Women in Transport (WiT) Leadership Development Scholarship Program
Image: 2023 WiT Leadership Development Scholarship recipients, (L-R) - Kat Li, Taru Jain, Mamode Osikoya. (absent, Penny Papoulidis).
About the scholarships
Since 2017, the Women in Transport (WiT) Leadership Development Scholarship Program has provided opportunities for career advancement for high potential women to rise to senior positions within the industry.
Three scholarships up to the value of $30,000 each were awarded each year until 2024 for leadership development courses at an Undergraduate, Masters, Postgraduate and executive level, relatable to a transport and infrastructure area. This program is not currently offering new scholarships in 2025.
2024 Successful WiT Scholar Recipient Profiles
Courtney Buchanan
Courtney Buchanan is a Heritage Advisor for the Department of Transport and Planning and works in a state-wide capacity often acting in a coordinating role between project delivery teams, the regions and external contractors and stakeholders. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology, with a minor in Ancient History, from Sydney University, and an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Conservation of Cultural Materials from the University of Melbourne.
Prior to taking on her current position, Courtney worked as a Heritage Advisor and Cultural Heritage Administrator for Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation. Courtney has significant archaeological experience and has worked closely with Traditional Owners in both Victoria and New South Wales. As a heritage professional Courtney has a passion for Traditional Owner-led land management and the conservation of intangible cultural heritage.
Outside of her heritage work, Courtney is a member of the Australian Women’s Epee Team. Courtney holds the position of Diversity and Inclusion Officer on the Board of Fencing Victoria, and works to create a safe, fun, accessible and inclusive community for all fencers.
Cassie Min
Cassie Min currently works as a Lead Precincts Transport Advisor within the Department of Transport and Planning, where she provides transport planning advice for priority precincts across Victoria, to achieve coordinated networks and integrated transport and land use outcomes.
Cassie is passionate about helping to create sustainable and efficient transport systems that enhance the places we live, work, and connect. She aspires to become a strategic transport leader, promoting and leveraging approaches that ensure sustainability, equity and liveability are considered when developing transport solutions.
Cassie is motivated to enhance her skills in this field, to tackle the complex challenges of modern transport and mobility planning. Her approved course, the Master of Transport and Mobility Planning at Monash University, unpacks the links between urban land use planning and transport and mobility, and explores how these relationships are challenged by emerging trends and technologies. This course will help her develop a deeper understanding of the interrelationships between social, economic, and environmental factors that drive the need for integrated transport. It combines theoretical foundations with practical applications and will equip her with skills that bridge several disciplines relevant to transport and urban mobility.
By completing this course, Cassie aims to apply and promote best practice approaches in transport, fostering greater collaboration among experts to drive more robust and innovative outcomes. She is committed to improving diversity within the transport sector, and keen to make a positive impact on the community through her work in the Victorian Public Service.
Mariana Taraunekh
Mariana is a Senior Project Engineer at the Suburban Rail Loop Authority where she is fortunate to be a part of the team focused on delivering safe, accessible, and reliable infrastructure for the fastest growing city in Australia. Growing up in a family of engineers in industrial Eastern Ukraine, Mariana always wanted to do meaningful and result-oriented work, introducing positive changes for her community and a leaving a legacy for future generations. When she moved to Australia, this desire inspired Mariana to study civil and infrastructure engineering at RMIT University. Later, these aspirations led her to apply her engineering and project management knowledge to delivering Victoria’s most exciting and critical projects while working at Rail Projects Victoria and the Level Crossing Removal Project. She enjoyed leveraging her local government and private sector experience when building successful stakeholder relationships on these projects.
Mariana feels extremely privileged to receive the 2024 WiT Leadership Development Scholarship to study the Master of Construction Law at the University of Melbourne. Combining her experience delivering major transport infrastructure projects with vital legal and commercial knowledge will enhance Mariana’s ability to navigate complex challenges, and exercise sound judgement in decision making processes, for a project the scale of the Suburban Rail Loop.
A few days before receiving the news of becoming a WiT Leadership Development Scholar, Mariana also became a first-time mother to a baby girl. She is excited about this new chapter in her life and is looking forward to conquering the challenge of balancing work and study with being a mother. Responsible for a little girl, she more than ever feels the importance of continuing to dismantle barriers, using the opportunities she has been given to encourage and inspire women to pursue their careers and develop their leadership potential.
WiT Scholarship Alumni
The WiT Scholar Alumni continue to give back to the WiT programs and its network through WiT program promotion, guest speaking opportunities, as WiT Mentors and more recently become buddies to recent WiT Scholar members.
The inaugural WiT Leadership Development Scholarship Program Alumni meet and greet session was held in November 2022 . In November 2023 the now annual event ran for the second time, also welcoming senior and executive leaders from the transport industry to showcase the capability, leadership potential and achievements of the WiT scholars and alumni. In November 2024 a smaller gathering of alumni met to discuss the future goals of the cohort and how to support each other while continuing to progress gender equity across the transport sector.
To learn more, please contact the WiT Programs team via witprograms@levelcrossings.vic.gov.au with any queries.
WiT Scholar and Alumni List
WiT Scholar Year | Name | Course Name |
|---|---|---|
2018 | Esther Warren | Master of Business Administration, Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne |
2019 | Melissa Webb | Master of Design Futures, RMIT |
2019 | Dishita Masalia | Master of Business Administration - Business Management, University of Canberra |
2019 | Alexandra Morey | Master of Systems Engineering, The University of New South Wales |
2020 | Janine Lara | Graduate Diploma of Property, Deakin University |
2020 | Julia Jenvey | Master Urban Planning and Environment, RMIT |
2020 | Kim Achkar Roumieh | Master of Engineering Management - Project Management, University of Melbourne |
2020 | Marion Carrabin | Master in Infrastructure Engineering and Management, Monash University |
2021 | Kate Stapleton | Executive Masters in Cities, London School of Economics |
2021 | Annie Xu | Master Business Administration, Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne |
2021 | Helen Cui | Masters Infrastructure Engineering and Management, Deakin University |
2022 | Aditi Sachdeva | Master of Professional Management, University of Melbourne |
2022 | Rhiannon Drummond-Clark | Masters of Environment and Climate Emergency, Curtin University |
2022 | Tamara Preuss | Master of Laws, University of Melbourne |
2023 | Penny Papoulidis | Master of Construction Law, University of Melbourne |
2023 | Mamode Osikoya | Master of Environmental Engineering, Griffith University |
2023 | Kat Li | Master of Business Administration, Deakin University |
2023 | Taru Jain | Women in Leadership Program, Melbourne Business School |
2024 | Courtney Buchanan | Master of Environmental Law, University of Melbourne |
2024 | Cassie Min | Master of Transport and Mobility Planning, Monash University |
2024 | Mariana Taraunekh | Master of Construction Law, University of Melbourne |
Further information
This program is run by the Level Crossing Removal Project – a project office of Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority delivering Victoria's Big Build, on behalf of the Department of Transport and Planning.
The WiT Programs Team role is facilitated by the Industry Capability & Inclusion team at Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP). The WiT Programs Team has a keen focus on continuous improvement and welcomes feedback on its program delivery.
For additional information, please email witprograms@levelcrossings.vic.gov.au