LOCAL resident Kellie Sutherland has been appointed to a Regional Arts Victoria role aimed at supporting creative recovery in bushfire-affected areas of the North East.

Kellie, who lives in Beechworth and is currently the Rural City of Wangaratta’s cultural partnerships officer, will start in the new role on August 10.

She will draw on a 20 year career involving a range of roles within the creative industries, both as a founding member and creative co-director of music group Architecture in Helsinki, and in arts communication and her most recent cultural partnerships role.