Christa Powell

Creative Director

Christa is a highly-respected performance artist, session musician, and music educator. She is as comfortable lending her talents to the orchestra pit as she is in character wardrobe, playing on stage with Led Zeppelin or playing solo violin and strolling the stage with Expressions Dance Company.

A founding member of Topology, Christa is the Creative Director and guides the strategic direction of the organisation. When she’s not playing with Topology, she performs a wide array of chamber music, her long held passion.

Charles Wiles

Regional Arts Manager
(full-time)

Charles brings 30 years of performing arts experience to the organisation. He managed and programmed the Centre of Contemporary Arts in Cairns from 2009 to 2017.

Charles has worked as a Producer, Production Manager and Lighting Designer across companies such as Sydney Dance Company, Force Majeure, Circa, Company 2, Dancenorth Australia and the Flying Fruit Fly Circus. He has extensive national and international contacts and experience that he brings as a resource to the role.

Contact: charles@rasnnq.au

Michael Goddard

Producer – Creative Heartlands
(full-time)

Michael has spent the previous 9 years working throughout Cape York in the natural resource management sector. Michael brings significant community engagement experience to our RASNNQ team through his work with grazing land managers and Indigenous groups. He also enjoys singing and playing drums when he finds the time.

Contact: michael@rasnnq.au

Karen Engel

Producer – Creative Heartlands
(full-time)

Karen has worked in the Australian Arts & Events industry for over 25 years as a freelance arts worker. Karen has worked across the country in a variety of roles including: producer, production manager, tour manager, stage manager, show calling, audio, lighting & AV operating, assistant stage manager, costume & wardrobe, talent wrangling, driver, venue booking and promoter and stage hand.

Companies Karen has worked for include: Pace Live, State Opera SA, Cairns Regional Council, CIRCA, Queensland Opera, QSO, Australian Ballet Company, JUTE Theatre Company, Bat & Ball Hotel Sydney, Big Day Out Sydney, and SK8 World Skateboarding Melbourne.

Contact: karen@rasnnq.au

Jagar Renagi Va’a

Transition 2 Success Arts Officer
(Townsville, part-time)

Jagar has over 20 years of experience in the music and events industry throughout Australia and the Pacific. His heart is in community development and paving creative pathways for young people.

Jagar has worked in a variety of roles, including Operations Manager of the National Stadium of Papua New Guinea, Founder of social enterprise Treehaus Ltd, House Parent / Supervisor at the NRL Cowboys House, Youth worker with NDIS, and Lead Vocalist & Percussionist in a band that has graced the stages of Blues Festival, WOMAD Festival, Blaktivsm, and the South Pacific Games Closing Ceremony. He currently resides in Townsville and is deeply involved in community development through music and sports.

Jagar has Aboriginal, Torres Strait Island, and Papua New Guinean heritage. Jagar is short for Jagaridjah means sea eagle in Lardyll (Mornington Island).

The Tranition 2 Success arts pilot is an initiative of the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, in partnership with the Department of Youth Justice, Employment, Small Business and Training.

Contact: jagar@rasnnq.au

Madonna Davies

Regional Arts Officer
(Eastern regions, part-time)

Madonna has an acting and performance background through the thriving Townsville theatre and live music scene and is the former director of Full Throttle Theatre Company and Festival Coordinator of the Palm Creek Folk Festival. She has been a regional arts worker for over 30 years, and is the Program Manager for the Mike Carney Creative Industries Centre in Charters Towers.

Regions: Burdekin, Charters Towers, Flinders, Hinchinbrook, Palm Island, Townsville

Contact: madonna@rasnnq.au

Sabrina Toby

Regional Arts Officer
(Gulf regions, part-time)

Sabrina is a Gangulu women from Central QLD, currently based in Townsville, who comes from a visual arts background. She was taught First Nation art from her aunty (mum) and holds an Honours Degree in Visual Arts. She has been involved on executive committees with Aboriginal organisations for the past 20 years. She’s also founded, and runs, a sporting organisation for 5 years.

Sabrina runs a micro-Aboriginal art business called Bara Bidyiri and enjoys exploring many art forms and incorporating new mediums to her portfolio. In her spare time Sabrina volunteers with Big Eye Theatre Aboriginal arts organisation, running art and jewellery workshops, as well as being part of their dance group Mala Jina Jalbu.

Regions: Burke, Carpentaria, Croydon, Doomadgee, Mornington Island, Normanton, Palm Island

Contact: sabrina@rasnnq.au

Aaron Ashley

Regional Arts Officer & Media
(part-time)

Aaron has over 15 years experience in the North Queensland arts industry, mostly working with community, not-for-profit organisations, and creating experimental art across several mediums.

They work with RASNNQ on marketing, graphic design, social media, and documentation. They are a freelance interdisciplinary artist as Tszar, a content designer at Dancenorth, and part of the Diffraction Collective in Townsville.

Contact: aaron@rasnnq.au