Team

Jennifer Greer Holmes works across live performance and video, as a producer, curator and DJ. Jennifer returned to Vitals in April of this year in the role of Creative Producer and from August will begin the role as Vitalstatistix’s eighth Artistic Director. She has previously held the roles of Executive Producer (2021-22) and General Manager / CEO (2009-11). 

As a producer, Jennifer works with experimental performance company Branch Nebula (Sydney) and First Nations led dance company Karul Projects (Gold Coast). In 2022/23 she was a Curatorial Associate for Sydney WorldPride and Special Projects Officer with Blacktown Arts (Western Sydney). Jennifer has worked with many of Adelaide’s arts organisations in a range of leadership roles over the last 20 years. 

In addition to working with organisations, Jennifer maintains a passionate connection to the independent sector and is currently working with independent artists based in SA, Victoria and NSW across theatre, video, dance and visual art.  She is one half of Bad Jelly DJs and loves travel, dogs, cooking and gardening. 

Maggie is an accomplished production manager with extensive experience in the national arts sector. Having recently served as Production Manager for the music program at Illuminate Adelaide, Maggie oversaw high-profile events including Unsound and Max Cooper at Hindley Street Music Hall.  

Previously, Maggie worked as a Production Coordinator for WOMADelaide, where she delivered stage and site artist requirements, international freight, artist hospitality, and recruitment between 2020-24 working with acts including Midnight Oil, Florence and the Machine and Bon Iver.

She also managed tour coordination of artists on WOMAD New Zealand, and has held positions at Adelaide Festival, Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Adelaide Fringe, Windmill, Brink Productions, Vitalstatistix, Darwin Festival and DarkMOFO.

Dr Gemma Beale is the Executive Director SA/NT of the McKell Institute and a researcher and writer. She is an expert in industrial relations, gender studies, precarious work, and the future of work.

Before moving into research, she worked in the South Australian arts, women’s and community sectors for almost a decade. Gemma was Communications Coordinator at Vitalstatistix from 2015-2018 and the organisation is thrilled to welcome her back.

She holds a PhD from Flinders University and a BA (Hons) in Gender, Work and Social Inquiry from The University of Adelaide.

She has a passion for economic justice, clear thinking, thoughtful conversation, and accessible, feminist good times.

Head of Public Affairs, Adelaide Festival Centre 

Christie is an experienced arts leader with a background in festivals, local government, education and venue management.   She has a strong commitment to social outcomes that progress creativity, support artists and generate wealth for all.

Through working in Scotland, Canada and across Australia, Christie has built a vast network that she draws on for inspiration and advancement.   She feels purpose in assisting creativity to be used and valued in today’s society.

Christie is currently the Head of Public Affairs at the Adelaide Festival Centre, the largest arts complex in South Australia with a mix of commercial and public purpose arts programming and a million visitors annually.    

Christie also lectures in Festivals at Flinders University and is co-owner of a neighbourhood Café in Alberton, The Pear Coffeehouse.

Aira Firdaus is an experienced organiser and a proud unionist. She has held pivotal roles at the United Workers Union, leading grassroots campaigns and strategies to organise workers in precarious and low-paid industries in Australia. Aira is currently a Campaign Organiser at Amnesty International Australia.

By trade, Aira is an accountant and has extensive experience working as a financial auditor across both profit and not-for-profit organisations in Australia and Malaysia.

Aira holds a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Accounting and Finance from Deakin University, and a Master of Environment and Sustainability from Monash University.

Valerie Berry is a theatre maker and Arts worker. Throughout her practice, she has focused on collaborative and interdisciplinary processes.

In 2022, Valerie was the Associate Director for State Theatre SA’s production of Single Asian Female. Valerie has an ongoing collaborative partnership with multimedia artists, Anino Shadowplay Collective (Philippines) and Paschal Berry, since 2005: The Folding Wife; Within and Without (Performance Space and Blacktown Arts Centre); Arkipelago, and Arkipelago2: Intima-sea (Indonesia), and This here.Land, Liveworks Festival, 2017.

Jennifer Greer Holmes works across live performance and video, as a producer, curator and DJ. Jennifer returned to Vitals in April of this year in the role of Creative Producer and from August will begin the role as Vitalstatistix’s eighth Artistic Director. She has previously held the roles of Executive Producer (2021-22) and General Manager / CEO (2009-11). 

As a producer, Jennifer works with experimental performance company Branch Nebula (Sydney) and First Nations led dance company Karul Projects (Gold Coast). In 2022/23 she was a Curatorial Associate for Sydney WorldPride and Special Projects Officer with Blacktown Arts (Western Sydney). Jennifer has worked with many of Adelaide’s arts organisations in a range of leadership roles over the last 20 years. 

In addition to working with organisations, Jennifer maintains a passionate connection to the independent sector and is currently working with independent artists based in SA, Victoria and NSW across theatre, video, dance and visual art.  She is one half of Bad Jelly DJs and loves travel, dogs, cooking and gardening. 

By trade, Abbey Kendall is an employment and industrial lawyer and is the principal solicitor of the Working Women’s Centre. Over the last decade, Abbey has worked for small and national labour law firms and unions.

Abbey has dedicated her career to representing and advocating for worker’s rights and has successfully represented organisations against unlawful police raids, defended employees against dodgy traineeships enforced by national food franchises, and represented hundreds of workers in discrimination, sexual harassment, dismissal and worker’s compensation matters.

Abbey holds a Bachelor of Law and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice.  Abbey also holds governance qualifications from the Governance Institute of Australia.

Abbey is a member of the Respect@Work Council and of the South Australian Gender Pay Gap Taskforce. Abbey is the Vice President of the Australian Labour and Employment Relations Association (ALERA) national committee and the President of the ALERA SA committee. She is also a member of the SA Union’s Women’s Standing Committee, the Welfare Rights Coalition, and on the South Australian Concessions Review Reference Group. In 2019, Abbey was elected to the Policy council of the South Australian Council of Social Service.

Abbey is a feminist unionist and advocates for collectivist gender, sexual and political justice.

Dani has devoted her career to championing the arts and cultural sector in Australia with a broad spectrum of experience encompassing local, interstate, and international events and tours, with a driving belief of the transformative power of the arts to enrich both community wellbeing and individual lives.

Dani has held executive and management roles across Marketing, Communications and Business Development at the Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide Festival and Melbourne International Arts Festival (now RISING).

In 2020, Dani accepted a position to be part of the executive team for the inaugural Illuminate Adelaide from 2020 to 2022,

Bringing her extensive expertise and passion for the arts to further elevate the sector’s visibility and impact Dani now oversees all marketing, communications and development functions for Arts Project Australia presentation of events and tours including The World’s Festival, WOMADelaide.