Sylvia has over 40 years of professional experience, working across government, not-for-profit, and commercial sectors. She spent the recent 20 years in the philanthropic sector where she was CEO of the R E Ross Trust and CEO of the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) where she established the Foundation in Bendigo, Victoria. Across both these roles she has made a significant contribution to place-based and community philanthropy.
She hails from Yetman in northern New South Wales, is a qualified Librarian, a graduate of the Australian Rural Leadership Program, a Fellow of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, a Churchill Fellow and holds a Diploma from the Institute of Company Directors. She is a Director of the Inner North Community Foundation.