Kate Belinis, is the CEO of CDA Herts since 2006. She has worked in Hertfordshire and London for many years as CEO in the voluntary sector. Prior to her voluntary and community roles, she worked in the private sector for 20 years in the analytical/testing of retail products and quality assurance sectors.

She was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Hertfordshire in 2011 and received the Paul Harris Fellow award for her work on integration of diverse communities by Stevenage Rotary in 2018.

Terry started working life as a production engineer in the motor

industry. At the time there was a recession in the motor industry he changed career and trained to become a solicitor. Following qualification, he worked as a solicitor for the London Borough of Haringey. He then joined the Post Office and on the split of postal and telecommunications business he joined the telecommunications business. He specialised on general advice and in the last few years of his career on commercial law. Opportunities in the legal profession are open to all abilities and Terry is keen that this should apply in all occupations. He views HEC as important to enable Hertfordshire communities to get together and fight together for improvements in understanding services and facilities.

Errol is a qualified social worker, registered with Social Work England. He has over 38 years’ experience as a middle and senior manager in statutory, voluntary and social enterprise environments working with children, young people, adults, families and communities. These positions involved leadership, managing people, finances and other resources, fundraising, business development and managing relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. Errol is currently operating as a consultant to organisations in both the statutory and voluntary sectors. His key areas of specialism is in areas such as business development, organisational reviews, investigations, mediation, coaching and mentoring. He also delivers training on Equality and Diversity and Team Building. He Co-author of an Equality and Diversity training manual published by Longmans “The Quest for Equality” and contributor to a management development handbook for staff in social welfare organisations.

Jane Dellow is passionate about justice and equality and has worked as a paid and volunteer advocate for individual rights over 25 years. Jane’s commitment to disability equality has been shaped through her work with people with learning disabilities and has extended to equality for all through providing, managing and developing a range of advocacy and training services.

Jane specialised in the design and delivery of disability awareness, advocacy and hate crime training and co-produced and co-delivered bespoke training and resources with and for people with learning disabilities and people providing their services. Of these the ‘People in Partnership’ (PIP) pack and training, created in response to their experience of hostility, shone a light on effective partnership working and won a national justice award. This developed into a Disability Hate Crime Reporting Pack and the Keep Safe community safety scheme. As an independent consultant Jane supports people with learning disabilities to advocate for their community. Jane’s voluntary roles include independent advisor to Hertfordshire Constabulary and Trustee with Hertfordshire Equality Council.

Josie O Driscoll is an Irish Traveller who has lived a nomadic life travelling around UK until an illness forced her family to settle in Hertfordshire in the nineties. Josie worked in her local Citizens Advice Bureau as a gateway assessor and coordinated their Gypsy Traveller project. She volunteered with The Traveller Movement in London as a community development worker and researcher for many years. She holds an Advanced Award in the Management of Gypsy & Traveller Sites and she has won several community engagements awards. She has trained as a Roma meditator on the Council of Europe Roma program.

She sits on several local and national governmental advisory and equality and hate crime boards. In 2008 she founded and chaired the charity GATE Herts before taking on her current role as Chief Officer, she is committed to working towards the elimination of discrimination and disadvantages facing Gypsies, Traveller and Roma people

Sham is a multi-award winning legal academic whose expertise includes race, religion, ethnicity and the law. In recognition of his activities to improve equality and social justice, in 2014 he received an outstanding scholar award from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. In the following year he was appointed as a Winfield Fellow by the US Embassy. He also has a decade of experience of working in the voluntary sector, including through the role of director at a leading BAME umbrella charity and by providing leadership on the board of local and national charities whose mission was to improve inclusion, equality and to create a fairer world for all. He is also an expert witness on Islamic law, with particular reference to the Indian subcontinent and South Asian diaspora in Britain.

Trustee

Andy Gregg has substantial experience in the voluntary sector.  He held 3 CEO positions prior to his retirement.  He has a passion for community development and for the past 30 years, he has provided strategic leadership and innovation at a senior executive level in the voluntary and community sector.

Andy has excellent skills in the development, governance, and management of charitable organisations in a context of huge change, as well as strategic management of business planning, finances, premises, resources, and personnel.  He has a Comprehensive understanding of the legal and human rights issues facing refugees, asylum seekers, and those who have suffered from torture, and ethnic or sectarian violence.

Andy has a lifelong commitment to equality in general and to anti-racism and the needs of BAME communities in particular.  He also has a successful track record of fundraising and partnership development in both UK and international contexts

Equality and Community Engagement Manager

Hemant Mistry is an accomplished equality, diversity and inclusion specialist with an impressive track record in delivering diversity and inclusion programmes and projects in public, private and third sector for over 40 years. He is an effective leader and communicator, noted for extensive skills in building and leading partnerships and people engagement that deliver results. He is also a prolific networker and has substantial skills in community development. He has a passion to help and motivate young people and those working in the voluntary sector. He has a thirst to support charities that are making a difference to the diverse communities we live in.