Find out more about Stella’s Board and team.
Staff
Jaclyn Booton
— Creative Director & Co-CEO
(Melbourne, VIC)
Jaclyn has over 15 years’ experience in the cultural sector, with a focus on the performing arts and literary events. She has held a range of senior management and leadership roles with the Sydney Opera House, The Wheeler Centre, Circus Oz, Back to Back Theatre, and Arena Theatre Company. Jaclyn currently serves on the Board of Midsumma, Australia’s premier queer arts and cultural organisation, and is a former Board member for SYN Media, Express Media, and Theatre Network Victoria. Jaclyn holds a BA (Hons) in Performance Studies and Gender Studies from the University of Sydney.
Fiona Sweet
— Executive Director & Co-CEO
(Melbourne, VIC)
Fiona is the former Director and CEO of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale and the inaugural Director of National Centre for Photography. She was the director and founder of Sweet Creative, and co-founded Melbourne’s Acland Street Projection Festival. She is a former Board Director of the Australian Graphic Design Association, the Melbourne Fringe, and is a current board member of the Melbourne Jewish Book Week. Fiona is the recipient of many prestigious design awards, and has been identified as one of the top 25 women to have made a significant contribution to Australian graphic design.
Madeleine Rebbechi
— Program Manager
(Melbourne, VIC)
Madeleine has worked for a number of media and arts organisations in Australia and the UK, most recently as publicity manager at Text Publishing in Melbourne. She holds a BA in Communications from RMIT and is currently undertaking a Master of Creative Writing, Publishing and Editing at the University of Melbourne.
Rebecca Slater
— Communications and Development Manager
(Melbourne, VIC)
Rebecca is an arts and publishing professional based in Melbourne. She has worked at a variety of organisations both in Australia and the UK including Allen & Unwin, Left Bank Literary, Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney Festival, and Southbank Centre. She is a passionate reader and active member of the writers’ community in Australia.
Connor Tomas O’Brien
— Designer
(Melbourne, VIC)
Connor runs Studio Sometimes, a design studio devoted to working with non-profits, and was previously the Wheeler Centre’s Digital Content Producer and founder of the Digital Writers’ Festival.
Board
Keren Murray
— Chair
(Melbourne, VIC)
Keren is an experienced lawyer, policy advisor, and non-executive director. She is Principal of K Murray Consulting, a legal policy advisory service and was previously Principal Lawyer at the Law Institute of Victoria.
Claire Wivell Plater
— Deputy Chair
(Sydney, NSW)
Claire is an experienced non-executive director, lawyer and entrepreneur with a lifelong passion for literature and the arts. She chairs the boards of The Fold Legal and StatePlus and serves as a non-executive director of Youi and Athena Financial. She is also a member of PinchGut Opera’s Development Committee.
Mary Latham
— Treasurer
(Melbourne, VIC)
Mary is a chartered accountant and non-executive director with experience in professional accounting firms, the financial services sector and the not-for-profit sector. She is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Abbey Burns
— Secretary
(Melbourne, VIC)
Abbey is a Senior Associate at Russell Kennedy Lawyers, specialising in workplace relations, employment and discrimination matters. She is also the Deputy Co-Convenor of the Russell Kennedy Women’s Network, and has provided pro-bono assistance to organisations in relation to sexual harassment in the workplace.
Nicole Freeman
(Sydney, NSW)
Nicole is Director of Clients and Programs at Noble Ambition, an independent fundraising consultancy that works with organisational leadership, industry and government agencies in the for-purpose sector. Prior to joining Noble Ambition, Nicole worked as a lawyer in the corporate M&A teams at Landerer & Company and Clayton Utz. Nicole is a member of the AGNSW Atelier Foundation and previously served as a director of YWCA NSW, YWCA Australia, and as a committee member of NEXUS Australia.
Elly Gay
(Melbourne, VIC)
Elly is an education specialist with over 17 years experience in the Victorian public sector. She has taught secondary school English and history and spent most of her career working as a lawyer focusing on education and equality law issues. She now holds a senior leadership role overseeing school policy development and supporting principals in Victorian government schools.
Louise Jones
(Perth, WA)
Louise is a passionate advocate for literature and literacy, and a board member of Fremantle Press. She is also an enthusiastic co-host of the book-centric Diving In podcast. Louise is an experienced lawyer with over 20 years experience, and founder of The Write Business.
Elizabeth Shaw
(Perth, WA)
Elizabeth is a Partner at PwC, advising organisations on change, culture, diversity and inclusion. The former National President of UN Women Australia, Elizabeth is a passionate gender equality advocate and has worked across a number of industries to increase women’s representation. Elizabeth is a qualified lawyer and company director and sits on the Board of the Australian Inclusion Group.
Melissa Smith
(Sydney, NSW)
Melissa is Founder & CEO of Noble Ambition, an independent fundraising consultancy that works with organisational leadership, industry and government agencies in the for-purpose sector. A Churchill Fellow, Melissa has also achieved multiple awards including Australian Fundraiser Of The Year (FIA) and Global Fundraiser Of The Year (IFC).
Jamie Irawan (Board Observership Program)
(Sydney, NSW)
Jamie is a Strategic Account Executive at Microsoft with a breadth of experience in partnerships, start-ups and marketing. She is a core member of Microsoft’s Healthcare team focused on empowering healthcare organisations to deliver better outcomes, better experiences and better care. Jamie co-founded Codess Australia, a Microsoft initiative promoting gender diversity by building, inspiring and connecting the next generation of female-identifying tech talent. This community has grown to 1000+ members, dedicated to break biases and invite students from non-traditional backgrounds into a career in technology. She has worked with NFPs in areas of passion like gender equity, education and sustainability.
