OUR STAFF

Andrew Gray
Executive Director
0429 909 447 | agray@southeastarts.org.au

Andrew Gray has decades of experience in the creative and cultural industries and has been the Executive Director for South East Arts since 2008. Prior to that, Andrew worked in education and public programs for institutions such as the National Film and Sound Archive, Museum of Australian Democracy and the Australian War Memorial.

Andrew is also a Business Advisor for Creative Plus Business, providing arts business advice and guidance to individual practitioners and arts organisations across NSW. Andrew has a broad understanding of a range of creative industry practices, and creatively has worked as a musician, theatre director/producer and puppeteer.

Jasmin Williams
Arts & Cultural Programs Officer
Giiyong Festival Project Manager
Tues/ Wed/ Thurs
0497 281 464 | jazz@southeastarts.org.au

Jazz Williams has worked across a number of creative industries during her 20-year career in the Arts, with extensive experience as a radio producer, music teacher, songwriter, recording engineer, media advisor and arts and cultural facilitator.  

Jazz has worked with South East Arts NSW since 2013 with a focus on supporting First Nations artists. Jazz was the Artistic Director and Event Manager for the award-winning 2018 inaugural Giiyong Festival, held near Eden NSW.

Peter Jordan
Finance and Administration Officer
P/Time | seafao@southeastarts.org.au

Laura Jackson
Communications Officer
Tues/ Fri
0476 414 849 | seainfo@southeastarts.org.au

Laura Jackson commenced her role as Communications Officer with South East Arts in February 2020, having spent 10 years in various promotional and administrative roles within the South Australian Wine Industry. She was awarded the Wirra Wirra Trott Family Trophy in 2010 for her services to the McLaren Vale wine industry. Laura moved to the Bega Valley in 2011 and established her website design business, and for the past decade has worked with scores of local and national artists & small businesses on everything from websites to posters and merchandise design.

Bee Cruse
Aboriginal Arts Officer
aao@southeastarts.org.au

Bee Cruse is a proud Yuin, Biripi, Wiradjuri and Gomeroi Storyteller born and raised on Dharug Country in Western Sydney and now lives and works between Gadigal Country, Sydney, and her Grandfathers Yuin Country on the Far South Coast of NSW. She has previously worked in both administrative and creative roles with organisations such as Carriageworks and Blacktown Arts Centre's Solid Ground, Riverside's National Theatre of Parramatta, Moogahlin Performing Arts, Curious Works, BBC and as a CreateNSW Indigenous Board member.

Bee is a Producer, Writer, Actor and Director across film, television and theatre and has worked on productions such as TOTAL CONTROL (2019), IN MY BLOOD IT RUNS (2019), and NIGHTWALKERS (2019). Bee's film directing has recently been nominated for Best Queer Short Film at the Leeds International Film Festival for her short film I AM KAI (2023). When Bee isn't working hard in the theatre or on set she enjoys performing as her male Drag persona BeeDazzled Shanks – the Prince of Redfern where she has lead the First Nations Float for Mardi Gras during Sydney World Pride 2023, modelled for BUTCH Fashion Show (2021), spoken her Dhurga language at the Metro Theatre for My Drag Story (2021), and performed extensively in Sydney and Canberra.

Bee is very excited to be working with her Yuin community and looks forward to platforming the Indigenous Artists throughout the region.

Gaby Tagliapietra
Cultural Development Officer
cdo@southeastarts.org.au

Gaby’s creative journey has been consistent throughout her life with both self-exploration and formal training across a number of mediums. Her academic pursuits demonstrate ongoing curiosity and she began honing in on certain aspects of her degree, drawing out specialised areas to use in her own creative practice. From this a strong desire surfaced to do the same with her professional skills, to facilitate a transition to work in the arts.

Securing a role with Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council in 2016 Gaby worked closely with the Cultural Development Officer and Events team, assisting with the planning and delivery of annual events, festivals and activities, as well as many community art projects. Following an organisational restructure Gaby secured a Placemaking role with the Business and Innovation team, the primary purpose of which was to assist in increasing economic activity through the development and implementation of strategies, plans and place management activities, with a strong focus on engaging the creative community.

OUR BOARD

Lisa Matthes
Chair / Treasurer

Lisa Matthes is a Chartered Accountant and business owner. Her early years were spent at Coopers&Lybrand (now Price Waterhouse Coopers), Oracle Corporation and Tourism Australia in various roles including consulting, business process development, training and auditing.

Lisa also spent many years in public accounting as a small business advisor and taxation consultant before deciding to relocate from Sydney to the beautiful Snowy Mountains region to raise her family.

For the last 15 years, she has run a successful growing business within Perisher Ski Resort and has been a member of the Perisher & Jindabyne Chambers of Commerce.

In 2016 Lisa became Chairperson of the annual Lake Light Sculpture event in Jindabyne and has since helped steer the significant growth of the event in number of exhibiting artists, sponsorship and audience.

Denise Ferris
Deputy Chair

Denise Ferris, artist and educator, is Professor Emerita at ANU, and was previously Head of ANU School, Art & Design. Living on the Monaro in NSW, her recent art practice centres on landscape photographs, environmental change and connection to place in the Australian Snowy Mountains.

Her photographs are in Australian public collections including the National Gallery, National Library of Australia, the ACT Legislative Assembly Art Collection and Canberra Museum and Gallery, as well as international collections, the District Six Museum, Cape Town; Haldenstein, Switzerland and Nara City, Japan.

As Head of the ANU Art & Design school Denise contributed to the development of visual art, craft and design tertiary education in Australia. Her national involvement continues as a co-opted Executive Member of the Australian Council of Deans and Directors of Creative Art and advocating regional culture as a Snowy Monaro Regional Council 355 Art & Culture committee member.

Gabrielle Journey Jones
Secretary

Gabrielle Journey Jones is a poet, percussionist and event producer born on sovereign Gadigal Land, Sydney, Australia.  She is from Maori and African American bloodlines and now lives on the Far South Coast NSW Yuin Country.  Gabrielle has shared her poetry at local, national and international events for over 20 years. Her first collection of poetry "Spoken Medicine" (2017) was published by Ginninderra Press.

Gabrielle is inspired by creative communities which celebrate diversity, activism and inclusion. She encourages everyone to speak their own medicine by sharing their stories in whatever ways feel healing, authentic and most useful. In 2018, Gabrielle established Poetic Percussion, a small business delivering poetry and drumming workshops and performances in schools and the community. Gabrielle has worked collaboratively with 50 organisations and community groups over the last few years.

Scott Hartford-Davis
Member

Scott is an ADG and International award winning director and producer in Film, Television and World Sport Events based in Australia. In 2000 he was a core member creating Sports Presentation for the Sydney Olympics. His media career began in 1980 at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, with the ABC he won a Silver Medal for Best Episode of Television World New York Festival.

He has directed Features and numerous Iconic award winning Australian and American series for television. Nominated four times for the ADG Best Direction in a TV Drama Serial Award, between 2012 and 2015, he won in 2015. This began a sabbatical from drama directing culminating in graduating as an Arborist in 2018.

He received the Bruce Macleod Memorial Award for the Greatest Contribution to the Certificate 3 Arboriculture Course. In July 2020 he completed the Diploma in Arboriculture. Presently propagating sustainable native timber and board member for NFP organisations

Libby Litchfield
Member

Libby Litchfield is a Director at Hazeldean

Julie Janson
Member

Julie Janson is a Burruberongal woman of Darug Aboriginal nation. She is a novelist, playwright, and poet. Her most recent novel: “Benevolence” published by Magabala 2020 -to be published by Harper Collins in USA and UK August 2022-nominatedfor NIB Literary Award 2020and Voss Literary Award. Her new Indigenous crime novel “Madukka the River Serpent” will be published by UWAP 2022.

While living in remote Northern Territory Aboriginal communities in her early years as a teacher, Julie began writing plays and making giant puppets, masks and costumes. Her career as a playwright began with productions at Belvoir St Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre,Sydney Opera House and Phoenix Arizona.

She is co-recipient of the Oodgeroo Noonuccal Poetry Prize 2016and the Judith Wright Poetry Prize 2019.Julie is a graduate of AFTRS screenwriting and NIDA Playwrights Studio.

Karen Wright
Member

Karen Wright is a dedicated mental health advocate based in the Bega Valley, Southern NSW, a region she has called home for many years. Having witnessed the resilience of her community through significant challenges, including the devastating 2020 bushfires, Karen has a deep understanding of the unique struggles faced by rural communities, from limited services and mental health stigma to geographical isolation and the tendency to be overlooked by policymakers.

Karen serves as the South Eastern NSW Regional Coordinator for StandBy Support After Suicide, where she brings a profound sense of purpose to her work. Her personal experience with the loss of her father to suicide in 2017 fuels her passion for supporting those affected by suicide and advocating for mental health resources in rural areas. She sees her role as a great honour, providing vital postvention support and walking alongside those navigating grief.

Karen has also made significant contributions to mental health policy as a member of the Lived Experience Advisory Group for the NSW Ministry of Health’s Towards Zero Suicides initiative. In 2021, she was elected as the youngest member of Bega Valley Shire Council, and is the current deputy-chair of the Bega Valley Suicide Prevention Action Network, driving community-focused mental health solutions.

Karen holds a Bachelor of Business and is currently pursuing a Master of Health Leadership and Management, further equipping her to lead and advocate for rural mental health initiatives.

Karen is particularly passionate about the arts, and their role in connecting rural communities.