People

Sue Roff

Executive Director

Sue Roff has had a broad career in arts management. For almost 12 years, she has held the role of Executive Director at Arts Project Australia. During this time, Sue has driven a strong increase in profile for the organisation, its artists and unique studio practice. Prior to this Sue has held roles as National Manager, Cultural Development at the Australia Business Arts Foundation, Community Relations Manager at RACV, Sponsorship Manager at Melbourne Theatre Company, and kick-started her arts management career as National Administrator with the Australian Girls Choir. Sue is experienced in project development, fundraising, sponsorship, and marketing and has chaired the boards of Strange Fruit and the Victorian Actor’s Benevolent Trust. She is the former President of the Public Galleries Association of Victoria.

Virginia Lovett

President

Virginia is the inaugural Director Performing Arts, University of Melbourne. Prior to this she was Executive Director/CoCEO of Melbourne Theatre Company and Executive Director at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. A highly experienced and well-respected arts executive, she successfully designed a range of strategic initiatives through her roles at Sydney Festival, Zoos Victoria, Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney Theatre Company and the National Gallery of Victoria. She has also worked as an advisor for state ministers in Victoria and New South Wales. In 2006 she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship and is a graduate of the Museum Leadership program. She is currently a Trustee of the Melbourne Convention Centre and an Executive Council Member of Live Performance Australia. She was previously Chair of Force Majeure, on the boards of Arena Theatre Company, Craft Victoria and Legs on the Wall. She is also a member of Chief Executive Women.

Kirsty Grant

Kirsty Grant is a curator and writer with a specialist knowledge of Australian art developed over two decades working with major public collections. From 2015-16, as Director and CEO of Heide Museum of Modern Art, she oversaw the artistic direction and operations of one of Melbourne’s most loved art galleries. Prior to that she held various curatorial positions at the Queensland Art Gallery and National Gallery of Victoria, being appointed Senior Curator of Australian Art - responsible for paintings, sculpture and decorative arts made before 1980 – at the NGV in 2007. In 2006 she was awarded the Harold Wright Scholarship to study prints and drawings at the British Museum, London. Kirsty has curated numerous exhibitions on the work of Australian artists including Fred Williams, Robert Jacks, John Brack and Yvonne Audette, as well as publishing and lecturing widely on various aspects of Australian art and design.

Tiffany Lucas

Vice President

Tiffany Lucas is a lawyer and non-profit arts advisor. She is the director of TEL Consultants, a boutique consulting firm working with nonprofit arts organisations. Throughout her career, she’s worked in arts development and practised corporate and commercial law in the US and Australia. Tiffany is a Director on the Boards of Dancehouse Inc and Northern Rivers Performing Arts Centre, she is the Head of Legal at TEDxMelbourne and serves on the Auxiliaries ExecuOve CommiXee at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

Michele Mauger

Secretary

Michele is a professional People and Performance leader with a sound understanding of strategic and operational HR practice gained from over 20 years’ experience. Michele has a passion for excellence in people initiatives with experience in a range of complex and diverse environments within Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia and the Pacific, often global and geographically spread. She has worked across Engineering, Construction, Property Development, Hospitality, Diplomatic and Retail sectors and her experience encompasses the full HR spectrum, with particular emphasis on setting strategic direction, organisational development, leadership, change management, talent and performance management and employment relations.

Rami Eltchelebi

Treasurer

Rami is a senior partner at ShineWing Australia, an Accounting and Advisory firm. Rami leads the Assurance & Advisory Division for Australia with over 15 years’ experience in both assurance and transaction services. His experience includes the audits of listed groups – both domestic and international, unlisted public companies and large private groups, with specialised knowledge of financial services, real estate, retail, technology, professional services the arts. Rami is a member of Chartered Accountant’s Australia and New Zealand, graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and he is a Registered Company Auditor. Rami is the former Honorary Treasurer for the Public Galleries Association of Victoria.

Marie McCarthy

Marie is Chief Financial Officer with Leonard Joel, Australia’s largest multi-department Auction house, established in 1919. Marie has worked in a number of different industries, since qualifying over 20 years ago as a Chartered Accountant in Ireland. Her corporate experience overseas includes tax analyst, project management, group reporting, systems and people integration. Since moving to Australia, she spent the first 8 years in private wealth /family office sector and then moved to Leonard Joel in 2015.

Denise Damianos

Denise works as Marketing & Partnerships Director at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, delivering high impact campaigns for one of the largest events in Australia’s cultural calendar. Denise brings significant experience working in corporate partnerships in the arts and entertainment sector and prides herself on bringing to life creative, impactful and mutually beneficial brand partnerships.

Sheryl Bates

Sheryl Bates is the parent of an artist at Arts Project Australia and is currently an educational consultant in teacher training, curriculum development and Special Education. Sheryl was previously the Executive Head of Teacher Training and Digital Resources at The Australian Ballet School. She has held senior positions at the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, including Chief Assessor and Study Specialist for the foundational Victorian Certificate of Education in Dance. Sheryl has authored learning, assessment and teacher support materials in the performing arts at primary, secondary and tertiary levels for the Victorian Department of Education and Training, the Department of Education Western Australia, and Deakin University and undertaken research for the Australian Council for Educational Research. Sheryl taught in the Special Education program at Methodist Ladies College Senior School, where she developed customised learning programs to meet the individual learning needs of students with diverse abilities and supported teachers to integrate inclusive approaches into their teaching and learning programs.