Good Shepherd welcomes two new Board members
Good Shepherd New Zealand is delighted to welcome two new Board members, Erica Jenkin and Tracey Bridges. Both bring deep expertise in areas that will strengthen our governance and support our mission. We sat down with Erica and Tracey for a Q&A to learn more about their backgrounds, perspectives and what inspires their commitment to the Good Shepherd mission.
Erica Jenkin
Erica is a seasoned not-for-profit governance professional with more than 25-years’ experience in risk and assurance.
What inspired you to join the Board?
I was drawn to Good Shepherd for not only its significant purpose in making a difference to New Zealanders – particularly women and their families – but also for its culture and focus on bringing resources and expertise together to fight economic harm. More than ever, these are challenging times. People are reaching out to organisations like Good Shepherd for support, but there are limited resources. Part of the role of governance is to keep looking for the smartest ways to approach and solve complex problems.
What experience do you bring that you are most excited to apply here?
I am looking forward to bringing a wide range of practical skills around risk, assurance and compliance to support Good Shepherd’s people in navigating some complex business landscapes.
What is the one thing you hope to achieve during your term?
It would be an honour to be part of the team/tenure in which we can measurably bring down economic harm markers in New Zealand, particularly in these difficult financial times that we are facing.
Tracey Bridges
Tracey specialises in strategy, leadership and behavioural change and brings extensive governance experience, including within the social sector.
What inspired you to join the Board?
I’m deeply interested in organisations and projects that disrupt the status quo, and that support people to change their circumstances and have better lives. So, the Good Shepherd values and mission strongly resonate with me: “courageous disrupters acting with zeal and audacity” to support women and their families to create better futures – what could be better? I also absolutely love working with other change makers – and the Good Shepherd team in New Zealand and Australia is full of awesome people, some of whom I’ve worked with before, and others who I know by reputation.
What experience do you bring that you are most excited to apply here?
I’m excited that the Good Shepherd Board will draw on a range of different experiences; from my work in strategy and behaviour change (It’s Not OK; Like Minds, Like Mine; Push Play; Smokefree, and others) to my work in other trans-Tasman organisations; and my involvement as a board director and volunteer with a range of other charities in New Zealand – including WELLfed, Plunket, and the Digital Media Trust. I’m hoping that little kete of different experiences will be useful for the Good Shepherd team.
What is the one thing you hope to achieve during your term?
One of the key roles of any Board is to set the strategy, and lead with clarity of purpose. I’m looking forward to being part of a governance and management team that will be audacious in setting ambitious goals and identifying strategies to ensure we’re set up well to be able to achieve them.
As Good Shepherd NZ continues to grow and evolve, we’re grateful to have leaders like Erica and Tracey guiding our work. Their insight and commitment will play an important role in shaping the impact we can make for women and families across Aotearoa.