Testimonials
Testimonials
“This webinar exceeded expectations and provided research and clear ideas on an area I have become convinced is the way forward. The speakers are exceptional and living proof of an ideal bifocal team. The seminar was uplifting. Thank you Gender Academy for this.”
“Thank you GE Academy for this webinar ! It was brilliant !!! Thank you Tim and Jen.”
“Thank you so much for this event, which was a real eye-opener. Fantastic speakers, congratulations!”
GE Academy Partners for Change webinar participants
Jen helped us to understand the progress made to date on Athena SWAN in Australia and drew on her deep subject knowledge and understanding of our organisation to make practical suggestions for successful preparation.
Andrea Frigo, Committee for Equity and the Development of Staff Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
'We have worked with Dr/Jen de Vries on two occasions. Each time she has challenged us to think strategically about how we take forward work on gender equality, and on the positioning of our women's mentoring initiatives in relation to that work. Her insights and expertise have been hugely valuable, particularly in bridging the gap between academic and administrative colleagues; and in challenging us to think about Athena SWAN as a culture change initiative and to support us in doing so'
Trudy Coe
Head of Equity and Diversity, Oxford
"Jen’s session on sponsorship for our Senior Women’s Leadership Network was superb. It was a perfect blend of presenting her current research, linking it to international literature and engaging the participants to reflect on and share their own experience. The buzz after the workshop confirmed the relevance of the topic and Jen’s expertise in creating an environment where participants wanted to return to their workplace and put the learnings into action.”
Mary Ann Crick
Staff Development Manager
"When we asked Dr Jen de Vries to assist us develop a mentoring programme for early-career researchers we knew that she was a mentoring guru, but she was so much more! Her expertise in organisational change meant that she understood our strategic focus on distributive leadership and the importance of building an engaging culture. Her 'bifocal' approach to mentoring weaves perfectly into our other OD initiatives."
Melanie Moorcroft
Associate Director, Organisational Development
"Jen de Vries facilitated two highly engaging sessions at Durham University. The key strategic leaders from both the Academic and Professional Support Services found the time spent with her to be both thought provoking and challenging. Jen's facilitative style, based on sound academic research, helped us to open up the discussions around gender based leadership issues within the institution in a constructive and engaging manner leading to agreement over specific actions that each individual could take whilst also influencing further strategic discussions. A number of delegates commented that the sessions made them reflect on how their behaviour could unconsciously impact on others and what they could do differently. I would highly recommend her to other institutions who want to seriously address equitable leadership issue."
Joanne Race
HR Director
"I have been working with Dr Jennifer de Vries since 2011. When looking for someone to assist in the development and running of our staff mentoring program, I asked around for someone good. All the people I spoke with recommended Jen, and they were right. What I have appreciated about working with Jen: her academic expertise and credibility in the area of staff mentoring; her framing of her development work within a sound conceptual approach; her collaboration and flexibility in developing a program that meets our contextual needs; her engaging delivery (the feedback from participants confirm this); and her high level of organisation and professionalism. The program has continued to develop in new directions with Jen's input, and its success is largely due to Jen and her contributions. It has been both a pleasure and an engaging academic collaboration working with Jen, and I will continue to strongly recommend her to anyone interested in this kind of work".
Professor Marilys Guillemin
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Science
'I thought the workshop was very valuable. It gave me a chance to outline the strategy and I think we got a chance to see the different styles of mentoring and sponsorship already in place and the work we have to do to develop our ecosystem of support.'
Professor Paul Donaldson Head of School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland
I couldn’t help anticipate a real ‘nuts and bolts’ training sesson: I wasn’t expecting this big picture aspirational approach. It has certainly got me thinking and in that way is very empowering.
I really appreciate how thought provoking the presentation was – putting mentoring and the type of mentor I want to be firmly in my own hands.
Jen was approachable and accessible. Knowledgeable and engaging. Presentation pitched at right level. Many thanks.
Meg
Librarian, Victoria University Technology
“Dr de Vries led a very successful program Leadership Development for Women (LDW) ...I observed the transformative effects of the program on the participants and subsequently the institution. The success of the program was largely due to the intellect, enthusiasm and insight of Dr de Vries”