Meet our team
Our wonderful team are a vital part of what we do. You can find out more below.
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Head of Learning and Development
“I love my job because every day is different, and I have the privilege of working with so many VCSE groups & organisations across the county”
Cate is our Head of Sector Innovation. Cate has worked in a wide range of roles across sectors on a local, national and international scale. Cate has worked in the voluntary sector for over thirty-five years.
Cate's role involves identifying opportunities which support, develop and sustain VCSE organisations. Cate's work includes supporting local groups & organisations to identify funding opportunities and delivering funding support.
Cate also oversees our training & events programme for the sector, such as our Trustee Refresher Programme and our ‘Thriving’ leadership programme. In her free time, Cate is the Chair of a local and a national charity.
Cate’s usual working days are Monday to Wednesday.
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Communications Co-ordinator
"I want to make a difference and help make Gloucestershire an even more amazing place to live!"
Wendy is our Communications Coordinator. Wendy provides a range of communications support to our team and coordinates our membership programme.
With a background in magazines and digital content, Wendy also helps create our newsletters and bulletins.
As the first port of call for membership and newsletter subscriber requests, Wendy aims to promote our work as much as possible.
In her spare time, Wendy helps out at Imagine Therapeutic Arts and the Cotswold Players in Stroud. Both experiences have demonstrated to Wendy how important volunteers are in creating healthy and happy communities.
Wendy's usual working days are Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
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CEO
Matt is our Chief Executive Officer. Matt's ethos is that the VCSE sector is better together, and that a joined up sector is greater than the sum of its parts. Matt is dedicated to breaking down barriers to siloed working, relationship building and facilitating cross sector working. This approach is core to our mission and embedded in all that we do.
Matt is passionate about the VCSE sector as an agent for social change. Matt strongly believes that VCSE organisations make up an integral part of the communities they serve, and their dedication, reach, agility and quality mean they make up an incredibly important part of the support at a hyperlocal level.
Matt is committed to achieving our ambition to be a modern, ambitious, data driven infrastructure organisation, capable of supporting a fast changing dynamic VCSE sector in Gloucestershire.
Matt's usual working days are Monday to Friday.
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Communications Co-ordinator
"Having previously worked for an organisation within the VCSE sector in Gloucestershire, it's great to now be part of an organisation that supports the sector to provide vital services in the county.
Charlotte previously worked for Stroud Beresford Group and has many years administrative experience.
Charlotte is the initial point of contact for our organisation and supports and promotes our events through our website and social media.
Charlotte's usual working days are Monday to Friday.
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Business Director
“I love the variety of the work here… no two days are the same, and it’s interesting to see the breadth of VCSE provision in the county. It’s also great to be a cog in the machine that keeps the incredible VCSE sector in Gloucestershire rolling!”
Karen is our Business Director. Karen previously worked as a Departmental Accountant at the University of Gloucestershire and has a background in public sector finance.
Karen’s role involves managing our back-office functions such as finance, payroll, insurance, policies, and HR.
Karen's usual working days are Monday to Friday.
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Head of Operations
"I enjoy getting involved with the range of amazing projects in the county and hearing people's stories”
Jill is our Head of Operations. Jill’s background is in consultancy to VCSE sector organisations, with a particular focus on turning national policy into practice and coproducing initiatives that address health inequalities.
Jill’s role involves ensuring that the VCSE sector is represented and embedded in Gloucestershire's health and care system.
Jill is passionate about supporting a vibrant and diverse community sector in Gloucestershire. In her free time, Jill is a qualified executive coach and volunteers as a coach to leaders in the sector.
Jill’s usual working days are Monday to Thursday.
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Go Volunteer Glos Support Co-ordinator
"I'm always happy to support anyone looking to get involved in volunteering across Gloucestershire".
Sophie is passionate about making volunteering in Gloucestershire easy, accessible, and meaningful for everyone.
As our Go Volunteer Glos Support Co-ordinator, she supports the county's online volunteering platform-keeping it up to date, supporting individuals to find roles that suit their interests, and helping organisations to promote their opportunities and connect to potential volunteers.
With a strong background in the VCSE sector, and as a Volunteer Co-ordinator, Sophie has always placed volunteering at the heart of everything she does.
Sophie's usual working days are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
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Chair
Julie is our Chair and the CEO at Headway Gloucestershire.
At Headway Gloucestershire, Julie is responsible for ensuring that the organisation operates effectively and delivers the right services, to the right people at the right time.
Julie has over 30 years’ leadership experience in the charity, public and private sectors, including change leadership, human resources, and all-round support for businesses to help increase turnover, profit and productivity.
Julie has worked intensively with Equality, Diversity and Inclusion matters in every sector and always puts the individual at the centre of the organisation. Her ethos is very much about Communication, Collaboration and Courage.
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Trustee
Megan is a Creative Health & Community Producer at The Roses Theatre Trust in Tewkesbury. She has over 12 years' experience in the VCSE sector across the Southwest and has worked for and with organisations such as Stir To Action, The Arts Development Company and Visual Arts Southwest.
Megan brings a particular knowledge of The Arts & Culture Sector, successfully delivering and co-developing creative opportunities and experiences for communities' with a particular focus on vulnerable adults and young people.
When appointed Megan said "It's an exciting opportunity to join such a brilliant team of trustee and help guide the work the Gloucestershire VCSE Alliance is doing to ensure we have a healthy, ethical and forward thinking VCSE sector in the county. I look forward to the challenges that will come along and to be able to inject a creative and community driver perspective".
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Trustee
Karen is the CEO of Mindsong.
Mindsong creates and provides services across Gloucestershire that are tailored for people living with dementia and their family and friends, helping to support wellbeing, decrease isolation, develop new relationships, and bring joy through music. Mindsong offers clinical Music Therapy sessions, community singing groups and volunteer-led singing with residents in care homes. They also aim to increase awareness and understanding of dementia through training and education.
Mindsong uses the same skills to deliver supportive singing groups to improve breathing and quality of life for people with respiratory conditions, heart failure and Long Covid.
Karen has spent her entire career in the arts (in some form or another), celebrates the fact that we are surrounded by good people doing good things most of the time and is never without a book or a biscuit.
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Trustee
Abdul is currently Head of Inequalities & Prevention Programme at NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (ICB).
Abdul has over 30 years’ experience of in working in community, health and social care settings. Formerly a CEO of a health charity and a Healthwatch in Blackburn (Lancashire) for 12 years, Abdul also worked in local government developing community development projects and involving community in major regeneration schemes, as well as, as a youth and community worker for 10 years.
Abdul has spent over 20 years in governance roles in a voluntary capacity which include primary schools, high schools and special schools. Becoming chair of a CVS and a board member of a large social landlord as well as a member on the Lancashire Police Crime Commissioners Panel.
Abdul is passionate about giving people a voice, in particular those who are most vulnerable and on the margins of society.
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Treasurer
Janette is Grants & Social Value Officer for Bromford Housing.
Janette has a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit and charitable organisations, supporting Charities across Gloucestershire to obtain grant funding and to support improvements in Governance.
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