TDP Board

Pam Christie

Pam Christie

Acting Chair

Pam has worked across a range of senior executive roles in the areas of regulation and education for the Australian and NSW Governments over the past 30 years. 

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This has included leading TAFE NSW’s Sydney Institute and being appointed as Managing Director of TAFE NSW, leading transformational reforms. More recently Pam has worked in senior executive roles in vocational education and training and aged care regulation.   Pam holds board appointments for a number of educational institutions, including the Talent Development Project Board.

 Pam has a passion for changing lives through education. She began her career as a secondary school teacher and has worked overseas as an Australian Volunteer Abroad and in the adult migrant education sector.

Pam holds a BA, Dip Ed and Grad Dip Ed Studies and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, an Honorary Senior Fellow, LH Martin Institute, University of Melbourne and a graduate of the ANZSOG Executive Fellows Program.

Tim Worton

Tim Worton

Board Member

Tim is Group Director for Arena’s for AEG Ogden’s Australasian Network.

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He oversee’s AEG Ogden’s Arenas in Sydney, Brisbane and Newcastle. His involvement includes business development for new venue management agreements throughout Australia, New Zealand and Asia. He is responsible for securing concert and entertainment events in these arenas and across other AEG Ogden Venues that host entertainment events, including convention centres and stadiums. He works collaboratively with other venues that are not managed by AEG Ogden to secure events which can include AEG Ogden venues in a tour.

He was a Certified Facilities Executive (CFE) by international industry body, IAVM in 2006. General Manager of Sydney Entertainment Centre 1998 to 2005. Former General Manager for Newcastle Entertainment Centre 1994 to 1998, responsibilities included management and operation of the Centre as part of the AEG Ogden Network. He was former Business Manager for Newcastle Entertainment Centre responsible for establishment of the financial and business management of the Centre during the pre-opening and initial operating phase.

His qualifications and memberships include: Past President of the Venue Management Association (VMA), Asia and Pacific.

John Foreman, OAM

John Foreman, OAM

Board Member

John was one of the first TDP Graduates, completing the program in 1992.

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He is now recognised as one of Australia’s leading musical directors, a pianist and composer and a well-recognised face on Australian television. John’s big break came when he was offered the job of musical director for Bert Newton’s ‘Good Morning Australia’ at 19 years old. He joined ‘Australian Idol’ in 2003. John helped launch the careers of Guy Sebastian, Shannon Noll and Anthony Callea and produced a gold album for ‘Idol’ judge, Marcia Hines, before leaving the show in 2008.

John is musical director and producer for Vision Australia’s ‘Carols by Candelight’ and hosts the annual Schools Spectacular, which is broadcast on ABC TV.

Narelle Yeo

Narelle Yeo

Board Member

Associate Professor Narelle Yeo spent much of her performing career in the USA, performing roles in theatre, opera and musical theatre including Cio Cio Sam in Madama Butterfly, Leonore in Fidelio, Sharon in Masterclass, Mrs Manningham in Gaslight and Guenevere in Camelot.

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Narelle appears on a Wii game and has composed for film and podcast media. She has a world premiere CD with Jeanell Carrigan highlighting the vocal works of Australian composer Meta Overman. She also has a world premiere CD highlighting the vocal writing of famed Australian author Henry Handel Richardson with Tonya Lemoh. Tonya and Narelle have also launched a touring show based on the life of Henry Handel Richardson.
Passionate about new music and new forms, Narelle has premiered a number of new musicals and operas, including Psyche by Meta Overman, The Long Ride Home by Tom Rimes, The Gift of the Magi by David Conte and The Navigators by Rinde Eckert. In addition, Narelle is a passionate stage director, with credits for Under the Radar, Brisbane Festival, Strut and Fret Speigeltent, Bernstein Mass in the Sydney Opera House and over 30 operas and musicals in Australia and the USA. Narelle also spearheads Amplification, an entrepreneurial mentoring program for Women in the Creative and Performing Arts. She is the founder of Bayumi Birrung, a multi-year program supporting talented First Nations musicians, and regularly tours around the country, directing professional productions and mentoring regional and indigenous youth in music and theatre. She has developed a system of “circular mentoring” which embeds concepts of shared creativity between professionals and emerging artists to empower young performers to take their step towards a professional career. Narelle’s most recent world premiere was singing George Palmer’s Morning’s Minion for Ars Musica at Riverside Theatres. In addition, Narelle has taught opera, music theatre, contemporary singing, acting and stagecraft skills to many of Australia’s best young artists, many of whom can be seen on professional stages around the world.

 

Charlton Hill

Charlton Hill

Board Member

Charlton has decades of experience in the music, screen, advertising and technology industries in an array of creative roles including major recording artist, published songwriter and actor to innovative strategist and music technology entrepreneur.

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Having begun acting and performing professionally at 12 years old, Charlton forged his career in bands, TV series, on stage and in films. By his early twenties, Charlton had been signed by a major record label and publisher as a singer songwriter, writing and recording internationally and performing with the likes of John Mayer, Bic Runga and the Whitlams. 

Turning his attention to music to picture and the business of a sustainable career in the arts, Charlton began running studios and collaborating with screen composers, overseeing countless music projects for major brands and TV Networks.

In 2010, with a foot firmly planted in both art and commerce, Charlton partnered with renowned music producer and sonic technologist Justin Shave to establish Uncanny Valley – a high end, music and technology company working with artists, publishers, labels and brands – that has since risen to prominence around the world.

Imogen Clark

Imogen Clark

Board Member

Imogen is an Australian singer-songwriter, hailing from the Hawkesbury NSW, whose music ranges from arena-ready rock anthems to raw confessional indie pop.
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In 2020, Imogen released her critically acclaimed EP The Making Of Me (touted by Rolling Stone as “a landmark”) and played a series of sold out live stream and in-person shows, where the Sydney Morning Herald said “she commanded the stage with a matchless acuity”. In 2021, Imogen returned with a second EP Bastards, which has been touted by the Herald Sun as “a thing of wonder”.

Cutting her teeth playing in local pubs during her teen years, Imogen graduated from the Talent Development Project in 2012 at the age of 17, before taking the stage with artists like Shania Twain, Clare Bowen, Diesel, Jim Lauderdale and Ian Moss.

Imogen has worked relentlessly over the past decade building up her musical chops, with her most recent musical offerings garnering widespread acclaim both in Australia and North America. She has maintained a consistent touring schedule, gracing stages throughout Australia, the U.S., Europe and the U.K., including festival line ups for Maverick (U.K.), Americana Festival (U.S.) and Blue Mountains Folk Festival (Aus).

The ever-growing list of international collaborators Imogen has worked alongside on the stage, in the studio and in writing sessions include Colin Hay (Men At Work), Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers), Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello & The Attractions), Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), and Mike Meadows (Taylor Swift), as well as local acts Kasey Chambers, Alex Lahey, Clare Bowen and Emma Swift.

 

Graham Donald

Graham Donald

Board Member

Graham Donald is Creative Director for the Seven Network, Australia’s number 1 TV Network.  He has headed the team for over 25 years, launching some of the biggest Australian and International shows, through 7 Summer Olympic Games including Sydney 2000. 
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He completed 8th Grade Piano at age 17, and has turned this passion to using music for marketing TV shows in Australia.  His ability to support new talent and great songs have brought success to countless national and international artists. Australian artists such as Dean Lewis, Conrad Sewell, Sheppard, Tina Arena, The Veronicas, Amu Shark, Guy Sebastian and Jessica Mauboy are grateful for his support.  International artists include Coldplay, with“Paradise”, resulting in it becoming their biggest ever hit in Australia.  Also launching John Legend’s “All Of Me” to Australia, which then spread around the world. 

Professor Carolyn Sue AM

Professor Carolyn Sue AM

Board Member

Professor Carolyn Sue, MBBS, PhD, FRACP, is neurologist and neuroscientist appointed as the Deputy Director and inaugural Kinghorn Chair of Neurodegeneration at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and Professor at the University of New South Wales, Sydney.
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She is an internationally recognised leader in Parkinson’s and mitochondrial disease and works as a Senior Staff Specialist in Neurology at Prince of Wales Hospital. As a child, Carolyn was a graduate of the Suzuki School of Talent Education and now enjoys mentoring young people to develop their talent and fulfil their potential. In 2019, Carolyn was made Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and became a member of the Order of Australia (AM) in recognition of her significant services to medicine.

TDP Co-Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus

Mary Lopez, AM

In 1991, Mary Lopez AM was appointed the Artistic Director of the TDP. Mary devised the teaching program upon which the TDP is based. 

Her personal belief in the talent of young performers led her to devote over 35 years to their development. Few people have given more to NSW Public School students and in 2010 her amazing contribution to public education and the arts was recognised with the conferral of an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Western Sydney.

Mary’s success as a Producer/Director emanates from her flair for capturing the spirit of Australia through themed productions in huge cast variety Spectaculars and Special Performance Events. Over her career, Mary created over 60 major productions, many of which have been televised. She created the concept for the Schools Spectacular from which the TDP grew. She was the Director of every Schools Spectacular from its launch in 1984 until 2008.

Mary played a pivotal role on the TDP Board of Directors until her resignation in 2021.

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