Board Members
Chairperson
Gemma Cooper (She/Her) In her second year of service on the WAYTCo board, Gemma is a lawyer who practises insurance law and commercial litigation, specialising in directors’ and officers’ liability and management liability. A warm and collaborative leader, with an analytical and solutions-focused mind, Gemma has made a solid contribution to the work of the board in a very short time. Inspired by the wonderfully diverse community of young Western Australian creatives supported by WAYTCo, Gemma is excited to continue to apply her skills and attributes as Chairperson and to help steer WAYTCo to realise its vision under its new Strategic Plan (2023-27).
Deputy Chair
Cecilia Cornu (She/Her) has been a WAYTCo Board member since 2019. Cecilia is a lawyer who specialises in commercial litigation and has been involved in a range of commercial litigation matters across the several sectors, as well as guardianship and administration applications, and banking disputes. Cecilia’s experience includes large-scale, complex contractual disputes, as well as smaller disputes involving small businesses and individual litigants. Cecilia has advised in matters before the WA Supreme Court, WA Court of Appeal, WA State Administrative Tribunal and Federal Court of Australia. Cecilia is also dedicated to pro-bono hours, consistently providing pro-bono legal assistance.
Treasurer
Kara Sands (She/Her) is an experienced finance professional having been employed in the professional services industry for nine years, specialising in auditing and assurance and delivering these services to some of Australia’s largest companies both private and ASX listed. Being treasurer for WAYTCo allows Kara to have the best of both worlds, combining her financial prowess with her passion for the arts, having had a previous career as a youth Speech and Drama teacher. Kara holds Bachelor’s degrees in Commerce (Accounting and Taxation) and Arts (Drama Studies) in addition to being a full member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
Secretary
Mollie Hewitt (She/Her) is an experienced arts leader who has delivered significant arts projects in communities throughout WA. As General Manager of WAYTCo (2018-2021) she secured multi-year partnerships and produced REST (2019-2020) and BESIDE (2021). As Curator and Regional Manager at FORM (2010-2018), Mollie delivered state-wide creative programming, exhibitions, residencies and arts facilities management, including the 2018 Pilbara Cultural and Creative Forum, the Hedland Art Awards 2012-2017 and digital return of content for the Canning Stock Route Project. As co-Director of Black Iris Consulting Mollie is a producer, fundraiser and strategic adviser for individual artists, not-for-profit organisations, local and State government.
Laura Pitts (She/Her) is a singer and science communicator, with a background in experimental physics, foreign languages and classical music. She works in STEM theatre performance and outreach, through which she has gained extensive experience working with young people in regional and remote Western Australia. Laura has been with WAYTCo since 2016, first as an ensemble member and on the Youth Advisory Council (YAC), before joining the board in 2018. Laura is committed to providing opportunities for all young people to access performing arts training and has a strong interest in arts governance and sustainability.
Amanda Huxtable (She/Her) is an innovative educator who is highly skilled in curriculum planning and development. As Head of Dance and Drama at Santa Maria College, she has directed many theatre productions and large-scale events. Amanda volunteers as the Educational Consultant for The School of St Yared Ethiopia, a project under Hope For Children Australia. As a member of St Yared’s executive management team, Amanda has been involved in strategic planning, mentoring, professional development, community engagement and fundraising. Inspired by fostering empathy, curiosity and creativity in young people, Amanda is passionate about developing educational experiences that link learning to self-awareness and personal potential.
Marie Molloy (She/Her) is a Visual Art teacher and the creator and Coordinator of the Cyril Jackson Senior Campus ArtsHouse Project. Marie places great importance on working with the creative industries to form mutually beneficial, meaningful relationships and partnerships for young people. Her work has provided opportunities to work with The National Cultural Fund, Artsource, Co3, InSITU, Tura New Music, Town of Bassendean, WAYTCo, and numerous high-profile artists and creators. She has created opportunities for collaboration, experiential learning and network building as well as work and training opportunities for youth and professional development opportunities for creative industries staff, and the broader community.
Simone Detourbet (She/Her) is a Perth-based emerging actor, writer and director from Darwin. She is a Malak Malak & Gooniyandi woman and attended WAAPA (2015-16). Simone has worked as an actor in Conversations With the Dead (Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company 2017), Less Light (2018), Grace (2019), I Feel Fine (2019) & assistant director Let Me Finish (2018/19). She has directed one of WAYTCo’s 24hr Play Generator plays (2021), and performed in the Black Swan-Sydney Theatre Company production of Meyne Wyatt’s City of Gold (2022 Perth Festival). Simone has also participated in several artist residencies and was a key creative for a documentary filmed in Rwanda (2018).
Jono Battista (He/Him) is a creator, sound designer and PAWA-nominated performer living and working in Boorloo (Perth). He graduated from WAAPA in 2019 with a BPA in Performance Making. His recent credits include Love Letters to the Revolution (2021, Sian Murphy) as a performer, REST (2019, WAYTCo) as a performer and dramaturg, The Cockatoos (2019, WAYTCo) as assistant director, and A Nought For A Cross (2021, The Perthian Chronicles) as sound designer and composer. He also co-adapted, co-directed and performed in REST for its 2021 remount. Jono is a member of the Board of WAYTCo and Chairs its Youth Advisory Committee (YAC).
Zenatalla Ibrahim (They/Them) is a seasoned storyteller, lived experience speaker and published slam performance poet. They have worked with TEDxPerth (2018), BeyondBlue (2016 onwards), Centre for Stories (2019 onwards) and BurnBright (2020 onwards) regularly – talking about their journey as a neurodivergent non-binary Muslim queer person. They pride themselves on being engaged in community and creating avenues for representation and change using the power of vulnerable and authentic storytelling. They have served the UWA Student Guild (2017 Corporate Services and Women’s Dept, 2018 Access Dept) and have attended an arts governance masterclass series (2022) to upskill for their capacity on the Board.
Jessica Darlow (She/Her) is a West Australian based arts professional with over a decade of experience in festival management and programming. She held positions at Fringe World Festival and Brisbane Festival before taking the role of Senior Program Manager at Perth Festival, where she has been responsible for the delivery of the performance program since 2017. A skilled strategic thinker and innovator, Jessica has played an important role in the growth and development of festivals in Western Australia. With particular interest in performing arts, Jessica has managed the delivery of large-scale festival programs from conception, through to development, delivery and accountability.
Natalie Lockwood (She/Her) Working in the transport sector for nearly two decades, Natalie is an experienced Program Manager and delivery specialist, passionate about building collaborative working relationships with stakeholders and the broader community. Natalie is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and was a Fellows Council Member for Roads Australia from 2018 –2020. Natalie holds a Bachelor of Civil and Construction Engineering (Hons) from Curtin University, a Diploma of Project Management and is a Fellow of Leadership WA and Roads Australia. An enthusiastic amateur, Natalie has dabbled in music for most of her life, currently enjoying the ukulele and djembe.