Ellen Koshland inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women

ALL’s founder Ellen Koshland has been formally recognised by the Victorian Government as a visionary change-maker who is passionate about education and championing women’s literature.

She was among 20 other exceptional women who were inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll for Women in recognition of their dedication to Victoria as leaders, innovators and mentors.

The 2018 inductees join more than 600 remarkable women named in the Honour Roll since it began in 2001.

Minister for Women, Natalie Hutchins said that Ellen’s commitment to education in Victoria represents one of the most remarkable and relentless campaigns to address the serious inequities facing many young people and their families.

“Through extraordinary philanthropy, a deep understanding of what is required to drive systemic change, and an unwavering commitment to social justice, Ellen continues to make an exceptional contribution to education in Victoria and Australian women’s writing,” she said.

Ellen’s achievements include establishing the Small Change Foundation in 1989 to improve learning and life outcomes for young people in the public education system. Renamed the Education Foundation, it raised more than $10 million to fund over 500 innovative programs in Victoria and nationally, supporting many students in government schools to develop their talents and foster a love of learning. In 2008, the Education Foundation joined Foundation for Young Australians, where Ellen was a Board Director until 2012.

Ellen is the founding patron of the Stella Prize, a major literary award celebrating Australian women’s writing. Five years on, the organisation continues to champion cultural change and empower women and girls to find their creative voices.

She is also a founding partner of the Global Education Leaders Partnership, a powerful alliance of global education leaders who seek to transform education to meet the needs of the future through new methods, curriculum and assessment.

Most recently, Ellen set up the Koshland Innovation Fund to stimulate new thinking about education in Australia. The Fund established the Australian Learning Lecture, a collaboration with State Library of Victoria, to bring to national attention new big ideas and compelling reasons for new approaches to learning.