Astrid Wootton – General Manager
Astrid is a writer, artist and curator with experience in leadership roles in galleries and arts administration. She also has experience in ministerial advising, and in the mental health sector, where she supported people with mental illness to tell their own unique stories. Astrid has a Cert IV in Visual Arts (Ceramics), A BA (Hons) in Art History and Classical Studies, and a PhD in Art History from the University of Melbourne.

Kate Gross – Co-founder, Communications and Fundraising Officer
Kate received an AMP Foundation grant in late 2015, enabling her to spend 2016 on the development of The Story Island Project. From 2006–2015, she was a writer/editor at the Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies, an organisation that provided information and resources to the Australian youth sector. She has a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Teaching.

Jen Clayton-Cleaver – Volunteer Coordinator
Jen has a background in community services and a passion for working with children and their families. She has experience in facilitating groups and in leading others. Jen strongly believes in the power of fun and connection to enhance learning experiences for all. She has a Bachelor of Arts (English/Psychology) and a Masters in Counselling from the University of Tasmania.

Bonni Que – Story Leader
Bonni has a background in creative arts and health, with a strong focus on social justice and community development programs. As well as maintaining her own creative practice in writing, music and visual art, Bonni has experience working as an arts facilitator within a range of diverse environments and demographics both across Australia and internationally. She is a strong believer in the power of creative expression as a means of nurturing imagination and cultivating social, cognitive, and emotional development.

Leigh Rigozzi – Consulting illustrator
Leigh is an artist based in Hobart/nipaluna. He produces illustrations, design, and graphic storytelling content for various Story Island programs. He also assists the story leader in selected workshops. He has a Masters in Visual Art from Sydney College of the Arts.

Carmel Hobbs – Interim Chair
Carmel is a social scientist with a background in public health and development studies. She is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Trauma-Informed Practice Lab in the School of Education at UTAS. Her recent work has focused on sharing the stories of young people, particularly those who have experienced intimate partner abuse in their relationships as teenagers. Carmel is also an adjunct Lecturer in the School of Psychology and Public Health at La Trobe University, and a board member with Youth Network of Tasmania.  

Bruce Clapham – Deputy Chair
As a Digital Marketer and Copy Writer, Bruce is a 21st-century storyteller. In his role as Chief Storyteller with Parachute Digital, Bruce has had the privilege to work with many fantastic charities who are doing incredible work in a variety of fields, including Save The Children NZ, Camp Quality, The Starlight Foundation, National Breast Cancer Foundation, The Garvan Institute, Vision Australia, IHC, The Lost Dogs Home and The Nature Conservancy. Bruce is currently the Fundraising Manager for R U OK?

Alice Grubb – Secretary
Alice is a local legal practitioner; before that she dabbled in teaching and hospitality. Daily, Alice deals with clients who instruct her to help communicate their stories. Alice is a lover of language and story. She sees the power of language every day and believes everyone deserves to be able to tell their story.

Heather Chong – Treasurer and Public Officer
Heather is an accountant by background which, she says, is why she usually ends up as Treasurer. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Chartered Accountants of England and Wales. and sits on a number of boards. Her day job is Deputy Mayor of Clarence City Council.

Kira Askaroff – General Member
Kira is a creative producer with 15 years’ experience working in the contemporary and street arts sectors, organising and curating art exhibitions and arts festivals. Prior to her work in the arts, Kira was one of the only female bicycle designers in the United Kingdom, working at Madison Bikes. Kira continues a parallel career as a graphic designer with a particular interest in visual storytelling. Kira has an MA in Economics from The University of Edinburgh and an MA in Digital Arts from Norwich University of the Arts.

Khaled Damag – General Member
Khaled is a graduate of the University of Tasmania, with a Business degree majoring in Finance and Business Economics. He is a writer and skilled bilingual communicator, and has served on Amnesty International Australia’s Youth Advisory Group. Khaled is currently a research and policy officer at RACT, working on advocacy projects in areas such as road safety, mobility and sustainability.

Holly Stewart – General Member
As a principal at a large public secondary school in Hobart, Holly is passionate about arts and literacy education for young people in Tasmania. In her work as an educational leader throughout schools in Tasmania and Victoria, including being a founding leader of a trauma informed school situated in Victoria’s youth justice centres, Holly has seen the power of young people having the tools to tell their story, as well as the importance of mentorship to strengthening confidence, building social capital and broadening support networks for young people.