NAVA commits to First Nations senior leadership pathway
NAVA has established a three-year pathway that will expand Georgia Mokak's leadership across policy, advocacy and organisational development.
The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) has established a staged leadership pathway to create a permanent Deputy Director of First Nations Policy and Advocacy position, beginning with Georgia Mokak’s current First Nations Outreach Coordinator role.
The pathway runs from June 2026 to June 2029 and will progressively expand Georgia’s responsibility across advocacy, organisational leadership and implementation of NAVA’s First Nations Policy.
Georgia Mokak has worked with NAVA for approximately three years as First Nations Research and Engagement Coordinator, returning in 2024 as First Nations Outreach Coordinator through Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support (IVAIS) funding. In this role, they lead a national program focused on enhancing access, awareness and application of the Code of Practice for Visual Arts, Craft and Design.
The pathway is seeded by a $100,000 private donation received in 2025, supported by NAVA reserves and ongoing fundraising. NAVA will continue pursuing multi-year government funding, philanthropic investment and broader organisational growth to support the role’s long-term sustainability.
The initiative directly supports implementation of NAVA’s First Nations Policy, launched in 2024, which outlines commitments across self-determination, workforce development, advocacy and organisational accountability. It is intended to embed First Nations leadership structurally within NAVA, with Georgia working in close collaboration with Executive Director Penelope Benton.
“Georgia has made an enormously valuable contribution to NAVA’s advocacy and outreach work over many years, including through their leadership of NAVA’s First Nations outreach program focused on strengthening access to and engagement with the Code of Practice for Visual Arts, Craft and Design,” said NAVA Executive Director Penelope Benton.
“They have also contributed greatly to NAVA’s advocacy work and I am excited to continue working with Georgia in this expanded leadership capacity as we strengthen implementation of NAVA’s First Nations Policy and build long-term First Nations leadership within the organisation.”
“I am honoured and excited to take on the role of First Nations Policy and Advocacy Manager at NAVA," said Georgia Mokak. "The support of the Board and the NAVA team in creating and investing in this role means a great deal to me.
I step into this role with deep gratitude and responsibility to our Elders, artists, arts workers, and community members, all of whose work has made pathways like this possible. With this sense of responsibility I carry the lessons, the relationships and the guidance from all those before me and those who continue to support this work, to centre our people, contribute to shifting power imbalances and advocate for a future that is sustainable and thriving for our people.”
The role will be supported through mentorship, leadership development opportunities, strategic collaboration with the Executive Director, and engagement with external advisors and consultants where appropriate.
As Georgia transitions into the First Nations Policy and Advocacy Manager role, NAVA is now recruiting a new First Nations Outreach Coordinator to continue delivering its national First Nations outreach program. Information about the role and application process is available via the link below.
Image credit
Georgia Mokak.
Photo by Jamie James.
ID: Photo portrait of Georgia against a light grey background. They are smiling at the camera, and are wearing a sleeveless black and white top.
