TDP Board
Dr Lyndell Fraser
Chair
Lyndell has worked in a range of senior executive roles in banking, insurance and private education in Australia and has served on various boards including industry based and not for profit.
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Her experience has involved a broad range of critical business functions with P&L accountability in consumer-linked sectors. Roles have included government, community and industry relations, communications, strategic planning and industry analysis, business planning and operations. Her board involvement has included financial services, industry associations and NFP and she is the current Chair of Planet Ark Environmental Foundation.
In recent years she completed research directed to issues facing workers and learners in the knowledge economy with a critical focus on addressing learning in an era of disruption. Finding better ways to enhance people’s capabilities and those of modern workforces can assist address global demographic and technological change and provide opportunities for enriched and sustained work lives.
Lyndell holds a BEc (Hons), MEc (Hons), MBA and EdD and is a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Pam Christie
Deputy 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.
Graham Donald
Board Member
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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.
Chelsy Atkins
Board Member
Chelsy Atkins is a Yamatji Widi Wongi woman with over 18 years experience in the music industry and the arts and culture sector. Chelsy’s journey has been fuelled by a passion for promoting Indigenous heritage and supporting the voices of our youth, in collaboration with industry professionals, community, government departments, organisations and youth.
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In 2021 Chelsy was appointed on the board of the Yamatji Southern Regional Corporation and the Bundi Yamatji Aboriginal Corporation as a non-executive director. Over her two year appointment she trained at the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is a continued member.
Recently Chelsy has worked alongside the Sydney Opera House, Music Australia, Youth 4 Planet (COP28), NSW Education Department, Talent Development Project, Queenwood School for Girls, and Local Aboriginal Lands Councils in delivering various arts, culture and music projects, workshops and events.
Her mission is intricately tied to designing and delivering authentic cultural content that resonates across communities. Chelsy is committed to bridging traditional and contemporary narratives, ensuring a vibrant representation that aligns with her vision for cultural preservation and innovation.
Imogen Clark
Board Member
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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.
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.
Professor Carolyn Sue AM
Board Member
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Nicholas Gentile
Board Member
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As the Artistic Director of Pacific Ocean Partners, Nicholas has been instrumental in pioneering new artistic visions and programs, particularly in the Vietnamese market. He was instrumental in the creation of “The YOUniverse,” an international creative hub in Vietnam, significantly contributing to the country’s cultural landscape.
Nicholas’s expertise extends to academia, where he serves as a lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Waterloo Studios and the Australian Institute of Music. His dedication to education and mentorship has shaped many aspiring artists, helping them achieve their potential in the music and theatre industries.
With a proven track record in relationship management, networking, and communication, Nicholas excels in fostering productive collaborations and innovative projects. His creative contributions include compositions and orchestrations for renowned institutions such as Opera Australia, Sydney Symphony, and numerous film and theatre productions.
Nicholas holds a Masters of Music in Orchestration for Film & Television from the University of Chichester, UK. His work has been recognised with prestigious awards, including the Cannes Short Film Festival’s Best Composer nomination and the Paris Film Festival’s Best Production win for “Émilie & Voltaire.”
As a board member of the Talent Development Project, Nicholas brings his vast experience, artistic vision, and passion for fostering talent and innovation in the performing arts.
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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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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