Alan’s experience is in organisation development and leadership, primarily with global brands. In 2017, he became an advisor to start-ups and charities whilst spending more time with his young children. Alan has volunteered for over a decade, with Children’s Hearings, as a trustee/Chair of a medium-sized community charity and as a mentor to care experienced young people. He joined us from a UK-wide family support charity where he led on sustainability, governance, volunteering and practice development.
Claire Brown
Head of Partnerships and Communities
Claire provides the senior leadership for our community and locality working, support for Dumfries and Galloway’s third sector organisations and the executive oversight of our partnership working across Dumfries and Galloway, the south of Scotland and with national bodies and the Scottish Government. She also deputises for our Chief Executive Officer ensuring the most senior representation for the sector, organisational leadership, stakeholder relationships and influence.
Alan Hall
Head of Communications and Impact
Alan provides the senior leadership for our communications, data, systems, insights and impact work with the third sector across Dumfries and Galloway and leads our wider influence in the south of Scotland and with national bodies and the Scottish Government. He joined Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway in 2018 after 25 years in media across the region, including senior editorial roles.
Natalie Anderson
Executive Assistant to CEO
Natalie provides administrative and coordinating support to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to enable him to effectively conduct strategic business with colleagues, partners, communities, the Scottish Government and wider stakeholders. She is the first point of contact for the CEO. Her experience is in Professional Services management and Natalie is also a volunteer with third sector organisations and groups and was a director and voluntary consultant with a local community development trust.
Joanna Jones
Lead for Communities and Sector Support
Joanna provides oversight and leadership of our work in communities. She leads our team of development and support officers whose roles include building sector capacity, collaboration, leadership, good governance, sustainability, planning and volunteering. Before joining TSDG, Joanna spent eight years working for a regionwide third sector organisation, supporting members, fostering partnerships, engagement and community-led projects.
Jane Stanistreet
Lead for Funding and Fund Management
Jane provides oversight and leadership of our work across income generation, investment and fund management. She oversees a fund management service that directs important investment to our communities on behalf of funding partners and also leads the delivery of our organisation’s income objectives, ensuring an effective funding pipeline and process for high quality funding applications. Previously, Jane spent more than 15 years successfully assisting the sector to access EU Funding.
Niomi Nichol
Lead for Community Health and Wellbeing
Niomi provides oversight and leadership of our work in communities and across the third sector on health and wellbeing developing relationships with the local authority, Health and Social Care Partnership) and organisations across the sector to support collaboration, develop capacity and highlight the role and impact of the sector. She brings a vast amount of knowledge and experience in the subject, having joined us from a leadership role within the social care sector.
Selina McMorran
Lead for Economic Development and Enterprise
Selina provides oversight and leadership of our work across economic development and enterprise strategies in Dumfries and Galloway and develops relationships with the local authority and organisations across the sector to support collaboration, develop capacity and highlight the role and impact of the sector. She led on the creation of the region’s Social Enterprise Network and provides ongoing support.
Katia Mackley
Volunteer for Employment Development Officer
Katia leads the development of work-based skills and personal development through volunteering and to help create an active, capacity-building approach to volunteer for employment and employability. Working in partnership with colleagues in the local authority, health board and enterprise agencies, she represents sector challenges and opportunities whilst making connections with the sector to maxmise the impact of employability activities through the Local Employability Partnership.
Hilde Law
Finance and Resources Co-ordinator
Prior to joining Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway, Hilde has worked in SFA/SPFL, League and Community and Charity Football, workplace training in SVQs, and various administration positions. Hilde looks forward to transferring skills in the position of Finance and Resources Co-ordinator with Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway.
Nadine Coltart
Business Support Officer
Nadine has worked in administration-based jobs and jumped in and out of hospitality roles since leaving school. She thoroughly enjoys working with the public and is looking forward to utilising these skills and widening her knowledge of the third sector as the first point of contact for TSDG. In her spare time, Nadine enjoys playing netball and helping to run Upper Nithsdale Netball Club.
Stephen McCutcheon
Locality Development Officer (Wigtownshire and Stewartry)
Stephen works to build a strong third sector through collaboration and advice on a range of matters including leadership, good governance, sustainability, planning and volunteering. He hosts the Locality Hub for his area as part of the Community Planning Partnership, working with partners in the local authority, NHS and others. He also has a wider involvement in sector development, including sharing insights and learning from localities to help with decision making.
Richard Rennie
Locality Development Officer (Nithsdale)
Richard works to build a strong third sector through collaboration and advice on a range of matters including leadership, good governance, sustainability, planning and volunteering. He hosts the Locality Hub for his area as part of the Community Planning Partnership, working with partners in the local authority, NHS and others. He also has a wider involvement in sector development, including sharing insights and learning from localities to help with decision making.
Rachel Muir
Development Officer, Income and Fair Funding
Rachel plays a key role in attracting and securing investment for the third sector across Dumfries and Galloway and also provides funding advice and support for organisations, signposting to funding/income/investment opportunities, and develops resources to help organisations build high quality applications in line with the Fair Funding Charter. She is also responsible for the development and submission of funding applications for Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway.
Kateryna Stoian
Volunteering Development Coordinator
Kateryna supports the delivery of our Volunteering Strategy and our alignment with the national Volunteer Outcome Framework. Developing resources, providing advice to sector organisations and contributing to events, she is central to supporting good volunteering leadership, creating and promoting volunteering opportunities and advocating for more inclusive volunteering. She is also involved in sector events, forum and projects for the third sector working with colleagues across the organisation.
Yuliia Dymkovska
Fund Engagement Officer
Yuliia works directly with third sector organisations to encourage preparation for and participation in funding opportunities managed by Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway, particularly the Community Led Local Development Fund. She also assists groups in developing project ideas for funding and support learning, evaluation and impact through direct connection, collaborative spaces and progress review opportunities.
Iona Callum
Fund Programme Coordinator
Iona supports the administration of funding/grants to the third sector administered by Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway. She supports the application, decision making, investment, monitoring and reporting processes and communicates directly with applicants, grant holders and the decision-making forum.
Daniel Allan
Information Systems Officer
Daniel plays an important role in the management, development and effectiveness of the organisation’s information systems and associated data. Working with colleagues across the organisation, he coordinates the application of data and information management and ensures best practice in data capture and management, reporting and information retention/storage. He also provides first-line technical support with company software/hardware and coordinating support to the wider department as needed.
David Link
Independent Consultant
David helps deliver the training programme for Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway and first started working in the third sector when he joined Solway Community Business as a Development Officer. He has worked with a large number of third sector organisations, helping them with governance and activity planning and delivery, from helping establish Credit Unions to creating legacy projects from windfarm and other funds.
Board
John Dougan
Chair
John is a native of Stranraer but now lives in Dumfries with his family. He has worked both in the third and public sector and previously managed a drug rehab centre near Kirkcudbright. He has also worked for Alex Fergusson MSP, and as a councillor with Dumfries and Galloway Council. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Relationships Scotland Dumfries and Galloway, a charity offering family support, counselling, mediation, and child contact services, along with counselling for carers.
Jo Shearer
Vice-Chair
Jo has lived and worked in Dumfries and Galloway for over 30 years. Although Dumfries is now her base, her heart remains in the west of the region. Recently retired from her role as a strategic planning manager for children’s services with the Council, she is keen to use her knowledge and experience on the Board to further support better partnership working for the Third Sector. On a personal basis, she is a keen advocate of disability rights and ensuring families get the right support.
Phil Stewart
Treasurer
Phil Stewart lives in Dumfries with his wife, Tracey. He is the Chief Executive Officer for Dumfries and Galloway Citizens Advice Service having previously been a Police Officer for 30 years and Work Experience Co-ordinator at Dumfries and Galloway Council. He is keen to develop partnership working to ensure that all those in need throughout the region get the help support and assistance they need to live without fear of poverty. He enjoys watching rugby, playing golf, and walking his dog.
Kim Dams
Kim is a new Scot living in rural Galloway. She is a board member of Scottish Rural Action, chairing the risk committee; and a director of DG Voice, a charity that gives disabled people across Dumfries and Galloway a voice and is on the board of Inclusion Scotland. Kim has a professional background in finance, risk, strategy, change management and compliance and has a passion for equality and human rights. She is engaged in her local community, keen to address rural issues, inequality and poverty.
Wendi Cuffe
Wendi lives in Ardwell and has worked with the Stranraer community for the past 25 years. She is a former employee of Dumfries and Galloway Council with Economic Development Services, managing community and capital projects to support the regeneration of Stranraer and Loch Ryan. Previously, Wendi was a community development practitioner with NHS and voluntary sector organisations. Since retiring in 2016, she has worked as an independent consultant with third sector organisations.
Jason Railton
Jason was born and raised in Dumfries and Galloway, and worked as a Project Manager with Langholm Initiative for five years with a key focus on employability, rural poverty and digital inclusion. He has significant experience in fundraising, stakeholder engagement, partnership management and community development. He is currently Chair of OutPost Arts in Langholm, as well as a Trustee of Dumfries and Galloway Befriending Project. He now works as a Digital Inclusion Development Officer with SCVO.
Carolyn Kennedy
Carolyn has lived in Dumfries and Galloway for 30 years and has experience in business and project management in private and third sector. She has worked with Better Lives Partnership since 2017 and been involved strategically with the development of the Bridge to Employment Programme and new strands offering more choice to young autistic people. Carolyn is keen to ensure people have a voice and is passionate about developing partnerships to ensure people can access appropriate support when and where needed.
David Vickers
David has lived in Castle Douglas for 25 years. He worked in the private sector in human resources and management and was latterly an academic. David has a doctorate in management learning and taught hundreds of postgraduate students. He was a Trustee for the Castle Douglas Community Centre and is now on the board of A Listening Ear, a Dumfries and Galloway telephone befriending service. David also works as a consultant on HR and organisational development projects across all sectors.
