Staff

Penelope Benton has led the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) as Executive Director since early 2021, following her role as General Manager from 2015–2020. Based on Gadigal Country, Penelope is an artist and arts leader whose practice has included collaborative and socially engaged work. Her artistic practice is currently paused while she focuses on sector leadership. She identifies as queer and is a parent.

Penelope has previously worked as Manager of Arc @ UNSW Art & Design, General Manager of the College of Fine Arts Students’ Association, and Co-Artistic Director of Art Month Sydney 2013. She was Co-Director of Firstdraft (2007–2008) and Co-Founder/Director of The Red Rattler, an artist- and activist-run performance space in Sydney’s inner west (2008–2013).

She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts) from the University of Newcastle, a Master of Art Administration from UNSW, a Graduate Diploma in Arts Management from UTS, and a Master of Fine Arts (Research) from UNSW (2017).

Janel Yau is a creative producer, arts administrator and now a General Manager currently based in Gadigal Country. Born in colonial per-handover Hong Kong, raised in the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri, Kulin Nation, Janel worked in a wide range of cultural organisations from flagship institutions to small to medium organisations, festivals and multi artforms spanning over 15 years across Asia Pacific region. Previously she has worked for organisations such Creative Australia, Arts Centre Melbourne, Museums Victoria, Chinese Museum of Australia, Hong Kong Arts Festival as well as landslide of creative projects as a independent producer.  She specialises in strategy, project management, organisational change and storytelling.  She has a MA in Arts Management from the University of Melbourne. 

Georgia Mokak is a Djugun person from Broome, in the West Kimberley. They are grateful to have grown up on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country, Larrakia Country and to be treading lightly on Wangal and Gadigal Country.  Georgia’s area of interest and research is in First Nations led storytelling, collective practice, memory and care. 

Georgia is in the office Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Leya Reid is a communications and project manager with a history of directing advocacy and communication campaigns for industry bodies. As a writer and researcher, she explores the intersection of politics, economics and culture. Leya holds a Bachelor of Communications (Social and Political Sciences / Public Communication) from UTS. 

Leya works for NAVA on Tuesdays and Wednesday and is based on Gadigal Country in Sydney.

For over 10 years Holly Morrison has been the trusted voice offering NAVA Members immediate advice and support. An expert on best practice standards across the sector, Holly holds a Bachelor of Art Theory (Distinction) from UNSW Art & Design and a Certificate IV in Bookkeeping and Accounting. She has worked as an Administration Assistant at The Fact Tree Youth Service in Waterloo, as a Gallery Support Officer at Cumberland Council's Peacock Gallery and Auburn Arts Studio, and as Administration Manager at the Parramatta Female Factory Precinct. Holly is also currently the Finance and Operations Manager at PYT Fairfield.

Holly is in the office on Mondays and Wednesdays only and is based on Djaara Country in regional Victoria.

Andrea Srisurapon is a Thai / Australian artist living in Gadigal Country. Her creative interests are in photography and capturing concepts surrounding cross culture identity in Australian's multicultural society. Her works have been exhibited in Sydney's Vivid Festival, 4a Centre of Contemporary Asian Art and University of Sydney and she holds First Class Honours in Bachelor of Visual Arts at Sydney College of the Arts.

Andrea is in the NAVA office Monday - Thursday only.

Donnalyn Xu is an emerging writer, poet, and arts worker living on Dharug land. She is interested in the entanglement between art and language, particularly as a shared mode of enquiry and care. Her creative work has been published in Overland, Peril, Voiceworks, Cordite, and others. 

She received a Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours Class I and the University Medal) in Art History and English from the University of Sydney. In her studies, she has been awarded the Francis Stuart Prize for best Honours thesis on Asian Art, the G.S Caird Scholarship for Fine Arts, and the Kathleen Garnham Laurence Prize for Art History. She has previously worked as a gallery assistant and a bookseller, and spends the rest of her time as a freelance writer, editor, and casual academic in Art History at the University of Sydney.

Donna is in the NAVA office Mondays - Thursdays only.

Luke Briscoe is a proud Yalanji man (Kubirriwarra & Julaywarra) from the Daintree Rainforest and a leading advocate for embedding First Nations knowledge systems across the arts, culture, and innovation sectors. With over two decades of experience, Luke has driven cultural transformation across media, education, policy, and the creative industries - ensuring First Nations voices remain central to Australia’s cultural future.

He has led and contributed to a range of national initiatives, including the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Declaration Dialogue Project, National Congress Education Policy, Indigenous Digital Excellence (IDX) Roadmap, Media RING Employment Strategy, Melbourne Science Gallery First Nations Framework, Gapu Monuk Educational Resources, and the Youth Arts Business Skills Initiative.

As an advocate, strategist, and cultural leader, Luke continues to influence national conversations on equity, sustainability, and Indigenous-led innovation. In his current role as Development Officer at the National Association for the Visual Arts, he is supporting the implementation of NAVA’s First Nations Policy - advancing stronger representation, governance, and self-determination for First Nations artists and communities.

Luke works Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.

Dr Shoufay 曉霏Derz is an artist, researcher and educator working on Gadigal Country, Sydney. Her practice spans photography, moving image, text and material processes, often emerging through relational and process‑based approaches. She has exhibited widely, undertaken numerous residencies, and her work is held in public and private collections.

She has taught across universities, art schools and community programs, and has worked internationally, including several years in Berlin where she co‑directed a contemporary arts project space, curating exhibitions and public programs, supporting artist residencies, and extending her practice into pedagogical forms. She holds a PhD from the University of Sydney examining visual poetics of the ineffable and the role of opacity in shaping social, cultural and institutional relations.

At NAVA, she coordinates professional learning initiatives across metropolitan, regional and remote NSW, delivering programs that strengthen understanding and application of the Code of Practice for Visual Arts, Craft and Design, while advancing equitable, accessible and sustainable practice across the sector. Shoufay works Mondays to Thursdays.