Ngarinyin/Gija woman Dr Vanessa Russ has been appointed to the Australian National Maritime Museum Council.
An artist, researcher and academic from the Kimberley, Dr Russ is is an Academic Lead in the School of Population Health at Perth's Curtin University.
She has previously held senior roles at the University of Melbourne, including as Director, Indigenous Collections (Museums and Collections) and Senior Lecturer in Indigenous Studies.
Dr Russ also has experience working in collections and cultural governance roles as an Associate Director at the Berndt Museum of Anthropology, University of Western Australia and within the WA Department of Culture and Arts.
She previously served as Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Heritage Oversight Committee, University of Melbourne and as a board member of the Art Gallery of Western Australia.
Dr Russ was appointed to the Council on a three-year term alongside ultra marathon runner, world record holder and humanitarian, Pat Farmer, and Simonetta Astolfi, who was appointed to the Council off the National Gallery of Australia.
Federal Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said the appointees would provide excellent stewardship as members of the Councils.
"Having the right people to protect and guide our cherished cultural institutions is essential to ensure we have the best representative voices leading the way.
"These appointees bring a wealth of experience from across a diverse range fields, and will be great assets to the arts sector."
