The Board comprises nine Company Directors and is a skills-based Board with representation from a broad range of sectors. Two of the Directors are Greater Shepparton City Council nominated positions, and one Director is from the SAM Foundation.

The Board is:

• Jeannie Furphy
• Jo Gartner
• Peter Harriott (GSCC CEO)
• John Head (SAM Foundation)
• Stephen Merrylees
• Kimberley Moulton
• Drew Pettifer
• Naomi Ryan
• Chris Teitzel (GSCC Director Corporate Services)

Director and Company Secretary, Chris Teitzel, said Shepparton Art Museum Limited has been established as a company limited by guarantee to operate the Shepparton Art Museum as a public art museum.

Mr Teitzel said “Shepparton Art Museum Ltd has established a Board with great diversity of skills and backgrounds. We have representatives from the legal, art, indigenous, community, financial, business, marketing and education sectors.”

“All of the Board are strongly connected to Greater Shepparton and demonstrated a commitment to guide the future direction of the new Shepparton Art Museum,” said Mr Teitzel.

“This is a great opportunity for skilled, experienced and knowledgeable people to direct the new Shepparton Art Museum to provide an inspiring, community hub for locals to meet and socialise,” he said.

The Museum aims to present exemplary contemporary, international exhibitions of relevance to the public and particularly the region’s diverse Aboriginal and multi-cultural communities; and provide opportunities for members of the public to learn, be challenged, think about, and emotionally engage with art.

The new SAM will provide access to the art collections and significant ceramics collection in unique and engaging ways. It will also present Aboriginal art and support local Aboriginal artists to provide complementary programs and support local artists in the development and presentation of their art and the creation of empowering experiences.

Board Directors serve for a minimum of two to three years to a maximum term of nine years. The new SAM will operate as a not-for-profit, charitable organisation and the Board positions are voluntary.

For more information on the new Shepparton Art Museum project visit our project page

DIRECTOR PROFILES

Jeannie Furphy

Jeannie Furphy is a former stockbroker who has lived in Shepparton since 2000. Jeannie was raised in rural western Victoria before studying and working in Melbourne prior to her move to Shepparton. 

Jeannie holds a Bachelor of Business and a postgraduate Accounting Degree and has experience in financial management and a strong understanding of its importance to any organisation. 

Jeannie has a deep understanding of the value of effective community-based activities and organisations through numerous volunteer roles and committee involvement.

Jo Gartner

Jo Gartner is Digital Marketing Project Manager at Dexus, one of Australia’s leading property groups.

Jo has more than 15 years’ experience working across the arts, destination marketing, national retail shopping centres and property developments in Melbourne and Sydney.

In her time at Dexus, Jo has led the marketing strategy for large-scale city retail dining precincts including Southgate Melbourne and the award-winning marketing launch strategy for Gateway Sydney in Circular Quay. Jo also worked on major event projects during her time at the City of Melbourne including the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition series with NGV International and Australian Centre for the Moving Image, while responsible for promoting city visitation.

Jo holds a Masters of Marketing from Melbourne Business School and Bachelor of Arts Management from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, and is originally from Murchison.

Peter Harriott

Peter Harriott is the CEO of Greater Shepparton City Council, and was previously CEO of Wattle Range Council (South Australia) 2013-2016, and a Director at Greater Shepparton City Council 2000-2012.

Peter has worked mostly throughout Victoria in local government over the past 30 years including three years in the picturesque Limestone Coast of South Australia.

Peter’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Civil Engineering, Masters of Business Administration, Building Surveyor Certificate, Engineer for Water Supply Certificate and a Municipal Engineers Certificate.

John Head

John Head has held many roles in the arts community in Shepparton including being a member of the new SAM Project Board, recent Artistic Director of the Shepparton Festival, Convener of the Shepparton Short Film Festival, playwright, actor and member of the Shepparton Theatre Arts Board.

John is a podiatrist in private practice in Shepparton since 1983. He has been a Fellow of the Australasian Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine since 1998 and completed a Masters by Research in 2002. John has presented regularly on Podiatric and sports medicine topics at Australian conferences since 1988.

John was also on the board of the SheppARTon Festival between 1999 and 2015 with the role of Artistic Director from 2005 to 2014. He is a Board member of the Shepparton Theatre Arts Group and a regular actor and playwright.

Stephen Merrylees

Stephen Merrylees is SMR Legal’s Managing Director and has extensive experience as a senior political adviser and as a government lawyer with the federal government (most recently Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade). He is renowned for finding practical solutions to clients’ complicated and seemingly gridlocked matters.

A five-term Mayor and nationally accredited mediator, Stephen applies this exclusive skillset to commercial and estate matters. His advice on governance issues impacting private and public sector organisations is highly sought after.

Clients appreciate Stephen’s life experience of operating a large family property, lecturing in law at Melbourne University Dookie Campus and as Executive Director of Goulburn Murray Community Leadership Program (Fairley Leadership).

Stephen has served on numerous local and state advisory boards and committees and has completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors Course. He is currently a Director of Shepparton Villages and a member of the CFA Shepparton District Headquarters Brigade.

Kimberley Moulton

Kimberley Moulton is a Yorta Yorta woman and was born and raised in Shepparton. Kimberley is a curator and writer and Senior Curator South Eastern Aboriginal Collections at Museums Victoria (2016-present). Kimberley has worked in curatorial roles at Melbourne Museum for 10 years (Bunjilaka Project Officer and Curator 2008-2015) and has curated over 16 exhibitions with the Victorian Koorie community.

In 2018 Kimberley was lead curator for Mandela: My Life, an exhibition on Nelson Mandela at Melbourne Museum in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

Kimberley is passionate about supporting First Peoples cultures, histories, futures and agency within cultural institutions and has researched historical First Peoples collections across the world, connecting history and people, considering what it means historically and for the future of cultural materials in institutions. Kimberley has written extensively for art and museum publications nationally and internationally and held research, curatorial and writing fellowships across Europe, UK, South Asia and America. Kimberley has been engaged with SAM for several years with her arts writing and lecturing and was a judge for the 2016 Indigenous Ceramic Art award.

Dr Drew Pettifer

Dr Drew Pettifer is an artist, academic, lawyer and small business owner who divides his time between Melbourne and Kyabram in the Goulburn Valley. He has strong connections to the region having been born in Shepparton. He is an active member of the SAM Foundation and the Goulburn Valley Football Umpires Association.

Drew holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours - First Class) in Cultural Studies (The University of Melbourne, 2005), a Graduate Certificate in Visual Art (Victorian College of the Arts, 2009), a Masters of Arts Management (RMIT University, 2010) and a PhD in Fine Art (Monash University, 2017).

Drew is a peer assessor for the Australia Council for the Arts and the City of Melbourne. His art is in the National Gallery of Victoria, Monash Gallery of Art and the City of Melbourne Arts and Heritage Collection, as well as private collections.

Naomi Ryan

Naomi Ryan is a Partner at PwC with over 12 years of experience working closely with both owners and management of growing private businesses, ASX 200 companies and not for profit organisations bringing her in depth knowledge and experience in assurance and audit services to add value to her clients.

Naomi is passionate about working with innovative and growing businesses, with expertise in advising clients on financial reporting matters, business risk assessments, acquisitions, IPO’s, corporate governance and accounting compliance obligations. Naomi’s collaborative approach in working with her clients has resulted in a strong network and reputation for being a trustworthy and dedicated advisor. Naomi is now also focussed on using her skills gained through her successful career to be part of a company board, which is focused on solving important social issues.

Naomi is a certified chartered accountant and holds bachelor degrees in Business (Accounting) and Arts (Japanese language) from Swinburne University.

Naomi grew up in Shepparton, country Victoria, attending Wanganui Park Secondary College, where she continues to return to her family home to visit friends and family. Naomi now resides in Melbourne and enjoys travelling the world to experience different cultures across the globe.

Chris Teitzel

Chris Teitzel is a strategic, community focused individual with exceptional corporate governance, finance and operation planning skills. He has a strong interest in the Arts and over the course of his career has overseen the strategic direction and operations of 4 regional art galleries, 2 regional historical museums and 2 performing arts centres.

Chris has been with Greater Shepparton City Council as Director Corporate Services since 2014 and has almost 30 year’s local government and private sector experience in both Queensland and Victoria. Chris has held many senior roles including CEO, Director Community and Environmental Services, Director Corporate Services and Manager Finance as well a position of Commercial Manager in the private sector.

Chris is a Certified Practicing Accountant with a Degree in Business and a Graduate Certificate in Management.