AUSPICIOUS ARTS BOARD
Auspicious Arts Board Members are:
SUZANNE DALEY (president)
Suzanne Daley has worked in the arts sector in a community and professional capacity for 30 years.
Her professional career in the arts includes 13 years at Live Performance Australia, where she led work on industry policy, research and advocacy, and managed major projects in sector capacity building and environmental sustainability. After joining the leadership team at Arts Centre Melbourne in 2015, Suzanne worked with the Trust and Executive on Strategic Planning, risk and policy frameworks and in securing government investment for Reimagining Arts Centre Melbourne. Suzanne then moved into Philanthropy, leading the Major Giving team through the Imagine Anew capital campaign, and matching donor passions to the mission of Arts Centre Melbourne. Suzanne joined Performing Lines as Interim General Manager in June 2025 and is loving supporting the team and independent artists to make provocative, contemporary work.
Suzanne is a Hansen CEW Leader's Program Scholar, and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and the University of Melbourne (BA (Hons)/LLB). She has been an Auspicious Board member since 2011 and is honoured to serve as Chair.
JOHN PAXINOS (Treasurer)
John commenced his career in Arts Management in 1980 in Albury-Wodonga with the fledgling Murray River Performing Group and Flying Fruit Fly Circus. In 1985-6 he was awarded a fellowship by The Australia Council and Creative Victoria to study strategies for establishing and managing arts companies. This led to the establishment of an arts management consulting practice, and in 1992 the creation of Auspicious Arts Projects Inc. John has worked with over 100 different arts organisations. He is currently working in an advisory capacity with Auspicious Arts Projects Inc, The Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Circus Oz. He is a partner in Paxinos & Habash Arts Tax and undertakes a variety of pro bono consulting work for Arts Companies.
Deirdre O'Brien (Secretary)
SELENE BATEMAN
Selene Bateman is an experienced arts administrator and producer with over 25 years’ experience across the Australian creative sector. As CEO and a member of the Board of Auspicious Arts Projects, she supports artists and organisations with strategic guidance, project oversight, and navigation of complex funding environments. Selene is a recipient of the Churchill Fellowship, and her expertise is sought by funding bodies, small-to-medium organisations, and independent practitioners nationwide. She serves on the Arts Industry Council of Victoria and the Advisory Board for Deakin University’s Arts & Cultural Management Program, and is a regular guest speaker at the Victorian College of the Arts.
PRIYA NAMANA
Priya Namana is an artist and an arts manager living and working on the unceded lands of the people of the Kulin Nations in Naarm. Migrating to so-called Australia from the sub-continent of India, Priya investigates porous notions of borders, stillness and in-visibility, at the intersection of text, sound, movement and installation in a contemporary art context. With an anti-disciplinary approach, she endeavours to translate and articulate her post-studio-based inquiries and practice-led thinking in the embodiment of the various contexts within which she is present.
MARIO AGOSTINONI
MELANIE BURGE
Melanie Burge is CEO and Creative Director at Burrinja, a community cultural centre, art gallery and performance venue in the Dandenong Ranges. Previously, she was Program Producer at Australian Performing Arts Market, a strategic initiative of Creative Australia showcasing Australian contemporary dance, theatre, music and experimental performance, nationally and internationally. She has worked in programming, producing and operational roles for organisations including Melbourne International Arts Festival, Adelaide Fringe, Arts Projects Australia, Adelaide City Council, Brisbane Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, Christchurch Arts Festival, and Ten Days on the Island. Melanie has been a proud board member of Auspicious since 2019.