Meet the team

Julie retired as Vice-Chancellor of the University of South Wales at the end of August 2021 having been appointed on 11 April 2013; she previously held the role of Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glamorgan from April 2010. Following completion of an honours degree in Economics, she worked for the Tube Investments group for ten years in a variety of management roles, followed by a period of leadership in the financial services sector. Her current non executive roles include the appointment by the Welsh Government in January 2023 as Chair of the new Commission for Tertiary Education and Research. Julie was awarded a Damehood in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours in 2022 for her services to higher education.

Jo is a Specialist midwife working with vulnerable women in Gloucestershire, and she has worked with and cared for expectant mothers with substance misuse issues for over 18 years. “I have been able to care for women and support them on their sometimes complex journey to parenthood”. Jo has been a nurse and midwife in the NHS for 36 years, and combines work with being a mother of three boys, and more recently, her involvement with The Nelson Trust as a trustee since 2017.

Former PCT CEO and Director of Social Care, Bath and NE Somerset Primary Care Trust with a background in senior finance roles in the public sector including the NHS. Rhona joined the Board in 2016 and has particular interest in organisational development and Chairs the Finance and Performance Committee. Post retirement from full time work Rhona has performed a number of consultancy roles in Bristol including interim System Leadership  for Mental Health services. She was also a Non Executive Director of Bristol Community Health CIC for over 5 years.

Naina works for Gloucester ICB as a Commissioning Manager for services for people with learning difficulties and autism. She also offers consultancy on development of specialist schemes to support people with complex care needs. She brings considerable experience of social care as well as developing services for women in the Criminal Justice System. Her skills span areas of organic growth, strategic partnerships, acquisitions and mergers. Naina joined The Nelson Trust Board in 2016 and is part of the Board’s Estates Committee.

James is a director and business owner of his family-owned estate agency, Murrays Estate Agents. Established over 30 years ago, the company specialises in selling and letting homes across the Cotswolds. James is also passionate about the field of recovery and works regularly with recovering addicts supporting them in their ongoing recovery to live a life free from addiction. He brings extensive knowledge to The Nelson Trust Board in the areas of addiction and recovery via his involvement with The Twelve Step Programme as well as extensive knowledge of the property sector. James is also an avid fundraiser for various charities including The Nelson Trust, having climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, run marathons, skydived, and competed in a Triathlon. He is always up for a challenge!

Justin has been Chief Executive of the Somerset Community Foundation since 2005, leading on the pioneering Surviving Winter Campaign, the 2014-15 Somerset Flood Relief programme, and establishing the Hinkley Point C Community Fund. Prior to this he worked with the Lesotho Council of NGOs in Southern Africa supporting environmental justice, food security and HIV programmes, and with the Countryside Agency on the original Countryside Stewardship scheme. Justin joined the Board in 2018.

Justin received an OBE in 2020, and was made a Deputy Lieutenant for Somerset in 2023.

Demelza, started her career as an employee of The Nelson Trust in the Fundraising Department. During her tenure she had the privilege of seeing the transformative work of The Nelson Trust first-hand. Since then, she has held roles in Consultancy and Tech and currently works in a Senior Client Success role for LinkedIn, where she has cultivated a deep industry knowledge of social media and client employee engagement.

In Jason’s time as a police officer, he came to understand the unintended consequences and subsequent damage caused by marginalisation and inequality within the justice system, and became a passionate advocate for challenging stigma and diverting people away from the criminal justice system. He helped to develop the Thames Valley drug diversion scheme, which enables everyone found with controlled drugs an assessment of their use and education/harm reduction without the need for arrest, interview nor admission of guilt. This scheme has been a catalyst for health based drug interventions across the UK and further afield, also leading to policy changes within education to negate the need for exclusions. The diversion scheme harmonises with a whole system approach to engage all communities.

He regularly sits on panels of events where he shares his knowledge on evidence-based drug diversion, and on emerging schemes in the UK, such as at a recent side event held by the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs.

He was recently commended for his work by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Notably, this award acknowledges Jason’s leadership in changing the culture of those in law enforcement to see that a health-based approach to those who use drugs is more effective than arrest to achieve a reduction in use.

Kirsty is a specialist substance use and dependency nurse and independent nurse prescriber with over 24 years’ experience working in acute and community services and since 2007, offender health commissioned services. An experienced nurse leader who is committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality, person-centred care. Kirsty is also passionate about ensuring equitable healthcare for all and removing barriers to treatment

Julie is an experienced and passionate leader of health and care services having worked with the NHS for nearly 50 years.  Julie was born and brought up in Wales where she spent the first half of her career, undertaking her professional management and HR qualifications at the Polytechnic of Wales  and her MBA at Cardiff University.  She worked closely on the implementation of the All Wales Strategies for Mental Health and Learning Disabilities and has always been passionate about developing services for the most vulnerable in our communities.  Most recently, Julie has been the Chief Executive of a social enterprise providing the full range of community health services across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire covering a population of almost a million people from birth through to end of life with a workforce of around 3,500.  Julie lives in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire.  

Tina is a qualified accountant and has worked as a senior finance leader, in various not for profits, charities, and the private sector. Currently working as Interim Director in Housing Association in the South Wales Valleys, she has over 15 years experience within social housing; as part of senior leadership, as a board member and chair, and briefly as part of Welsh Government Housing Regulation.