Our Core Team

Key Staff:

Chief Executive: Stephen Kearney
Twenty five years planning, staff management and financial management experience both within the Trust and in the commercial, statutory and voluntary sectors. Highly experienced in community development and providing organising, training, evaluation, consultancy and mentoring services for community, voluntary and statutory organisations. Has overall responsibility for strategic and network development and operations including the development of the social franchising model. Stephen writes regularly for New Start magazine and works as an “Expert on line” for Rural Net. Stephen designed the "Listening Matters - Root Solution" process. He is also a Director of RE:generate in Africa which is based in Monze In Zambia. He is working with colleagues to respond to the international demand for the process and is taking a leading role in managing transformation projects within innovative local authorities in the UK.                                                                
Development Director: Julia Olsen
Trained as an Architect and after working for five years had five children who are now grown up. A very successful Community development worker with thirty years experience in paid and unpaid work in the voluntary and community sector including project initiation and development, networks, community business, fundraising, evaluation, training. Julia has initiated many successful projects and is therefore responsible for the development and implementation of strategic planning, research co-ordination, direction of social franchising and training. She also has particular responsibility for Child Protection. Julia is working to make RE:generate a vibrant international social enterprise. She has founded some very successful social enterprises, for example Cae Post Recycling in Mid Wales, the Cube in Oswestry, Montgomeryshire Toy Library,Open Door Family Resource Centre, Voluntary Initiatives in Powys and contributed and supported the development of SCOVO in Wales. She is often described a serial social entrepreneur. Julia is also working in Africa and Eastern Europe on the development of some key future initiatives. She also works with innovative local authorities in the UK and writes major commentaries and observations for New Start Magazine.
Social Enterprise Services Director: Tim Reith
Provides support,training and consultancy to organisations and individuals who develop social enterprises. Project Incubation is a key area of expertise. Tim ensures that appropriate and focused enterprise support is provided to people living in disadvantaged communities and people unlikely to benefit from mainstream provision. Tim has developed a range of training courses for voluntary sector leaders in social enterprise, business planning and fundraising. These are targetted at senior executives in charities who want to generate sustainable income. 
Has worked as a policy advisor in the Social Enterprise Unit at the Department of Trade and Industry and as a consultant to the Adventure Capital Fund, supporting investees to become financially self sufficient, the Community Action Network on Social Franchising and Faithworks on developing social enterprises for faith based groups.
Has lived in Boston Massachusetts where he studied a Masters degree at Harvard and worked closely with US based Social Enterprises.
Director Financial Services: Martyn Williams
Oversees finance and administrative support. Has many years experience of working with organisations of all sizes from start ups to large established organisations. Expert in financial and management information systems. Responsibility for ensure legislative and statutory regulatory compliance. 
Has worked in statutory and voluntary sector with 25 years experiene in retail banking at senior level as an Area Manager for Lloyds TSB. Martyn was responsible for 17 branches,3 business centres and 250 staff. Expert in business and commercial loan, sales management, foreign services, internal audit, banking service and insurance products. Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers. Experiencein change management process.
Projects Director: Helen Wallis Dowling
Helen was born and brought up in Christchurch, Dorset and has worked as an advice worker in East London and a very successful rural youth worker, specialising in detached and out reach work. She is a graduate of De Montfort University. She has been involved in developing ground breaking community work with local authorities in England. She is currently using RE:generate methodology to develop extended school provision. She is also pro active in training Council Officers and Councillors in the RE:generate processes.
People and Organisation
Dr Yeow Poon: Director
Yeow Poon is an experienced Management Consultant and Doctor of Philosophy. Yeow is a specialist in organisation development and institutional strengthening processes. Strategy and change management including business planning, performance, learning development and sustainable growth, project design and evaluation are his areas of internationaly renowned expertise. Yeow has been a lecturer at John Moore's University in Environmental Science, Human Ecology and Energy studies and a Senior Consultant FCI for Birmingham City Council. He is Senior Technical Advisor to public administration reform projects to the Chinese and Vietnamese Governments and local authorites. He supports the Chinese National School of Administration in improving the training of senior state officials at central and local level. He also works with government departments and local authorities in the UK and Europe. Yeow is a Governor of Bournville College in Birmingham UK and is Chair of Chinese Community Centre Birmingham.
Jutta Stahlhacke
Jutta is a trainer and designer wth a rich experience in community consultation, community engagement and project evaluation. She has worked on a wide range of consultative and engagement projects with Birmingham City Council with emphasis placed on participation and customer satisfaction. She is a highly skilled consultant with a wide experience of statutory sector work in communities. She has been a course tutor in design and technology at the University of Central England and has worked as a researcher. She has particular skill in quantative and qualitative research including participative techniques and associated project management. She has been a Director of Gaian Design in Birmingham and Senior Consultant in the People and Organisation team.
Melissa Nobile
Melissa has worked in design and delivery of several public management, leadership and public policy training courses in Mexico. She has participated in several research projects on topics related to the North American Free Trade Agreement and Civil Service Training Systems in th European Union. Her strengths lie in team working, problem solving, facilitation, analysis and research. Melissa has recently supported the management and co-ordination of a study tour for training managers of the Chinese National School of Administration to EU member states and is currently involved in projects relating to public consultation, public administartion reform and performance management systems. She holds an MSc in Governance and Development Management.
Trustee: Ms. Margaret Pound (Chair)
Maggie is former UK Grants Manager for the Family Welfare Association and Media Appeal Grants officer BBC Children in Need. She was the Director of Consortium of London Agencies, residential social worker and Director of London Co-operative Development Association. She is a passionate believer in people’s capacity to develop themselves and their community if they are enabled, encouraged, supported and given the freedom to do so.
Trustee: Mr. Ronald Davies (Treasurer).
Ex-miner and Union organiser. Became involved through developing local community action to address local needs in Wrexham, North Wales and promoted the development of residents and tenants groups and youth action. Has a particular interest in health and welfare matters and personnel. He is a keen champion of the work of the Trust and has undertaken personal study to further develop skills and knowledge that will contribute to his role as a trustee. Ron works on Trust business for four days a week.
Trustee: Robert Chowdhry-John
Robert was born in Manchester and lived in central areas of the city until his teens. His multi-ethnic background and complex childhood gave Robert an in depth understanding of the impacts of being brutally disempowered. In 1995 he founded the New Power Generation Youth Movement in Wales, which at its height had 700 members. They organised theatre dance and young people led youth provision which was far reaching and successful. Much current youth service provision is a copy of the work he pioneered with his colleagues and supporters. Robert was recently featured in a short film because of his skills as a Mancunian poet and has just completed a Music Practice Course at City College Manchester. He is developing a "Listening Matters" into Poetry project in the city.
Trustee: Lembit Opik
Lembit was born in Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. He attended the Royal Belfast Academical Institution, then read Philosophy at Bristol University, He was President of the Student Union (1985-6) and an NUS National Executive Member (1987-88).In 1988 he joined Procter and Gamble in Newcastle upon Tyne, becoming Corporate Training and Organisation Development Manager in 1991 and Global Human Resources Training Manager in 1996. He was elected to the Liberal Democrats' Federal Executive Committee and to Newcastle City Council. In 1997 he was elected MP for Montgomeryshire. Lembit has been the Party Spokesman on Northern Ireland, spokesman for Wales, and a member of Menzies Campbell Shadow Cabinet. He was the Party Spokesperson for Youth Affairs between 1997 and 2002. Lembit has taken a keen interest in the work of RE:generate since first encountering the people and the process when campaigning in Montgomeryshire in 1996/97.
Trustee: Rhea Brook
Rhea graduated in 1988 from Plymouth Polytecnic with a BSc(Hons) degree in Chemistry with Meteorology; and learnt her trade as an active member of the National Union of Students. She worked on a number of campaigns around issues of equal opportunities. Rhea has spent the last 10 years employed as a Community Development Worker in the neighbourhood of Stonehouse, Plymouth. An elected Community Director to the Millfields Community Economic Development Trust; Rhea is currently Chair of the newly established Neighbourhood Learning Consortium and continues to contribute and participate in a range of community and voluntary sector organisations. Rhea fervently believes that where processes and governance arrangements are right, then outcomes for communities are more likely to be those which are best, even if not those expected or desired by statutory agencies.
Trustees' appointee December 2006: Tony Prior
Tony is a Cumbrian, with a love of the lakes and hills which have sustained him over the years. Moving to South Derbyshire in 1970 he worked in the computer industry for 25 years in sales and sales management. He has always been involved in social justice issues through his church. So in 1990 when his children had flown the nest he began working in the voluntary sector As well as offering his business experience to voluntary organisations, he has devoted most of his time to helping teams and communities develop pride and shared vision. He has facilitated training sessions and courses which help people to identiy community needs and develop projects. He has specialised in helping communities to engage with power holders and work in partnership with them in order to improve services and the environment. Tony is a trained life coach and works with individuals who wish to make changes in their lives. He has been on the receiving end of RE:generate's work and has participated in the delivery of RE:generate's training and projects in the East Midlands. He is a Trustee of two local charities and a member of the Long Eaton Carnival committee.
Trustees' appointee December 2006:  Stuart Pickering
Biography to follow
Legal Support provided by Law Works.

Advisers

The management team has support and advice from:

Memberships and working relationships over the last 15 years

Re:generate Extranet

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