Dolla Merrillees is a writer, curator, and cultural producer. She frequently presents at museum and academic conferences and is author of The Woodcutter’s Wife: A Stepmother’s Tale (Halstead Press, 2007). She brings a wealth of national and international experience to her work having had senior roles in large scale festivals, museums, cultural spaces as well as the tertiary sector.

Merrillees is currently the Director Western Sydney Creative, Western Sydney University and was previously the Director and CEO of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney and the Associate Director, Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation.

She is a member of the Sydney Review of Books Advisory Board, the Arts and Cultural Advisory Panel - Western Sydney Parklands Authority and sits on the board of FORM Dance Projects. Merrillees is listed in Who’s Who of Australian Women and in 2018 she was awarded an Australian Design Honour by the Australian Design Centre.