NEIGHBOURHOOD RENEWAL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Community Engagement Officer ( EastSide Arts )
Aimee is the Community Engagement Officer for EastSide Arts, having joined the partnership in April 2020. Originally from Newtownards, she spent almost ten years studying and working in London, graduating with a BMus from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and a MA from the Royal Academy of Music.
Having moved from a previous career of professional flute playing within orchestras and instrumental teaching, Aimee has been focussing on Arts Engagement for non-profit organisations. For the past few years she worked for organisations like Roundhouse and Centrepoint, and has much experience of the value of the arts for positive change, particularly around work with young people and in the homeless sector, where she developed multi-genre programmes to nurture creativity and wellbeing through music, film and spoken word.
Aimee is passionate about bringing people together through arts.
Caleb Armitage is the Volunteer Team Leader at EastSide Partnership and started working in this role in August 2022. He coordinates and manages the dedicated EastSide volunteers and provides them with support to strengthen and enhance their experience.
Before joining the staff team Caleb volunteered with EastSide Partnership and completed the EastSide Greenways Legacy programme in 2021 as a young person where he gained valuable skills.
Caleb has experience of youth work and working with older people. Being from east Belfast he is passionate about making a positive impact to his local area.
Job Titles:
- Project Officer ( EastSide Learning )
- Project Officer for EastSide Learning
Carla is the Project Officer for EastSide Learning. She began working at EastSide Partnership in July 2022. Her role involves co-ordination and support within EastSide Learning; contributing to the planning, development and delivery of programmes to increase school and community links.
Being from East Belfast, and previously working as a Special Needs Assistant in a primary school for 10 years, Carla is passionate about raising aspirations and improving outcomes for children and families in her local area.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Accountant
- Assistant Accountant at EastSide Partnership
David Clelland is the Assistant Accountant at EastSide Partnership. He joined the Partnership in May 2009. His role is to provide finance backup to the Company Accountant through all areas of the Partnership which includes Avec Solutions, Landmark East, EastSide Arts and Connswater Community Greenway.
After spending 8 years with the MOD he became IATI qualified and has worked in accountancy roles over the last 10 years in fields such as transport/haulage and in the public sector.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of EastSide Arts )
Job Titles:
- Chairman of EastSide Tourism )
Gillian is EastSide Learning Manager having started in August 2023. She is passionate about bolstering the system so children, young people, families and guardians develop their abilities; reach their potential and experience success; whatever their background.
Gillian, is born and bred east Belfast and has worked in various positions in the area including Youth Work, Employability, Family Support and Mental Health / Suicide Prevention, before working regionally in the integration of the Community and Voluntary Sector into Health and Social Care.
Job Titles:
- Administrator
- Administrator for EastSide Partnership
Gillian Neill is the Administrator for EastSide Partnership. She started working for the organisation in October 2019, and spent 20 years previously working in the community/family and public service sector. Her role involves providing efficient company secretarial and administrative support to EastSide Partnership boards, committees and the staff team.
Gillian is an East Belfast native and has a keen interest in aiding the regeneration and improvement of the area.
Job Titles:
- Manager for EastSide Greenways
Jacqueline is the Manager for EastSide Greenways; she started this role in October 2021. Previous roles in the organisation include Community Project Officer (EastSide Greenways) from January 2020 and Community Engagement Officer (EastSide Arts) from July 2015.
Julie joined EastSide Partnership as EastSide Tourism Manager in September 2023. Having worked in in-bound travel and tourism for Northern Ireland since 2008, Julie has specialist knowledge of tourism's value and challenges for host communities.
Having worked previously with Tourism Northern Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Stena Line, Julie brings a wealth of travel sector experience targeting both close-to-home and overseas tourism markets.
Holding a Masters Degree in International Tourism Development, a Diploma in Digital Marketing and a Certificate in Business Innovation and Sustainability, Julie is passionate about developing and managing tourism as a force for good.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of EastSide Greenways )
Job Titles:
- Chairman of EastSide Learning )
Job Titles:
- Youth Project Support Worker ( EastSide Greenways )
Laura joined EastSide Partnership in October 2022. Her role as Youth Project Support Worker within the EastSide Greenways project includes assisting with the planning and delivery of the Personal Youth Development & Employability Programme.
From east Belfast herself, Laura is passionate about cultivating a positive community transformation. Previously working as Disability Learning Support within the youth sector, her aim is to encourage young people to raise their aspirations and expectations; helping them build and develop life skills, to inspire a bright and optimistic future.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive
- Chief Executive of EastSide Partnership
Michele Bryans is Chief Executive of EastSide Partnership, where she has overall responsibility for management and strategic development.
Michele joined EastSide Partnership in June 2015 and previous roles in the organisation include EastSide Greenways Manager and Community Engagement and Volunteer Manager (Connswater Community Greenway).
Michele has worked in various youth and community roles in east Belfast since 2000, and sits on a variety of management committees. Michele has a BA Honours Degree from Queens University Belfast in European Studies, a Foundation Degree in Counselling Studies from Ulster University and has completed the ILM Level 5 Leadership and Management course.
Michele is passionate about social regeneration and the positive impact of connecting people and place in order to sustain healthy and resilient communities.
Job Titles:
- Project Officer ( EastSide Greenways )
Nadine joined EastSide Partnership in October 2023 and is the Project Officer for EastSide Greenways.
She started her environmental career with The Conservation Volunteers, training and supporting adults into employment within the sector. Through this role she developed a passion for raising awareness of the importance of nature and green spaces on our social and emotional wellbeing and the need to protect our natural world. She also worked for Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful as Campaigns and Events Officer.
She has a Post Graduate Certificate in Mindfulness Studies and is qualified to deliver mindfulness and meditation training. She is particularly keen to promote the benefits of cultivating a mindfulness practice within nature settings.
At the weekend Nadine can be found at the heart of Belfast's historic St George's Market, supporting local traders and soaking up the lively atmosphere the market offers.
Job Titles:
- Production & Admin Assistant ( EastSide Arts )
Niki joined the EastSide Partnership in 2022 as Production & Admin Assistant on the EastSide Arts team.
Having grown up loving music, theatre, and crafts, she found herself pursuing a creative career studying Broadcast Production at Queen's University Belfast. Working on various theatre and television productions within and outside of her studies, she discovered the potential and importance of the Northern Irish arts scene. Now graduated and living in Belfast, she is passionate about showcasing local talent, as well as providing connection, community, and entertainment through the arts.
Rachel Kennedy is originally from Belfast but spent ten years living and working in County Down where she was an Arts Officer with Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, based at Down Arts Centre.
Rachel was a Fellow on the Clore Leadership Programme in 2012/13 which afforded her the opportunity to work at Roundhouse, London, take part in an expedition with artists and scientists around the Western Isles of Scotland on board a tall ship, and visit artist-run spaces in Reykjavik. Rachel is passionate about collaborative creative processes and produced her first theatrical performance, The Down Chorus, in 2014, with Wireless Mystery Theatre. In June 2015 she founded Dundrum Imaginarium Creative Retreats with Olive Broderick (Downpatrick-based poet).
Now a resident of Belfast again, she's looking forward to city life and exploring the arts and culture of East Belfast.
Job Titles:
- Youth Project Coordinator ( EastSide Greenways )
- Youth Worker and Artist
Siobhan is the Youth Project Coordinator for EastSide Greenways, a role she started in January 2023.
Her role involves coordinating and delivering The Legacy Project, a personal youth development programme aimed to support young people living in east Belfast.
Siobhan is a qualified Youth Worker and Artist with over 10 years' experience in youth mentoring, youth outreach, family support, and managing and coordinating personal development, employability and youth arts projects across Belfast
Siobhan is passionate about supporting young people throughout every step of their journey, helping them to recognise their full potential, build skills to access opportunities, raising aspirations and creating positive outcomes for their future selves.
Stevie's passion is in helping build collaborative capacity in individuals, organisations, and networks. As Neighbourhood Renewal Co-ordinator he supports approaches to change which harness the collective creativity, experience and commitment of those working to make east Belfast a great place to live, work, visit and invest in.
For over 30 years Stevie has worked with community organisations in building their capacity to lead change and work with others to address disadvantage. He has also supported leadership change programmes in the private sector and facilitated public sector agencies in developing their collaboration skills.
He holds a BSc in Social Administration, MSc Social Policy, Planning and Administration and an MBA and graduated from the Federal Executive Institute's Leadership in a Democracy Programme in the USA. An evolving guitarist his dream is to one day nail Jimi Hendrix's 'Little Wing'.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Accountant
- Company Accountant
Tony Wilson has worked for EastSide Partnership since 2002. He operates in the role of Company Accountant, and has overall responsibility for the financial management within the entire organisation.
Tony is a qualified Chartered Accountant, having worked as an auditor for a number of years with KPMG before moving on to become company accountant for a web design company, prior to joining the Partnership.