People

Women’s Circus runs on the energy and enthusiasm of its Staff, Board and Community.

STAFF

Chief Executive - Dianne Toulson
Outreach Director - Tara Prowse
Training Director - Ruth Bauer
Artistic Director Debra Batton
Administration - Rachal Van Wyck
Finance - Jo Whatley

PATRON
Tracy Bartram

BOARD MEMBERS

Chair - Leharna Black
Deputy Chair - Dawna Wright
Directors - Toni Jones, Louise Radcliffe-Smith, Lee-anne Bradley

Leharna Black – Chair - Appointed 15 August 2006

Leharna consultants to some of Australia’s blue chip businesses including the Victorian State Government, BHP Billiton, NAB, Telstra, ANZ and Optus. She is a senior manager with a successful career in business improvement, organisational effectiveness and change management. She is a member of the Australian Society of CPA’s, the Institute of Management Consultants and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Leharna was previously Finance Director of the Women’s Circus between 2003 and 2004. She has been a non executive director for the People and Parks Foundation, Moreland YMCA, Bosa Engineering, CERES & ACNEM. Leharna has a Bachelor of Business in marketing, a Diploma in Accounting and an MBA.

Dawna Wright - Finance Director - appointed February 2009

Dawna is a Chartered Accountant in Australia and Canada, and a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Fraud Examiner in the USA. She has over 17 years of financial experience gained Canada, the United States, France and Australia. She was formerly a partner at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, a global accounting firm. She is now a partner at McGrathNicol, one of the leading boutique financial advisory firms in Australia. Her background includes over six years of audit experience of local and multinational private and public companies, and over ten years of forensic accounting experience, including giving testimony as an expert witness. Dawna is also a Director, Treasurer and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee for Amnesty International Australia.

Toni Jones – Director – Appointed July 2008

Toni Jones is a Canadian-qualified accountant. Toni began specialising in tax services in Australia in 2000, and is currently a tax specialist at UBS. Her areas of tax expertise include GST, taxation of trusts and charitable funds, tax on various types of investments and investment structures, tax implications of mergers and de-mergers, and international taxation. In private practice, she advises a variety of businesses on tax planning, strategic management, and business modelling. She has assisted a broad range of enterprises, including owner-managed enterprises, publicly listed companies, and charities. Professional experiences include accounting, auditing, statutory compliance, tax compliance, and staff training. She has been an active member of The Women’s Circus since 2006.