Mrs Annie Fogarty AM
For Mrs Annie Fogarty AM, the key to children’s wellbeing lies in education. Her focus on the role of education in improving young people’s lives has been a driving force in her establishment of the Fogarty Foundation.
The foundation was established in 2000 by Mrs Fogarty and her husband Brett Fogarty, with a vision “to deliver education opportunities that support people to achieve their potential and inspire community leadership”.
Mrs Fogarty has held the Executive Chairperson’s role since the establishment of the foundation.
Through the foundation, Mrs Fogarty personally supports a number of projects designed to enhance educational opportunities for children and young people.
The Fogarty EDvance program was developed to assist children in lower socio-economic areas overcome some of the challenges that hindered their success at school.
Fogarty EDvance works on the principle that the quality of leadership in schools will help improve the effectiveness of that school.
It works with schools in disadvantaged areas to build on existing strengths and helps the schools to engage with parents and the community, to develop better working relationships with government and community agencies, and to build a network with other schools to provide support for the school leadership team.
Mrs Fogarty has also been at the forefront of the foundation’s relationship with Roseworth Primary School, and holds a position on the school board. The foundation’s work has seen the development of Roseworth into one of the most effective independent public schools in WA. Through the Spark_Lab program with PICA, Mrs Fogarty and the foundation foster innovation and creativity in children and young people. Mrs Fogarty says that providing educational opportunities will help strengthen our whole society.
In November 2019 Mrs Fogarty was named the WA Australian of the Year for 2020.