Debra Morgan
ATW Board Member 

Qualifications & Experience:
Bachelor of Music, University of Melbourne, Master of Management (Arts and Cultural Management), University of South Australia.

Debra Morgan is Chief Executive Officer of the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust. Debra is an accomplished leader and brings 20 years’ executive experience in the philanthropic and for-purpose sectors leading, developing and managing philanthropic programs.

Debra was the inaugural Head of The Aesop Foundation with responsibility for shaping and delivering Aesop’s engagement strategy with its communities across more than 25 geographies and in particular supporting education and cultural initiatives aimed at growing literacy and inclusion.

Debra was previously a Program Manager at The Myer Foundation and Sidney Myer Fund, two family foundations which number among Australia’s largest and most respected. Both the Foundation and Fund continue the philanthropic legacy of Sidney Myer and the succeeding generations of the Myer family. At the Foundation and Fund, Debra developed and implemented funding programs; supported and advised not for profit organisations nationally; drove the new generation engagement program; and developed and led the organisations’ communications strategy. In her time at the Foundation and Fund, Debra specialised in the areas of the arts, the environment, and new generation engagement, and also undertook research for programs and grants in the health sector, education and social justice. 

Debra’s sensibility for the not for profit sector stems from her time working in the arts, holding Operations Manager and General Manager positions with Melbourne Chorale, and prior to that, working with Sydney Symphony Orchestra as a recipient of an Australian Youth Orchestra Fellowship. Debra sits on the board of Australian Tapestry Workshop, and has previously held board positions at the Public Galleries Association of Victoria and the Melbourne-based artist run initiative, West Space.