Leadership insights from Karen Wolf
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Describe your journey to becoming a not-for-profit (NFP) leader
I started my career with a community organisation in my hometown of Grafton, New South Wales (NSW). It focused on disadvantaged groups in the workforce and dealt with some of Australia’s most vulnerable and marginalised. This was around the time of the recession – it hit Grafton hard and there was a lot of work to do.
From there I went to Bundaberg where I worked in a group training company and assisted with labour market programs. Here I worked with disadvantaged youth and Indigenous job seekers to assist them gain employment.
I then moved into the private sector, working in Mackay on similar programs with a private organisation – a bid to expand my experience and cut my teeth in the commercial world. This saw me move out of service delivery and into management for the first time.
After this I took the plunge and branched out on my own working with community groups in Adelaide. This propelled me into consultancy work nationally, in both the commercial and NFP sector.
In 2008, I joined the Postgraduate Medical Council of Queensland (PMCQ) as Program Manager and was appointed CEO in 2012 – I’m proud to be the leader during a time of pronounced change in the field of prevocational medical education and accreditation.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced in your journey?
Growing my skillset and experience whilst not abandoning my passion has been my greatest challenge. My passion has always lied with rural and regional communities. I’ve always had a desire to create a career that could take me to great heights, however trajectory can be difficult to achieve beyond the city centre.
Program and service delivery is difficult to action when infrastructure and resource support mechanisms aren’t available. I often have bold plans and objectives, but rolling them out in rural and regional settings demands innovation, creativity and good old elbow grease. I tend to throw all of myself at a challenge, so not getting burnt is a constant issue for me to manage.
