.
Rebel has made some tremendous contributions to Council’s communication team that have also been recognised outside the organisation. Rebel and the communications team received praise for creating and using Facebook avatar Moreen Plains to better digitally connect Council and residents.
As a result, Council succeeded in the ‘Reporting to your Community’ category and won the RH Dougherty award in 2012, along with the A R Bluett Memorial Award 2011/2012, the pinnacle of local government achievement, with some of Council’s success for that year being contributed to winning the RH Dougherty Award for communications.
“I am lucky to have found a role that I am passionate about. For anyone looking to start their career, make sure you choose something you are going to love to do every day”, shares Rebel.
ENGINEERING:
Renee McMillan is Council’s Road Safety Officer and advocates for improving our community’s safety. A challenging yet enjoyable role, Renee points out that two days are “never the same”. Renee coordinates truck and heavy vehicle movements with transport organisations and is responsible for road safety education.
Renee’s passion for engineering started when she took on a temporary contract in Council’s road safety department. Self-confessed ‘rev head’ Renee has a passion for cars and engineering, combining this interest with her love of the community she lives in was a perfect balance. Becoming the Engineering team’s Road Safety Officer was the career move Renee was looking for.
Dedicated to creating a safer future for the Shire’s community, a big component of Renee’s role is contributing to Towards Zero, a NSW Government initiative striving for a zero death toll on NSW roads. Collaborating with the rest of the engineering team, Renee was involved in the planning and construction of pedestrian facilities for a busy roundabout in Moree which had been the cause of a number of deaths and severe injuries. Since its creation, there have been no accidents in the area and it's safer.
Renee encourages more women to consider joining the industry. After a positive experience at a truck conference where she was a guest speaker, Renee admitted a number of men also wished more women were involved in the industry.
MATHEMATICS:
Katie Brennan plays a big role as the Payroll Officer. A typical week for her includes processing timesheets, organising and distributing pay, entering new employee’s details and the reclassification of staff members. Care is central to Katie’s identity and that’s why a job in Payroll, which involves helping staff each day, motivates her so much.
Initially, Katie considered a degree in nursing and law but, after getting a taste for accounting from work experience at an insurance firm, Katie did a 180. The opportunity allowed her to discover what she loved and what she was passionate about doing.
Katie’s first and previous managers are two key figures that have made a positive difference in her career. On top of teaching Katie a wealth of mathematical skills, they also took the time to develop her interpersonal communication, which gave Katie the confidence to excel in her role.
Completing an accounting qualification can be incredibly hard. While working full-time and being a new mum, Katie still managed to find the extra 25–30 hours a week needed to study. She defied the odds, graduated and became a charted accountant.
Her advice to young women starting their careers: “Find a job you are passionate about and enjoy. Don’t be afraid to take risks and look at new opportunities you might not have considered before”.
As a STEM employer, we here at Moree Plains Shire Council want to help further the conversation by spotlighting the professional experiences and perspectives of some of our fantastic women employees, like Sugeesha, Rebel, Renee and Katie. We want to inspire the next generation of young women to fulfil their career goals, no matter what role they choose or what industry it is in.
Have an interest in STEM? Why not check out Council’s latest job vacancies 👉 https://www.mpsc.nsw.gov.au/want-a-job/positions-vacant
#internationalwomensday #iwd2022 #BreakTheBias