Samantha Hamilton is currently the CEO of Rock Art Australia and brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of strategic and operational leadership, philanthropic and government engagement and funding, business development and planning, community engagement and partnership and higher education research and training. She has led transformational and innovative large scale projects, increased partnership and investment and successfully developed organisational culture, implemented change management and professional development.

Samantha has worked in numerous international and national cultural organisations and has extensive professional experience in the preservation of cultural heritage. Samantha has held leadership roles in the public sector through employment and volunteer committee positions including Arts Centre Melbourne (ACM), Museums Victoria (MV), the Australian Museum and Galleries Association (AMaGA Vic), the Australasian Registrars Committee (ARC) and the International Council of Museums (ICOM Australia). She has also worked as a private conservator for numerous metropolitan and regional council and volunteer organisations and remote First Nations community organisations.

Samantha holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in the Conservation of Cultural Materials from the University of Canberra and has completed a PhD at the Grimwade Centre at the University of Melbourne about the need and impact of preserving remote First Nations community collections, before it is too late. She has received numerous awards for advanced training and academic research in Australia and overseas, has presented at national and international conferences and published in peer reviewed journals and books.