Our Patrons
Dr June Oscar AO
Dr June Oscar AO is a proud Bunuba woman from the remote town of Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. She is a strong advocate for Indigenous Australian languages, social justice and women’s issues.
June was the first female Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, publishing the landmark Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women’s Voices) Report to advance First Nations gender justice and equality in Australia.
Dr June Oscar AO chairs the The Wiyi Yani U Thangani First Nations Gender Justice Institute at the Australian National University to advance the voices of First Nations women and girls.
“WOW is an important space of dialogue and action which unites women from diverse backgrounds from across Australia and the world. I look forward to working together and ensuring that the voices of First Nations women and girls are at the forefront of Australia’s fight to achieve gender equality.”
The Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO
Dame Quentin Bryce is a distinguished Australian public figure and advocate for gender equality. She was the first woman to serve as Australia's Governor-General from 2008 to 2014.
Throughout her career, Quentin has championed the rights of women
and non-binary individuals, focusing on issues such as gender violence, economic empowerment, and health disparities.
Her dedication to advancing gender equality has been instrumental in driving cultural and social change, making her a prominent and influential figure in the fight for equal rights.
“Gender equality is the key to our human rights, and to our economic future. We need to lead our community to a better place – one in which women and girls are kept safe and valued and are able to make their full contribution, and in which we reap all the benefits of their drive, ingenuity, talents, skills, and wisdom.”
MEET THE BOARD
Cathy Hunt, AM, Chair / Executive Director
Cathy is the Executive Director of cultural enterprise Of One Mind, which produces the WOW events in Australia, and has overseen the development of WOW across Australia since 2013 in partnership with the global WOW Foundation.
Cathy is a cultural strategist with over thirty years experience providing research and advice to governments, architects, arts and cultural organisations and artists in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong in her role as co-founder of consulting company Positive Solutions.
Cathy is also a Board Director of Screen Queensland, a member of the Advisory Committee for the Queensland Government Women's Strategy. In January 2023, Cathy was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant services to arts and culture and women.
Brian Tucker, Treasurer
Brian spent forty years working as an arts accountant, twenty of which exclusively as an auditor of Arts Organisations and Indigenous Art Centres across Australia. He has used this experience to advocate for and promote the arts and artists, appearing before Senate committees in Canberra to presenting workshops for the Directors of Art Centres in Darwin.
His work as auditor gives him valuable insight into the financial affairs of the not-for-profit arts sector and its resilience in the face of enormous challenges which continue today. He is presently the Treasurer of seven organisations and Chair of another and has occupied similar positions on over twenty organisations, from the tiny Queensland Poets Society to the somewhat larger Queensland Performing Arts Trust.
Dr Faiza El-Higzi, OAM, Director
Dr Faiza El-Higzi OAM is an early career researcher and nationally recognised professional awarded an Order of Australia Medal and a Queensland Outstanding Achiever Award for her contributions to the community. Of African, Mid-Eastern descent, Faiza has worked in Australia and overseas, in the public, private and the NGO sectors and has more than ten years public sector experience in Australia providing strategic policy advice at both the State and Federal levels.
Faiza's interest is in knowledge translation with a focus on ideas that address social inequality across gender, faith and culture. Her research focuses on social issues such as gender and Islam; health anthropology investigating cultural views of blood donation, concepts of health, and domestic and family violence in culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
Renai Grace, Director
Renai Grace is the Executive Director Museums and Engagement, Museum of Queensland. Renai has extensive experience in the arts and cultural sector, having spent the past two decades working for some of Queensland’s leading cultural institutions and projects including the Museum of Brisbane Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art, Women of the World Festival and craft and design centre Artisan. Renai has also served as director of investment and development at Arts Queensland.