Richard is the Chair of the Board and a Human Resources Leader by profession. In his day job Richard is a Director of Human Resources and has responsibility for the executive leadership of strategic HR and learning across two large organisations covering a workforce of over 12,000 individuals. Richard is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Personnel and Development and has been part of our board since 2011.

Rachel has worked in operational and strategic roles in the NHS in both hospital and community services, for both adults and children. She is currently Deputy Director of Strategy at Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust. Rachel is passionate about developing strong links between NHS and voluntary sector organisations to better support the communities we serve.

Following a career in the Food industry, most recently as a Director for Nestle UK, Deirdre is now a trustee with the UK exam body, AQA. She is also a volunteer with The Princes Trust advising young people in start up businesses and helping young people start careers in Social Care.

John has had a career of two halves, firstly service provision and strategic planning in the public sector, namely local government and industrial training; secondly in the voluntary sector as Director of Finance in two social research Institutes then latterly as Chief Executive for Kent Wildlife Trust, a self-funding membership Charity with over 30,000 members and supported by over 1,000 active volunteers who contribute to the work of the Trust in many ways. John is a Chartered Secretary.(FCIS).

Andy is a commissioning and project manager in the NHS, having previously worked in health within Local Government. Andy is a Parish Councillor and holds an Honorary Research Fellowship at the Centre for Health Services Studies at the University of Kent.

Rachel’s background is strategic leadership with an emphasis on Sales, Marketing and Income Generation. Having worked for many of the large charities across Kent throughout her career she has extensive experience bringing about step change for organizations by increasing profile and awareness , as well as building strong collaborative partnerships.

Jonathan is a solicitor, now retired after more than 35 years in a City law firm, specialising in advising on employment, pensions and employee incentives matters. He is also chair of governors at a local secondary school and a member of the Committee of the Kent Cricket League.

Gary is a dynamic, and inclusive voluntary sector leader with over 25 years’ experience in the sector, both in the UK and overseas. This has included working on community development , Poverty alleviation, disability rights and Financial inclusion projects both in the UK, Africa and Romania. Gary Joined Involve in 2018 as Deputy CEO.

Having started her career in the civil service Jane has over 25 years’ experience in management roles in the public and voluntary sector managing services for adults and children. Taking the lead for safeguarding she has vast experience in the risk management and practice of safeguarding vulnerable adults and children. With a clear vision for improving the lives of people Jane has mobilised and ensured delivery of successful outcomes-based services for children and adults. An Esther Coach, committed to strength-based practice and personalised care. Jane joined Involve in 2010.

Emma is a senior fundraising professional with over 20 years’ experience in income generation, strategic stakeholder relationships, and championing beneficiary-focused initiatives. Passionate about making a positive difference, she has secured multi-million-pound funding, earned the Third Sector’s ‘Breakthrough Charity of the Year’ award, and led high-performing teams across multiple charities. Her background includes a BSc in Psychology, secondary school teaching experience and certification from the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, all contributing to her commitment to driving transformative impact at Involve Kent.

Having lived and worked with young people and adults with disabilities for over 25 years Katy joined Involve Carers service in 2013 with a passion to raise the profile of lived experience and assert the value of peer support. Being an expert by experience drives her leadership and ambition for the growth of Involve’s Children’s Services.

Donna started volunteering with Involve in 2015 before joining the Carers service. She has extensive experience working in hospitality, accounting, and teaching English abroad in multinational corporations – bringing her perspective from the corporate world. Ensuring services for our clients remain of a high standard and demonstrate outcomes and impact is a key focus for Donna.

Lizzie has worked at Involve across a number of services including social prescribing, wellbeing projects and has worked extensively with the VCS to offer support, networking and knowledge sharing. With a passion for evaluating evidence-based approaches, Lizzie brings knowledge of social research methodologies and drives Involve’s work around innovation and working with partners.