Our Board of Management
The BAF Board is a hard-working voluntary body made up from members of the local community with experience and expertise across the arts, business, education and community development, gained in Australia and overseas. We recognise that continuing to review the organisation’s direction and governance is key to achieving our goals in a credible way. In 2016, a new strategic direction was adopted to ensure future viability and sustainability. The skill and experience of Board Members and Associates are focused in committees dedicated to three functional areas:
Grants & Mentoring
Communications & Alumni Relations
Fundraising & Events
The Board meets on a monthly basis to coordinate the annual program, with focus committees working on their respective projects in the interim. An Executive Assistant, in a paid position, underpins the work of the Board. Additionally, BAF enjoys the expertise of an Honorary Legal Officer to ensure adherence to relevant industry regulations and standards.
Paula Nicholson
Chair
Paula has always had a keen interest in performing arts. She studied singing, piano and music theory throughout her education, has been involved in musical theatre and has performed with bands and in duos. After obtaining a degree in science, her career took her into customer service management and human resources. Through voluntary community based activity, she gained extensive experience in fundraising and event management. She enjoys using her skills to contribute to the local community as a member of various boards and committees of not-for-profit organisations. Paula believes her membership of the BAF Board allows her to encourage the broader community to be involved with the local arts community to help artists to launch their careers, and in turn, enjoy the rewards that the arts offer.
Andrew Henwood
Treasurer & Public Officer
Andrew is a graduate of the University of Ballarat and holds a Diploma in Accounting, and an Advanced Diploma in Hospitality Management. He is a graduate from the LBWR Community Leadership Program and he has extensive experience in the Not-for-Profit (NFP) sector, working closely with disadvantaged sections of the Ballarat community, including in a financial management role in one of Ballarat’s largest NFP organisations. Andrew is currently Operations Manager for a boutique hotel management business based in Ballarat and he plays an active role in the management of his family-owned bakery. His board membership of BAF allows him to contribute to the community through his expertise in accounting and finance.
Bronwyn Blaiklock
Vice Chair
Bronwyn is an innovator who has worked in the arts and tertiary education sectors for the past 20 years as a pianist, artistic director, arts administrator, adjudicator, writer and educator. Bronwyn has contributed to statewide literary initiatives as a Board member of Writers Victoria (2009-2014) and the National Advisory Council for Australian Poetry (2011), Ballarat Writers Inc. (Chair 2007-2012). A published poet, Bronwyn is the brainchild of the Pure Poetry Project, which has fostered and premiered new collaborative performance works by emerging and established writers and musicians since 2004. Bronwyn is also . Bronwyn currently works in two areas at Federation University: academic skills advising, and community engagement in the Arts Academy.
WENDY RECHENBERG
Board Member
After graduating from the VCA where she found a love of accompanying, Wendy worked 20 years in England working as a piano teacher and accompanist, collaborating with singers from most of the major opera companies and performing in all major venues. Since returning to Australia, Wendy has performed with many well-respected artists including Jane Rutter, Jacqueline Dark, and David Hobson. Her Master in Visual and Performing Arts explored the challenges of being a music director in an educational institution. Wendy was music director at the Arts Academy, Federation University for 12 years and has accompanied and coached hundreds of local students for AMEB and VCE examinations. She teaches piano at Ballarat Grammar and Sacré Cœur School, Glen Iris.
kiri Smart
Board Member
Kiri moved to Ballarat in the mid 1990’s to study sculpture with Peter Blizzard and Adrian Mauriks. She has a BA in Sculpture from the University of Ballarat, and a Graduate Diploma in Art History from the University of Melbourne. Kiri has worked in various community and private arts organisations including Anachronism Access Gallery, Melbourne Fringe Festival, Ballarat Winter Festival and Grainery Lane Theatre and Gallery. In addition to the BAF Board, Kiri is on the Board of Ballarat Arts Alive. Currently employed at the Art Gallery of Ballarat, Kiri is passionate about the local arts scene and keeps up her own art practice in her spare time.
Michael whitehead
Board Member
Mike, initially schooled in Ballarat, studied Medicine in Melbourne, specialised in Anaesthesia, and returned to Ballarat in 1986. He has been involved in the local musical theatre community as President of Ballarat Lyric Theatre since 2007. He also has an interest in visual art with a tendency to modern Australian and overseas artists. His other ‘cultural’ pursuits include thoroughbred horses,, AFL and Real/Royal Tennis. He advocates for the exposure and advancement of local talent in all of the art forms to achieve their goals both locally and beyond. He was a recipient of the Ballarat South Rotary-BAF Denis Bateman Award for contribution to the Ballarat Arts community.
TERESA TJIA
Board Member
Teresa is an avid art and performance supporter and is passionate about facilitating opportunities for regional artists and performers. She was formerly Dean of Students and Registrar at Federation University and currently Chief Executive Officer, Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre. Teresa has long standing experience with national and local philanthropic, community and professional boards and organisations.
associate professor sam henson
Board Member
Dr. Sam Henson recently retired from his long-term position as Head of Campus (Ballarat) at Federation University Australia, providing oversight of the five Ballarat campuses including the historic SMB (Lydiard St) and Arts Academy (Camp St) campus precincts. Sam has been an honorary research associate with the Centre for Regional Innovation and Competitiveness (CRIC) and has research interests in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), sustainable community and regional development, entrepreneurship, and community engagement strategies. Whilst laying no claim to any personal artistic talent, Sam was surrounded by music and art as a child. His grandmother was an accomplished soprano and pianist, and his mother paints, writes, and plays the piano and guitar.
Malcolm roberts
Board Member
Malcolm Roberts is Ballarat born and educated. He has had a varied business career in hospitality, corporate management and senior management where he was responsible for delivering high levels of customer service. For the past six years he has operated the Queen’s Birthday Weekend Antique Bazaar at the Mining Exchange. Malcolm has a firm commitment and passion for Ballarat and the region, supporting local small businesses and understands their impact on the economy of our great city.
Tim Sullivan
Board Member
After beginning his career in technical and management roles in the NSW Geological Survey, Tim has held senior leadership roles across the musuem sector, including at the Australian Museum (Sydney), the Sovereign Hill Museums Association (Ballarat), and the Australian War Memorial (Canberra). He was a Visiting Fellow with the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC between 1999-2000, and served on a diverse range of governance committees at local, state and Commonwealth levels. Tim’s research interests are in History, leadership, and organisational dynamics, from all of which he is distracted by a love of cricket, photography, and enjoying natural landscapes.
LARNA GULL
Board Member