APPROPRIATE ADULT - Key Persons
Charlie is an active volunteer appropriate adult, working in the London Borough of Southwark for the past ten years. He is a retired biotech business executive, experienced company director, business manager and fundraiser. Has set up and worked with various London-based charities and non-profit organisations as founding member and trustee.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive
- NAAN 's Chief Executive
Chris was appointed as NAAN's chief executive in 2013. Prior to this role, he was Director of Unlock, the national charity for people with convictions. Chris joined the criminal justice charity sector in 2005, having gained a degree in Management Science from Warwick University's Business School, and then worked in sales and marketing. He is a member of the Home Office PACE Strategy Board and a fellow of the RSA. He has been a consultant on the King's Fund Cascading Leadership programme, a free peer-to-peer leadership development programme for voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations working in health and wellbeing.
Donna is the Court Bail & Remand Co-ordinator for Wandsworth Youth Offending Team. Donna has over twenty years' experience as a social worker specialising in criminal justice. She is currently the Senior Court Officer assessing, supervising and managing interventions for young people between the ages of 10 -18, from first entry into the Criminal Justice System to Bail, Sentence or Disposal. Donna manages the Wandsworth Appropriate Adult Scheme.
Job Titles:
- Effective Practice Manager
Grev was appointed as NAAN's Effective Practice Manager in 2016. With 20 years of experience of leading appropriate adult schemes, he has personally acted as an AA in around 2,000 criminal and terrorism-related cases. Prior to joining the staff team, Grev contributed 9 years of voluntary work to NAAN as a trustee, including a period as Chair. He is a Fellow of the RSA, and a qualified trainer and facilitator who has delivered AA training to hundreds of staff and volunteers across many organisations.
Job Titles:
- Operations Manager
- NAAN 's Operations Manager
Kate was appointed as NAAN's Operations Manager in January 2022. Kate's charity career has spanned the local (volunteer-based charity Action 21) and the global (Oxfam). Prior to joining NAAN, she was Operations Director at People & Planet (the UK's largest student-campaigning charity) and Inclusion & Engagement Manager at Generate (supporting adults with learning disabilities to connect to their communities as equal citizens). In previous roles, Kate has been responsible for operations, HR, financial administration and reporting, health and safety, safeguarding, web development, media and communications.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Accountant
- Treasurer
Kevin is a Chartered Accountant who originally qualified as an auditor with Big 6 firm, BDO. He has 10 years of experience running finance for organisations within listed and Private Equity backed SMEs. He is an experienced board member in growing organisations.
Lynn is one of three Regional Managers, and the national training lead, for TAAS (the UK's largest AA provider). Having previously working in acute nursing for 23 years, she has 10 years of experience on the frontline of AA work and 6 years in management. Lynn has co-ordinated the out-of-hours referral line, taking and filling referrals and dealing with out of hours safeguarding.
Job Titles:
- Head of Service for Child Action North West 's ( CANW ) Criminal Justice Service
Michelle is Head of Service for Child Action North West's (CANW) Criminal Justice Service. Committed to the rights of young people, she is very involved in helping young people who have committed criminal offences to understand the consequences of their actions, encouraging them to say how they feel about the service, and to suggest ideas for continual improvement. CANW provides volunteer AA services, principally in the North West of England.
Penelope has extensive governance experience, including as Chair of the Standing Committee for Youth Justice, and has also volunteered in the justice system as a magistrate. She was a producer for BBC radio before being inspired to influence social change by joining the charity sector. Having first worked for the Prison Reform Trust, in 2012 Penelope set up Transform Justice - a charity which advocates for a fairer, more open, humane and effective justice system in England and Wales. During the pandemic Penelope has observed magistrates' court hearings and blogged on the impact of the video and digital justice.
Sue has twenty years of experience as a Social Worker for Wiltshire Youth Offending Team. Since 2012, she has been managing volunteers who undertake various roles including appropriate adults. She previously taught in a female prison but left wanting to do a job where she could try and prevent young people entering the custodial estate.