Two NSW South Coast principals are among four winners of the 2026 Harvard Principals Scholarships, awarded by the Public Education Foundation in partnership with Teachers Mutual Bank and the Harvard Club of Australia. Ruth Winfield from Vincentia High School and Caroline David from Woonona High School will travel to Harvard Graduate School of Education later this year, joining recipients from Queensland and Tasmania.
Ruth Winfield has led Vincentia High School since 2019. Her school serves seven local villages and the Wreck Bay Aboriginal community in Booderee National Park, with some students travelling up to an hour by bus each day. She has spent five years widening pathways for young people into employment, TAFE and university. The school gained national recognition for its Dhurga language program, taught to every student in their first year. Winfield completed her doctorate while running the school full time and published her research nationally in 2025.
Ruth Winfield, Principal, Vincentia High School said:
"I believe this program will assist me in deep reflection and thought generation with other accomplished learners. In turn, this will lead to new possibilities for our school that I would not have considered by myself."
Caroline David has built Woonona High School around a conviction she does not waver on. She is completing a PhD alongside her principalship and brings the same research-led rigour to her school that she brings to her academic work.
Caroline David, Principal, Woonona High School said:
"Every child who comes through our doors has access to a world-class education, for free. I believe that is what a democratic society owes its people. This scholarship gives me the opportunity to connect with research and with principals around the world who are grappling with the same questions we are, and to bring that thinking back to our community."
NSW Education Secretary Murat Dizdar said the selection of two South Coast principals reflects what he sees across NSW public schools every day.
Murat Dizdar, Secretary, NSW Department of Education said:
"NSW public schools are home to some of the finest educators in the world and Ruth Winfield and Caroline David are proof of that. The fact that two of them are being recognised with a place at Harvard does not surprise me at all. I could not be prouder of them both."
Manisha Amin, CEO, Public Education Foundation said:
"Ruth and Caroline are leaders who have given everything to their schools and their communities. Ruth's work at Vincentia is extraordinary in its scope and ambition. Caroline's conviction about what public education should be is exactly what this scholarship was created to champion."
Recipients are selected by an independent panel on the basis of demonstrated leadership, commitment to public education, and capacity to translate the Harvard experience into lasting improvement for their school and community.
