People
Contact Inc. is run by a dedicated group of staff and volunteers, below is a list of just some of the people that make this wonderful organisation what it is:
The Contact Team
Artistic Director :: Zoe Scrogings
Business Manager :: Natalie Warner
Indigenous Programs Coordinator :: Fred Leone
Contact Crew Coordinator :: Queenie Pelesa
Contact Crew Member :: Dane Paltmann
Contact Support Crew :: Ruta Laula
Laydeez Biz + Little Laydeez 2008 Team
Little Laydeez Coordinator :: Gayle Jones
Artsworker :: Jeannette Fabila
Artsworker :: Dizzy Doolan
Artsworker :: Kalika Link
Artsworker :: Tiela Watson
Artsworker :: Renne Bani
Artsworker :: Samantha Williams
Artsworker :: Sarah Patrick
2008 Management Committee
Chairperson :: Sara Lawless
Secretary :: Kerry O'Conner
Member :: James Nien
Member :: Liz Crawford
Member :: Deb Suckling
Member :: Jemma Wood
The Contact Team
Artistic Director - Zoe Scrogings
Zoe has 10 years of experience working with young people and their communities within government, non-government, health, welfare and cross cultural contexts both nationally and within South East Asia. She has coordinated arts and cultural programs for Brisbane Youth Service, Gosford Youth Services, Blacktown Youth Services, YPPI – (Young people and early Psychosis) and Australian Women’s Contemporary Music Inc. She has worked on a residency with The Mirror Art Group www.mirrorartgroup.org in Chiang Rai Thailand where she developed a mobile theatre group with Akha Hilltribe women and children, aiming to protect their unique culture in the face of globalisation. She has also facilitated drama in education training workshops for ‘Project by The Mekhong River’ in Chiang Khong aiming at assisting the Thai Yai tribe in their HIV AIDS health promotion strategy. She has also worked with Arts Access Australia on Hamutuk (Connections) in East Timor. Zoe is passionate about providing spaces for communities to share their stories and create social change, she is very proud to be a part of such a vital company.
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Business Manager - Natalie Warner
Natalie has over 7 years experience in arts and cultural organisations. She is currently Acting General Manager at Contact Inc, working in the areas of administration and financial management, marketing and communications, and business development. Natalie has previously been General Manager at Circa and has worked in administration roles for organisations including Eyeline Publishing, Pacific Film & Television Commission, and the Arterial Group.
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Contact Crew Coordinator - Queenie Pelesa
Queenie Pelesa also known as Queenvia is a dynamic young musician who writes and performs her own music. She was a 2005 Youth Arts QLD YAMP mentoree who launched an EP Album at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts and was mentored by acclaimed cabaret/jazz singer Barbara Fordham. She has been involved with Contact for over 4 years on the Peace Initiative Project as a participant and as an artsworker. She has performed for Premier Peter Beatties Suncorp Queenslander Awards and all over Brisbane. Queenie is an original Contact Crew member who was instrumental in establishing the ‘Each one Teach one program. This year she will continue on with the crew as Contact Crew Coordinator.
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Contact Crew Member - Dane Paltmann
Dane Paltmann is a Bboy and has been Breakdancing for five years. He has instructed at the University of Queensland and has performed all over Brisbane and interstate. Dane is part of Planet Fresh dance crew. Dane's role at Contact involves the website, newsletter as well as his normal facilitation of workshops with young people.
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Contact Support Crew - Ruta Laula
Ruta Laula is a young emerging artist with a Polynesian background, who has been involved with CONTACT Inc’s Third place project – HOPE TOUR. She has dance/theatre performance skills and has performed for various projects within the community; she is passionate about events management and Dance Choreography. Ruta will be taking part in the Queensland Rail and CONTACT Inc Partnership project for Southbank Station as an emerging events manager. She will be in Support Crew for ‘Each one Teach one program’ as a volunteer for the Contact Crew.
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Management committee
Chairperson – Sara Lawless
Sara has been working in the areas of Community Cultural Development and Community Development for around 20 years. In the late 80’s Sara started a screen printing co-op for unemployed people called the Good Work Co-op. She has coordinated a number of community festivals and events, planned and programmed many projects and has been a Community Development Officer with Brisbane City Council working with the Indigenous community since 2001. Sara was a committee member of Benarrawa Community Development Association for seven years with the last three years in the position of Treasurer. Having worked in Local Government for the past 7 years Sara has a good understanding of the
expectations of Government bodies with regards to grant applications and
partnerships with Not for Profit organisations. Sara undertook a Graduate Diploma in Community Cultural Development in the mid 90’s and has a deep understanding of the evolution of CCD in Australia and the issues faced by organisations that rely on State and Federal funding to maintain their business. Over the past 7 years Sara has worked with a number of organisations assisting them to develop good governance for their organisations. Sara’s will bring strengths in the areas of organisational development and policy development to the Committee.
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Kerry is a Brisbane based youth and community development worker who has an interest in social justice and youth participation processes. Kerry is currently Cultural Program Officer at Visible Ink in Fortitude Valley. In her current role she provides a range of support for young people to engage with their communities and to gain access to resources for their own social, cultural, and enterprise initiatives. In 2006 Kerry secured funding from the Department of Education, Training, and the Arts to run a Community Jobs Plan in event management targeting long term unemployed young people. 8 young people were employed for four months full time to drive and deliver a community based cultural event
that resulted in a 4-stage 10-hour event called Fortitude Rising in the Brunswick St and Chinatown Malls in the heart of the Valley. The event had a theme of subcultural harmony and showcased youth arts and music with Operator Please and Indigenous Intruders headlining. The ‘Fortitude Rising’ project had a 100% retention rate and 100% TAFE certification, a rare level of success for CJP programs that generally engage with multi-disadvantaged groups. The success of the project was attributed to the youth participation processes used in the design and delivery of the program. Kerry is excited about participating on the Contact Inc Management Committee because she is interested in pathways for young
people from participant to emerging artsworker. Kerry is interested in establishing a guideline across Brisbane youth arts agencies so that young people can transition around the industry with similar expectations around support, mentoring, responsibility, and rates of pay.
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Member – James Nien
James currently works as a Multicultural Mental Health Worker at Harmony Place – Multicultural Centre for Mental Health and Well-being, previous to this he was a Project Coordinator for the highly successful African Peer Mentoring Program that addresses the importance of strengthening resilience and capacity for young African refugees in transition by creating opportunities for community, educational and social support. James has also worked for Brisbane City Council as a Community Consultant engaging young people to enrol in traineeships and apprenticeships. James is an active member of several community groups and organisations including holding the position of Chair of the Sudanese Nuer Student Union (NSU) that manages a database of all Nuer Students in order to provide a great network to all its members for assistance with assignment writing, career planning, counselling sessions, tutoring for the members, pathways to further study, resume preparation, cover-letter writing and information sharing on job opportunities, Secretary of the Queensland Sudanese Cultural Group that provides arts and cultural activities, Treasurer of the Australian Sudanese Lost Boys and Girls Organisation that provides opportunities for healing through the sharing of stories. James is in his 4th year of Psychology and Counselling at the Australian Catholic University. James aims to encourage young people to develop skills, share stories and connect into new networks.
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Member - Liz Crawford
Liz is currently Senior Manager - Executive Search and Selection at KPMG. In this role, Liz manages search and selection activities and conducts remuneration reviews and other Human Resources advisory assignments for internal and external clients. Throughout 2006, Liz participated in an Australian Business Arts Foundation (ABAF) Advicebank placement with Contact Inc. This project involved working with the Artistic Director and the Management Committee, reviewing staff position descriptions and redefining performance measures. This involved considering the organisation’s business strategy and the required structure to best support the strategy. Liz is also currently completing her Master of Business Administration through James Cook University.
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Member – Deb Suckling
Deb is Project Officer for Q Music (the state’s not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the growth of Queensland music), owner and label manager of independent record label SugarRush Records - one of the first digitally focused labels in Australia; and front-woman, guitarist and manager of bands Brindle and the Peachfish. Deb has toured nationally and internationally. In her role at Q Music Deb facilitates music development activities across Queensland, coordinates the annual Q Song Awards, which celebrate and recognise Queensland’s emerging and established songwriters and assists with the organisation of BIG SOUND Music Summit and Showcase held in Brisbane 1-3 October 2008. Deb’s wealth of
experience as an artist, combined with her music industry development and coordination skills give her a unique perspective and knowledge of the Queensland music industry.
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Member :: Jemma Wood
Jemma joined The Foundation as a Youth Grant Maker for the Victorian Committee in 2002 and took on the role of chair of this committee in 2004, before becoming an Initiative Manager in 2005. Prior to joining The Foundation, Jemma worked in various roles with young people, within local government youth services, community health and non-profit youth agencies. Jemma completed a Certificate IV in Human Resource Operations from Swinburne University of Technology in 1997, completed a Bachelor Social Science - Youth Studies from Australian Catholic University in 2000, and completed her Masters of Youth Health and Education Management at the University of Melbourne in 2006.
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