Rowena has lived and worked on three continents and contributed significantly to young lives through her involvement in a range of education and development organisations. She had significant roles as a member of staff, volunteer or consultant to various community and change programs in South Africa, Brazil and Australia.
In the early eighties, she spent time working on developing student leaders and young professionals in Brazil, and then used this experience in preparing young adults for cross-cultural work. In South Africa she was on the regional council of the highly respected Black Sash which played a consistent and disciplined role in the anti-apartheid movement for many years.
Rowena provided academic and life skills for students from the impoversished Alexandra township through her involvement in the Mitzpah School. She worked with disadvantaged scholarship students at the Leadership Education and Advancement Foundation.
As a qualified Heart Foundation instructor she was a founding member of a group consulting and instructing in Occupational Emergency Care.
In both Australia and South Africa Rowena has run programs for Salient involving student leaders and school staff.
Rowena is a trustee of Kloofwaters, an outdoor education venue where hundreds of South African children are given valuable educational and development experiences each year.
Rowena holds a BSc (Microbiology and Botany), a Post Graduate Education Diploma, and a BA (Psychology and Music).
She teaches Science and Biology at a prestigious secondary school in Sydney where she also has a pastoral role as Director of Year 12. Rowena is the co-ordinator of their indigenous education program, providing support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
As a Partner in Salient Management Consulting she continues to advise on educational matters and training methodologies, as well as playing a vital administrative role.