HunterNet and the Hunter Business Chamber have announced the opening of applications for the Kristen Keegan Future Leaders Scholarship for 2018.

The scholarship honours Kristen’s legacy as a leader in the Hunter business community by paying for the tuition of the winning candidate. The scholarship recipient will enter HunterNet’s Future Leaders Program beginning on Thursday 19 April and which accepts and mentors 30 participants annually to be future Hunter leaders.

Project Director at HunterNet, Wayne Diemar said the Future Leaders scholarship is designed to pay tribute to Kristen’s contribution to the Hunter region.

“Kristen Keegan was a great ambassador to our region; the HunterNet Future Leaders scholarship helps pay tribute to her legacy,” Wayne said.

“The scholarship provides a platform and an opportunity for a young person from our region to hone their leadership credentials.”

The scholarship is structured to support the development of the next generation of Hunter leaders, just like Kristen.

Applications for the scholarship are open to Hunter-based, future leaders who are aged up to 30 years old, have a desire to make a difference and a contribution to the local community, are prepared to take risks and challenge the status quo and committed to hard work and completing their studies.

The applicants must demonstrate how the program would benefit them, their aspirations and goals, how they’ve used their leadership skills to manage challenges and how they can enrich the Hunter community whilst preserving its heritage.

The assessment panel for the scholarship will consist of representatives from HunterNet and the Hunter Business Chamber. Applications close on 22 March 2018.

Kristen was the CEO of Lake Macquarie City Council’s economic arm, Dantia and the first female CEO of Hunter Business Chamber. She lost her battle to cancer earlier last year.

IMAGE |Participants in HunterNet’s Future Leaders Program in 2017.