Sam Mostyn (Chair),  NSW

Since June 2010, Sam Mostyn has been a Community Interest Representative on Council. She began her professional life as a lawyer and, after many years in senior corporate roles, is now a non-executive company director and sustainability adviser. For a period of nine years, Sam was President of the Australian Museum Trust and currently serves on a number of not-for-profit advisory boards concerned with climate change, volunteering and community development. Sam is a passionate fan of Australian Rules and since 2005 has served as a Commissioner of the AFL. She first worked in the arts as a young volunteer solicitor at the Arts Law Centre of Australia, and has continued to serve on arts related boards, including the Sydney Theatre Company.

Jeremy Smith (Deputy Chair),  WA

Jeremy studied Lighting Design at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, graduating in 1997. After initially starting a career in the arts sector in the technical production field, Jeremy transitioned to Program Management of Arts and Cultural programs in 2001, following a stint at the Vancouver International Children’s Festival in Canada (assisted by a Young People and the Arts Fellowship grant from ArtsWA). On his return to WA, Jeremy assumed the role of Program Manager of the Creative Challenge with AWESOME Arts Australia.  The Creative Challenge is AWESOME’s state-wide contemporary arts residency program for children and young people, working in 10 regional, rural and remote communities across Western Australia each year.  In 2003, Jeremy commenced work at the WA Department of Culture and the Arts (DCA) as Project Officer, Community and Regional Arts Development – continuing his regional and community arts focus across Western Australia, assisting regional and metropolitan-based artists and organisations secure funding and support from DCA.  During his five and a half years at DCA, Jeremy held several positions – including Manager, Resources and Senior Project Officer, Organisations and Contracts, which enabled Jeremy to work closely with DCA’s 46 recurrently funded key arts and cultural organisations.  Between July 2008 and April 2010, Jeremy worked at DADAA (Disability in the Arts, Disadvantage in the Arts, Australia) Inc, as Manager, Regional and Strategic Development.  He currently works for Rio Tinto in Perth as Senior Advisor, Community Investment – working across the company’s business units in Western Australia.

Claudia Chidiac,  NSW

Claudia is a director, community cultural development facilitator, producer and performer. Claudia is currently the Creative Performance Producer at the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre in Sydney. From 2005 - 2010 she was the Artistic Director of Powerhouse Youth Theatre (PYT), where she was responsible for directing, and producing the company’s artistic program and developing training opportunities for emerging artists in Western Sydney. For PYT she directed City Quest (2007), was associate director of This Territory with the Australian Theatre for Young People (2007), co-directed Mobile Messenger (2006) and I do… but (2006). From 2006-2008 Claudia was the director of Can You Hear Me?, a legal theatre event with South West Sydney Legal Centre. She  previously worked as a freelance director and performance artist across Western Sydney, making work with young people, migrant and refugee communities. She has worked with companies such as Urban Theatre Projects, Belvoir St Theatre Company, Performance Space, Bankstown Youth Development Service and Information and Cultural Exchange. Projects include Girlz Gaze (2004),  In Our Name (2004), Museum of Fetishised Identities (2001) and Asylum (2001). In 2008 Claudia was one of the Australian delegates in the Next Generation Symposium as part of the 16th ASSITEJ World Congress and Performing Arts Festival; in 2006, she was awarded the Australia Council for the Arts Community Cultural Development Young Leaders Award; and in 2004 the Arts NSW Western Sydney Artist Fellowship. In 2002 she was one of ten young Australians selected to attend an international summer school for young change-makers, held in Wales, UK.  

Marline Zaibak,  VIC

Marline Zaibak has a Bachelor of Media Studies, Post Grad. Dip. (LaTrobe University) and  Post Grad. Small Companies and Community Theatre (NMIT). She has 10 years experience in youth theatre, previously Chairing the Platform Youth Theatre Board and was a Board Member of the Melbourne Workers Theatre Committee of Management. From 2006 - 2012 Marline worked at the Anti Racism Action Band (A.R.A.B.), as a Program Manager. In this role, Marline developed events for Pan Event Entertainment, the Australia Day Committee, Federation Square and the City of Melbourne. Marline also worked across stage management, production, project management and producing on Yallah Hayat! tour, Hurriya! Ahlam, Tammarrud, Conjure, Northern Trax, the Tawasul gigging program and A.R.A.B.’s special projects. Marline is currently Creative Spaces and Independent Creative Producer for the City of Melbourne.

Sally Marsden,  TAS

Sally Marsden has been working in the Community Arts and Cultural Development sector for over 25 years. Having studied Dramatic Arts at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Sally began her career in Theatre in a number of performance and producer roles. From 1985 Sally held the position of Community Cultural Development Artist at Arts Access Melbourne for a period of 11 years. During this time, Sally was also the Visual Arts Director and Designer for Somebody’s Daughter Theatre Company in Melbourne.  In 1996, Sally established the Artfful Dodgers Studio in Melbourne, a Jesuit Social Services program for at risk young people. As Arts & Culture Program Co-ordinator, Sally managed a number of projects, including In the Can, De-Hinged, Triptych, Nature Vs Culture and Risking Art for Survival. In 2000, Sally received the Australia Council’s prestigious Ros Bower Award for her contribution and achievement in the field of community arts and cultural development. From 2003 – 2006, Sally was Community Cultural Development Projects Officer and Coordinator of the Rudder Project, an arts mentoring program provided to emerging artists interested in working with the Community Arts and Cultural Development model developed within the Artful Dodgers Studio. In 2006, Sally relocated to Tasmania and established the King Island Cultural Centre and Residency Program in partnership with the King Island Council. Sally is currently the Director of the Centre.

Lorna Martin,  NT

Lorna Martin has recently joined the Association of Northern, Kimberley and Arnhem Aboriginal Artists (ANKAAA) as Manager of Operations Delivery after working in western Arnhem Land as the Director for Injalak Arts and Crafts Association Inc for three years. Prior to that Lorna was a Regional Arts Broker for Arts NT, Business Manager for the Arlpwe Aboriginal Artists Association and Executive Officer for Barkly Regional Arts. As a senior operating and management executive with strong experience in community cultural development and capacity building through the arts and education, Lorna has worked towards improving the sustainability of remotely located organisations in particular in remote Indigenous communities. Lorna believes that when the local community is at the centre of any community development the community achieves a future that includes the things they value. Lorna has a solid background in all key aspects of not for profit and commercial businesses and the public sector. Lorna started her career as a teacher in Queensland.

Dr Jared Thomas,  SA
Language group - Nukunu, Southern Flinders Ranges

Dr Jared Thomas is a Lecturer in Aboriginal Studies: Communication at the University of South Australia. He is also a writer and a community arts projects coordinator. He has experience as a peer both for the Australia Council and Arts SA. Of particular significance was the role he played in extensive relationship building and project development with Aboriginal communities across South Australia including those in the Northern Flinders Ranges, Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands, West Coast and Eyre Peninsula. Recent outcomes from this work include the acclaimed inaugural Port Augusta Yarnballa Aboriginal Arts and Cultural Festival in October 2007 and the growth of the South Australian Indigenous Arts and Community Development Project that underpins artistic, cultural and economic development of Aboriginal communities. He was instrumental in the development of a traineeship program within Arts SA whereby the trainees are now successfully employed.

Kyl Murphy,  QLD

Kyl Murphy is the State Director of the Committee of Economic Development of Australia (CEDA). She has wide experience in senior NGO and government roles and brings broad policy and communication experience to the Committee. Kyl was company manager of Rock n’ Roll Circus in the late 80s and worked at the Australia Council as a program manager in the then CCDB in the mid 1990s. Of particular significance has been Kyl’s broad cross sectoral experience. Kyl served as Communications Director for the Queensland Coordinator-General and Department of Infrastructure and Planning, she had responsibility across the infrastructure, planning and local government portfolios. As Founding Director of the Ideas Festival, Kyl delivered the successful 2001, 2003 and 2006 festivals and commissioned the Ideas Book, a collection of essays by leading national and international thinkers, for University of Queensland Press. As Director Service Access with Disability Services Queensland, she was responsible for community and funding programs and for implementation of national policy and major capital works. She has been a Board member of Red Cross Queensland.