President

Trevor Heldt

Trevor is an experienced executive who has worked in a range of State and Federal agencies, most recently CSIRO. He has worked with Chief Executives, Boards and senior leadership teams on the leadership of strategic, inclusive, safe and people focussed organisations. Trevor has lead and managed small and large teams and budgets and has extensive experience with governance and accountability frameworks.  

Trevor left CSIRO in early 2022 to spend more time teaching and supporting mindfulness in the community and has returned to ceramics (after a very long break) and attends programs at Canberra Pottery Society and Laughing Frog. 

Trevor is a member of the Bush Heritage Safety and Operations Committee advising the Board and Management on people and safety and operations matters.

Trevor believes that artists make a huge contribution to the Canberra region and aspires to grow Strathnairn to become a leading arts organisation. 

Treasurer

Francis Mathew

Francis Mathew is a seasoned business and financial management expert with over 30 years of experience across renowned, large, and complex national and international organizations in Asia and Africa. He has successfully helped organizations navigate challenges, enhance business processes, and drive sustainable growth.

With a strong background in strategic planning, financial management, risk management, and leadership, Francis has worked with multidisciplinary teams, consistently delivering results in fast-paced, high-stake environments. His expertise spans multiple sectors, including utilities, FMCG, international financial institutions (IFIs), developmental projects, and business advisory. He has a strong passion for sustainable community development.

He holds professional qualifications as a CPA (Australia) and Chartered Accountant (India) and has earned a Masters in Business Leadership from the University of South Africa.

Secretary

Trenna Langdon

Trenna works as a consultant to commonwealth and state government departments and agencies and has many years of experience across diverse business domains. She has provided expertise in planning and support of strategic programs of work including service delivery reform.

Trenna has a strong background in cultural heritage management and has previously worked for a national collecting institution. She has worked on cultural development projects and has an interest in community capacity building as a way of supporting sustainable development.

General Members

Craig Edwards

Craig Edwards is an experienced school leader, educator, and artist. Passionate about art education, and Public Education more broadly, he has been teaching and working in secondary schools for over 29 years, including being Principal at Dickson College for 7 of those years. Craig currently holds the position of Senior Director of School Planning and Review in the ACT Education Directorate. Craig Edwards completed a Bachelor of Education (Visual Art) at the University of Newcastle in 1992. Craig commenced his Masters degree mid-year 2007 and studied part-time in the Ceramics workshop at the ANU School of Art under the supervision of Janet DeBoos and Greg Daley. Since 2007 he has been exhibiting artwork in solo and group shows in the ACT. He had his first solo exhibition Student of the Red-Brown Earth in July 2012. He completed his Master of Arts (Visual Arts) in November 2012.

Shannon Wilson-McClinton

Producer, Shannon Wilson-McClinton, has genuine passion for her work which has seen her fill production roles in government, corporate, advertising and broadcast television spaces as well as feature film.

She was Line Producer on the Canberra filmed feature Joe Cinque’s Consolation. She produced the interstitial series Australian by Degree, for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade which was filmed on three continents and broadcast internationally. She co-produced the feature film Hearts and Bones, starring Hugo Weaving, which had its world premiere at the prestigious 2019 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and most recently produced Macario De Souza’s feature film 6 FESTIVALS which was released in Australian cinemas and on streamer Paramount+ in August 2022. 

Shannon believes that public access and education to arts practice, is essential to growing the ACT’s cultural economy. She hopes to see Strathnairn further achieve its vision of cultivating contemporary visual art for local, national and international audiences in a sustainable creative precinct.

Valerie Kirk  

Valerie Kirk is a distinguished artist and tapestry weaver known for her intricate and evocative works. Originally from Scotland, she studied art and design at Edinburgh College of Art, where she discovered her passion for woven tapestry. After moving to Australia, she worked at the Australian Tapestry Workshop and travelled extensively, teaching and leading community projects. Kirk has held numerous exhibitions, and her works are part of collections both nationally and internationally. She has also been recognized with several awards, including the Australia Council New Work grant and the ACT Creative Arts Fellowship. In 2022, she was awarded Member of the Order of Australia for her significant contributions to tertiary arts education and the arts.