Board & Management

Originally trained as a teacher, Jane Haley has worked in the arts all her life and all over Australia. She has expertise and experience in policy and strategy in government, education and community settings, the management of not-for-profit organisations, and corporate partnerships, philanthropic and donor relations.

From 2015 – 2021 Jane was CEO of Ten Days on the Island, Tasmania’s biennial international arts festival. Prior to this role she worked as Strategic Adviser with the University of Tasmania. Jane was CEO of the Australia Business Arts Foundation (AbaF) from 2007 -2012, the inaugural Director of Artsupport Australia (a joint initiative of AbaF and the Australia Council) and, for three years, Senior Policy Adviser to Mary Delahunty, Victoria’s Minister for the Arts.

Jane's arts management career encompasses a broad range of organisations including Arts Access Victoria, Queensland Theatre, the Arts Council of Australia (ACT), and Sidetrack Theatre in Sydney.

She has directed policy and program initiatives for the Victorian government, Arts Queensland, the NSW Department of Education and numerous arts and cultural organisations.

Jane’s keen interest in strengthening the creative and cultural sectors in Australia has led her to leadership positions with professional arts industry and advocacy bodies including ArtsPeak (the national peak body for arts service organisations), the Arts Industry Council of Victoria, and the Australian Institute of Arts Management. In 2024 Jane was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her services to arts management in Australia as part of the Australia Day Honours. Jane loves VDB for its courage, passion and beauty. For her, VDB is quintessentially Tasmanian. 

As a full-time director and governance professional, Tracy has over 23 years of experience as a Non-Executive Director and over 33 years of experience as a Chartered Accountant, including executive and operational experience as CFO and CEO in the private sector.

Tracy is a Facilitator with the Australian Institute of Company Directors and her not-for-profit and government board experience includes former Commodore of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, Risk and Audit Committee Member for Department of State Growth and Investment Committee Member for TMAG.

Tracy has been a member of the VDB Public Fund Committee since 2017 and joined the Committee in 2023. Tracy is delighted to be a part of the VDB team, supporting the delivery of artistic experiences to our community that are so uniquely Tasmanian. 

Ronald Layne brings over 50 years’ experience working in the arts, including in senior management roles at the Australia Council for the Arts (now Creative Australia) in policy development, strategic planning and research, international market development, and audience development and engagement.

He has worked as a performer in professional theatre, managed various small arts organisations and run local government cultural programs. In addition, Ron has had a range of sponsorship, fundraising, and development roles including for the Australia Business Arts Foundation, Hobart’s Theatre Royal, and Tasdance. He was the inaugural President of Launceston’s Junction Arts Festival and has served as a member of other Tasmanian boards and committees including Tasdance /Assembly 197 over several years (Vice-President from 2018 – 2021), the Tasmanian Theatre Company and the Federal Government’s Playing Australia’s regional touring assessment panel. His first involvement in the arts in Tasmania was in 1974 with the Tasmanian Theatre Company’s Theatre-in-Education company with director Barbara Manning.

As a retired arts worker living in northern Tasmania he has an abiding interest in music built on a range of musical influences (often mainly ‘classical’) and is thrilled to be able to move from being a keen Van Diemen’s Band audience member to making a more active contribution as a Board Member of this terrific Tasmanian treasure with its exceptional musical experiences.

Tim McCormack is Professor of International Law at the University of Tasmania and former Special Advisor on War Crimes to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague (2010 - 2024). He is also a former Director of World Vision Australia (2013-2020) and Chair of the People, Culture and Governance Committee (2016-2019).

Tim grew up in Burnie and is grateful for his North West Coast childhood. He is proudly Tasmanian and is passionate about the pursuit of excellence in the heart-shaped island. He is excited to join the Board of Van Diemen's Band in 2026.

Angela Taylor is a marketing communications and stakeholder engagement specialist with extensive experience in alumni relations, arts marketing, and corporate partnerships. She recently retired from Monash University after 15 years in alumni engagement, where she focused on identifying and re-engaging prominent alumni, working closely with the Office of the Vice-Chancellor and President.

Previously, Angela held marketing and communications roles with Cradle Coast Authority Tasmania and the City of Melbourne, delivering major retail campaigns and events including Christmas in the City. She has also worked in fundraising and corporate sponsorship for leading arts organisations, including the National Gallery of Victoria, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne International Arts Festival, and Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Angela considers the arts her natural habitat. She is passionate about live performance and exploring galleries wherever she is, and enjoys a wide range of music, particularly genre-defying artists such as Bjork, Fever Ray, Sofia Isella, or a great DJ set.

She is excited to support the work of Van Diemen’s Band in bringing exceptional musical experiences and collaborations to audiences across Lutruwita/Tasmania and beyond.

VDB Executive Director Jennifer Kerr (she/her) is a creative industries leader with nearly three decades of senior leadership experience in government, festivals and touring. 

Jenn joined the VDB team as its inaugural Executive Director in early 2023, drawn in equal measure by the quality of the musicianship but also the incredible impact VDB has on communities across the state - and she thinks audiences in Lutruwita/Tasmania might just be the best in the world.

In her spare time she can be found making, eating and thinking about cheese.

My first tour with VDB was in 2018: La Danza with Catherine Jones as soloist. Since then, I've known that VDB is the kind of group that I want to be part of - musically, personally, and professionally.

I am always struck by the way Julia (and now Jenn as well) has run the group with artistic integrity, imagination, and an expansive approach to cross-genre and cross-cultural collaborations, showing that period music doesn't just have to be an examination of the past - it exists vitally here and now, and continues to have vibrant conversations across borders and languages into the future.

At Van Diemen's Band, people are treated like people (something that is sadly not so common in our industry). Good humour, top-quality artistry, and commitment to our audiences all across lutruwita/Tassie are all hallmarks of Van Diemen's Band, and I feel very lucky to be a part of it.