An interview with Leesa Jeffcoat, Diocesan Director of Catholic Education in the Diocese of Rockhampton
Catholic Network Australia (CNA) is a consortium of Catholic Education organisations committed to sharing resources and expertise. Within CNA, there are five working groups responsible for delivering CNA’s objectives. The purpose of the Stewardship Working Group is to support CNA and its Participants in the development and delivery of its stewardship responsibilities as reflected and embedded in its Strategic Plan.
We recently had the opportunity to interview the chair of the Stewardship Working Group, Leesa Jeffcoat, Diocesan Director of Catholic Education in the Diocese of Rockhampton.
CNA: With the competing priorities of being the Diocesan Director of Catholic Education, how do you find time to Chair the Stewardship Working Group?
Leesa: The two roles are more complimentary than you might imagine. The day-to-day responsibilities of a Director involve a constant flow of managerial and leadership challenges. Whereas, the Stewardship Working Group is focused on creating resources that provide governance and structure to aid decision making and leadership.
My Directorship is centred on the students, staff, and families of the Rockhampton Diocese. I find it incredibly rewarding to augment this by contributing to the creation of solutions for the benefit Catholic education organisations across the country.
I also derive a lot of benefits from the working group that assist me as a Director. I get to collaborate with peers from other systems of schools, exchanging notes, supporting each other and fostering the shared wisdom of the group.
CNA: Reflecting on your interactions with CNA over the past few years, what benefits of membership have been realised by the Diocese of Rockhampton?
Leesa: The most direct benefits have involved CNA’s role in simplifying procurement processes and improving negotiation positioning when engaging with large corporate providers. The buying power of CNA is not to be understated.
Less direct, but equally important, technology continues to progress at a rapid pace, sometimes outpacing changes in teaching and learning. CNA plays a vital role in raising awareness about transformative technologies, supporting impactful technology adoption, and offering guidance to avoid potential technology pitfalls. With constant change in education, the collective wisdom of CNA is a valuable resource to navigate these shifts.
CNA: The Stewardship Working Group is relatively new. How do you see it evolving in the future?
Leesa: Unlike some other working groups with established backlogs of objectives, the Stewardship Working Group primarily supports requests from other groups. While we'll create reusable resources like Terms of Reference and Meeting Minute Templates, much of our focus hasn't been requested yet. We must remain agile to meet the needs of CNA while balancing our contributions with our daily responsibilities.
Cross-working group collaboration will be key to navigating this balance and continually delivering value to CNA and its Participants.
CNA: Stewardship plays a role in risk identification and mitigation. What risks and risk mitigations are top priority at the moment?
Leesa: Child safety and wellbeing will always be a top priority. I am particularly excited about early indicator tools available for educators to identify risks to student wellbeing, automatically alert relevant adults, and address concerns quickly. Time is often a significant barrier in responding to safety and wellbeing issues, and these technologies promise to speed up our response.
However, these technologies also come with risks, including the management of sensitive, private information. These challenges are universal, and it's great that Catholic education organisations can collaborate to navigate them together.
CNA: What other challenges are currently most topical for Catholic education organisations?
Leesa: Providing equitable access to quality teachers in regional and remote locations is a persistent challenge, particularly for geographically dispersed Dioceses. Our goal is to offer quality Catholic education to every student, but geographic barriers can make it challenging. Investing in virtual school networks, inspired by the breakthroughs seen in higher education during Covid, could bridge this gap. Yet, these advancements haven't reached many of our schools that need it most.
Ensuring equitable access to education in regional and remote areas should continue to be one of CNA's top priorities.
Thank you, Leesa, for sharing your insights with us today. The Stewardship Working Group welcomes new members with various skillsets. If you're interested in policy writing, governance, and contributing to consequential initiatives, apply to join the Stewardship Working Group.
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