Virginia, who lives in Bowenfels in the Seven Valleys (Lithgow) LGA has joined GBMCAN’s leadership team to support us with her skills in stakeholder engagement. As a current member of the Blackheath Probus Club, she will assist GBMCAN to work with the regional business chambers in both Lithgow and the Blue Mountains.
Her addition to the team increases our ability, along with our Vice President, Sharon Howard of Gang Gang Gallery, to serve the Seven Valleys community with creative arts projects. We are continuing to work with Seven Valleys Tourism on the development of an annual Arts and Culture Festival that will showcase the region as a growing centre of artistic and cultural vibrancy across different art forms.
Virginia is also working with GBMCAN President, Barbara Lepani, on a series of author-book talks at libraries and other venues in regional NSW. Barbara is the author of three independently published books: Call of the Dakini (2021), Tulkus, Tertons, Turmoil: East Tibet 1855-1955 (2022) and The Regenesis Journey (2023). Born in Lithgow, and growing up in regional Queensland, Barbara discusses how the dakini, the Tibetan Buddhist principle of dynamic awareness, led her down many unexpected paths to realise the importance of different cultural knowledge systems. The Regenesis Journey continues this theme, drawing on Indigenous knowledge systems to propose that Australia’s future should rest on three pillars: Caring for Country, Multiculturalism and a Circular Wellbeing Economy.
Virginia is a motivated business and marketing allrounder who has worked for the Federal and ACT Governments, as well as founding Latin America Alive Inc, an NFP theatre performance organisation in Canberra. She has a BA in Political Science (ANU) and a Graduate Diploma in Public Sector Management (Flinders University) with more than 30 years’ experience in the implementation of governance frameworks, policy development and implementation, and implementation. Virginia is a highly skilled stakeholder relationship manager having delivered a number of strategic campaigns, marketing plans, consultation and engagement plans as well as facilitation of corporate and promotional events at local and international trade conferences.