BASE National Executive Committee

BASE is governed by a National Executive Committee elected by its members within each of the seven regions. The role of the NEC is to provide support and scrutiny as well as linking the national organisation with grass roots members. The NEC meets several times a year, usually in Manchester, and you can find details of our annual reports, Treasurer's reports and AGM minutes here.

Julia Green

Position: 
Chair
Region: 
Midlands
Agency: 
Northamptonshire County Council
Address: 
Patrick Road Resource Centre, Patrick Road, Corby NN18 9NT
Email: 
julia.green@nass.uk.net
Phone: 
01604 361033
Julia has been working with the Employment and Disability Service - EADS (part of Olympus Care Services) for just over 12 years, initially as an Employment Development Officer, then as Team Leader and for the past year as Manager of both EADS and LIVE (learning, independence, volunteering and employment), Olympus’ new team, providing supported employment to people with complex needs and disabilities who are able to gain and sustain voluntary and paid employment for less than 16 hours. EADS has achieved numerous national awards and recognition and currently deliver Work Choice, SES (Specialist Employability Support) and Links to Work (ESF) across Northamptonshire. Julia is immensley proud of her teams and the support and services they provide to the people of Northamptonshire.

Matt Britt

Position: 
Vice Chair
Region: 
South West
Agency: 
Freeways
Address: 
Freeways, Leigh Court Centre, Pill Road,Abbots Leigh, Bristol, BS8 3RA
Email: 
mattbritt@freeways.org.uk
Phone: 
01275 372109
Matt has over twenty years experience of working in social care and has worked within local authorities, colleges and, primarily, the third sector. He has a broad range of experiences from delivering vocational qualifications, project managing ESF-funded projects and developing social enterprises that employ people with learning disabilities. Alongside his current day job as Senior Manager of a charity in Bristol, he is also a Director of a CIC that offers sign posting, advice and guidance to disabled job seekers.

Robert Elston

Position: 
Treasurer
Region: 
South East
Agency: 
Status Employment
Address: 
Status Employment, 6 West Way Gardens, Shirley, Croydon, Surrey CR0 8RA
Email: 
r.elston@statusemployment.org.uk
Phone: 
0208 655 3344
Robert has over 30 years experience of working within Supported Employment and manages Status Employment, a voluntary sector agency supporting people with mental health needs in south London. He has been active in the European Union for Supported Employment, for many years acting as Treasurer. Robert has also been Treasurer of BASE since it was founded in 2006.

Rachel Jones

Region: 
North West
Agency: 
BASE
Address: 
GM Health & Social Care Partnership
Email: 
rachel.jones@base-uk.org
Phone: 
07432 697246
Rachel has over 20 years of experience of working in Social Care and had worked with local authorities and disability provider services within the VCSE sector. Rachel has a wealth of experience in commissioning & managing European Funded Projects, writing a wide range of bids, tenders & grant applications, that support better outcomes for people with disabilities within Employment and wider across all of Health & Social Care Services. Rachel was joint founder of Smart Works Greater Manchester in 2015 establishing a London based charity that’s support women returners to work. Rachel is now working as a Project Manager within The Greater Manchester Health & Social Care Partnership under the GM Combined Authority.

Holly Kelleher

Region: 
North East
Agency: 
St Camillus Care Group
Email: 
holly.kelleher@stcamilluscaregroup.co.uk
Phone: 
0191 438 2750
Holly started her career as a store manager in the retail sector before moving into Post 16 education, specifically apprenticeships, in 2003. She managed a private training provider with a specialist interest in alternative education provision and a strong background in quality assurance. Holly was employed by Gateshead Council in 2009 to provide local people with employment-related education programmes and was offered the post of manager of Gateshead Access to Employment Service, GATES, in 2013. In 2016 she moved to St Camillus Care Group to manage their employment support.

Petra Kennedy

Region: 
Wales
Agency: 
Merthyr Tydfil Institute for the Blind
Address: 
Unit 4, Trioangle Business Park, Pentrebach, Merthyr Tydfil CF48 4TQ
Email: 
petrakennedy@mtib.co.uk
Phone: 
01685 370072
Petra represents Welsh members on the National Executive Committee and is the Secretary of BASE Wales. Petra has been involved with Disability Employment Services and Supported Employment since 2002 and is keen to develop the involvement of Welsh members.

Alistair Kerr

Region: 
Scotland
Agency: 
Shaw Trust
Email: 
alistair.kerr@base-uk.org
Phone: 
07790 399466
Alistair represents Scottish members on the National Executive Committee. He has been involved with Supported Employment & sustainable procurement since 2002. In 2012 Alistair supported The First Minister in Scotland to launch the Supported Business Advisory Board in partnership with Senior Procurement Officials from Central Government Procurement Directorate. This Board is still in operation today. In 2012 he supported the First Minister to launch a ground breaking social enterprise in Scotland, in response to thousands of disabled workers being made redundant in the UK, enabling the Scottish Governments Sustainable Procurement Strategy & Duty to be enacted for those who meet the EU Procurement definitions to tender for such contracts from both the public & private sectors. Alistair is a co-founder of three Supported Business Procurement Frameworks, Central Government Procurement, Scotland Excel & NHS Strategic Procurement.

Kathy Melling

Position: 
Co-opted member
Agency: 
Melling Training and Consultancy
Email: 
kathy.melling@base-uk.org
Kathy has worked in the supported employment sector since the late 1970s in both the USA and UK, and was a very lucky person to be trained by Marc Gold. She has been involved with BASE since its inception. She now works as a consultant and trainer after a longer career in public services. In her spare time, Kathy supports a range of community and voluntary sector organisations in Kent as well as Charlton Athletic.

Nerise Oldfield-Thompson

Position: 
Co-opted member
Agency: 
Oldfield's Consultancy Ltd
Address: 
16 Eden Terrace, Stanley, Co. Durham DH9 7LW
Email: 
nerise@oldfieldsconsultancyltd.co.uk
Nerise spent 15 years within the local authority and voluntary sectors delivering and managing supported employment before taking the leap into self-employment. Currently she is co-opted onto the NEC for Workforce Development and funding opportunities. When she has a few minutes to herself she spends time in her allotment and, being a typical 'Geordie', shows leeks at her local leek show.

David Stenning

Region: 
South East
Agency: 
The Education People
Address: 
County Hall, County Road, Maidstone, ME14 1XQ
Email: 
david.stenning@theeducationpeople.org
David is the operations lead for Kent Supported Employment. He started his career in Supported Employment over 12 years ago as an Employment Support Officer. David has worked on various programs that have supported people with disabilities and disadvantages to seek, find and sustain employment, including DWP, ESF, NHS and school funded programs. He is keen to promote and develop the way the region engages with and supports employers.

Melanie Walls

Position: 
Co-opted member
Agency: 
Shaw Trust
Address: 
1st Floor Boulton House, Chorlton Street, Manchester, M1 3HY
Email: 
melanie.walls@shaw-trust.org.uk
Phone: 
07908 639 528
Melanie Walls is the Supported Business Manager at Shaw Trust. Mel’s responsibilities include working with 32 Supported Businesses across Shaw Trust’s 16 Work Choice Contract Package Areas. Mel also manages a national Intermediate Labour Market programme called RiSE – ‘Routes into Sustainable Employment’. Mel provides a link to the Supported Business Alliance, a group formed in 2014 that acts as a voice for Supported Businesses across the country.

Huw Davies

Position: 
Chief Executive
Address: 
Unit 4, 200 Bury Road, Tottington, Bury BL8 3DX
Email: 
huw.davies@base-uk.org
Phone: 
01204 880733
Huw has been the chief executive of the BASE since 2008. He previously chaired the association from its formation in 2006 and chaired one of its predecessor associations, AfSE, from 2002 to 2006. He is one of the Vice-Presidents of the European Union of Supported Employment. Huw was previously the Regional Employment Team Coordinator for North West Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP). This strategic role supported the regional implementation of Government policy on mental health and employment. From 1993 to 2007, Huw was manager of Bury EST, a local authority supported employment agency that provided employment support for disabled jobseekers, care leavers, recovering drug misusers, minority ethnic communities and job retention projects.

Gillian Parker

Position: 
Social media
Agency: 
BASE
Address: 
Unit 4, 200 Bury Road, Tottington, Bury BL8 3DX
Email: 
gillian.parker@base-uk.org
Phone: 
01204 880733