SYN is governed by a Board of Directors who are elected by the SYN membership. The SYN Board is responsible for making strategic decisions for SYN and ensuring that the organisation is financially and legally compliant. They represent SYN’s volunteers' interests and are elected at SYN’s annual AGM.

 

Dana Kirimof 
President

Dana joined SYN in 2025 and was elected to the Board in January 2026, before being appointed president in February 2026. She currently serves as Executive Producer of SYN’s flagship political program, Represent, where presenters explore the politics that young people actually care about. Dana also presents the seasonal show The Formation Lap, covering the Formula One Championship.

Currently completing a Master’s in Journalism at The University of Melbourne and working as a morning producer on ABC’s Pacific Beat, Dana is committed to informing Victoria’s youth and ensuring young people’s perspectives are represented in media.

 

 

 

John Cheong-Holdaway
Treasurer

John Cheong-Holdaway was appointed Treasurer of SYN in January 2025. He is an independent musician, multi-instrumentalist, and economist with extensive experience across sectors, countries, and social contexts, focused on driving social and policy change.

John is the Creative Producer at Gamelan DanAnda and is a member of intergenerational punk band Riot Baby, Sundanese quartet Sekar Kidul, dangdut-koplo band Yarra Irama, among other projects.

Prior to his work in the arts, John spent nearly 20 years as a policy economist and strategic advisor in energy, infrastructure, and natural resources across Australia, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, and the broader Indo-Pacific, advising governments, multilateral institutions, and private companies on major projects, policy, and strategy.

 

 

Emma Giles 
Secretary

Emma joined SYN Media in March 2025, beginning on Get Cereal, and quickly developed a passion for broadcasting and youth media. After a year on the program, Emma was elected to the Board in March 2026.

Emma now hosts a pop culture and politics show Reflective - a weekly digest about the ways pop culture reflects the state of the world around us - bringing a thoughtful and engaging voice to SYN’s programming. Alongside SYN, Emma is currently studying a Bachelor of Journalism at RMIT University, further strengthening a commitment to media, storytelling and public discourse.

 

 

 

Jon King
Ordinary Member

Jon was elected to the SYN Board in November 2024. Jon is a former music director/assistant, trainer and broadcaster between 2006-9, and more recently awards judge and mentor.

SYN helped redirect Jon’s career from the public service into community media, leadership and fundraising. Jon looks forward to helping SYN diversify and grow revenue to be reinvested in current and future generations of SYN volunteers.

 

 

 

Kurt Eckardt
Ordinary Member

Kurt joined the SYN Board in November 2024. A long-time community radio tragic, he began his first radio show at age 14 and went on to spend five years in the 2000s as both a staff member and on-air volunteer at Sydney’s 2SER on Gadigal Land.

Now based in Naarm/Melbourne, Kurt is the Marketing and Events Manager at PBS. He brings extensive experience in event planning and management, fundraising, membership, and sponsorship.

A committed listener and supporter of SYN, Kurt recognises the importance of a thriving, youth-led independent media organisation in our city. He hopes to contribute by helping the station develop both one-off and recurring fundraising events, while also drawing on his experience across other community stations to strengthen SYN’s membership for long-term sustainability.

 

Declan Kelly
Ordinary Member

Declan Kelly is a strategic leader with a background spanning community and commercial media, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector. He is currently Executive Officer of the Connellan Airways Trust, where he oversees funding and capacity-building initiatives that support education, health, and innovation across remote Australia.

Declan previously served as Head of Development at the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia, where he led national fundraising, partnerships, and impact projects, helping secure vital resources for stations across the country. His earlier experience also includes work at commercial and community radio stations SEN, ARN, JOY, 2XX and others, equipping him with a well-rounded view of the media landscape.

Declan is passionate about equitable access to media, place-based funding, and supporting young people to tell their own stories. He joined the SYN Board in December 2024.
 

Sarah Miles
Co-opted Member

Sarah is an experienced HR leader and organisational development specialist with over 15 years across the not-for-profit, private, and public sectors in both Australia and the UK.

She currently serves as a Senior HR leading in a large global agriculture business. Sarah brings expertise in people strategy, workplace culture, employee relations, and organisational design — skills she is passionate about applying in service of the community.

Sarah is particularly drawn to SYN and their role in giving young people a genuine platform to develop real-world skills and professional experience. She believes that hands-on opportunities in broadcasting, production, and community engagement can be genuinely career-shaping — and that supporting those pathways is meaningful work. She is based in Coffs Harbour, NSW.

 

                 

 Jennifer Hunt
Youth Member

Jennifer joined SYN in 2024 and was elected to the Board in October 2025. She currently serves as Executive Producer of SYN’s flagship program, Art Smitten, where she has played a key role in the show’s significant growth and development alongside her team.

Jennifer works in arts education as the Assistant Educator at Monash University Museum of Art. Her passion for fostering creativity in young people aligns with SYN’s mission, and she is dedicated to amplifying authentic youth voices and perspectives within the organisation.

 

 

Adam Farrugia
Youth Member  

Adam joined the SYN Board in 2025, one year after becoming involved with SYN. He serves as the Executive Producer of Housemates, one of SYN’s flagship shows, which he revitalised and relaunched in early 2025.

His work demonstrates a deep dedication to community broadcasting and a drive to support and empower emerging young creatives.

 

 

 

 

Do you have a question for the board? Email President Dana Kirimof via board@syn.org.au.