Network Associates

Rob Angell

Director of R K Partnership.  Trainer and facilitator of dialogue processes and conflict management, Rob has 20 years experience in the environmental field ranging from facilitation and conflict resolution, training and process consultancy to environmental and sustainable development management, freelance writing, photography and campaigning.  He designs and facilitates events and dialogue processes for groups from 10 to 150 people covering topics such as transport and town centre regeneration schemes, waste management, economic development strategies, neighbourhood visions, Local Agenda 21 strategies and sustainability indicators.  He also designs and runs interactive training courses for the public, private and community sectors on consultation, participation and facilitation skills, environmental awareness and sustainable development.

John Borton

Much published researcher, evaluator and specialist in organisational learning particularly in the humanitarian sector; former Coordinator of ALNAP (Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action).  Extensive experience especially in Africa.  Masters degree in Agricultural Economics.

Roswitha Brender

Roswitha is an independent consultant specialising in emergency aid project design, monitoring and evaluation with particular emphasis on partnership working.  She is a former Desk Officer of a major church-based German NGO, where her responsibilities included developing regional and country strategies, setting up and approving aid programmes proposed by field partners and reporting to back-donors.  As part of her work she has variously initiated, managed and participated in project and programme evaluations, with particular attention to active participation and capacity building of partners.  She has a Masters Degree in Sociology, Social Anthropology and Psychology with advanced training in Business Administration.  Besides her native German language, she is fluent in English and has good French.

Brendan Hickling

Brendan is an experienced and accomplished mediator, dialogue facilitator and trainer, working in the private and public sectors.  He is an exponent of the Strategic Choice Approach and has been involved in several national dialogue processes concerning ‘sustainability’ issues with an emphasis on managing potential conflict to achieve constructive engagement in place of confrontation.  He runs experiential learning courses on stakeholder engagement, facilitation skills and consensus-building.

Ann Lukens

Founder member of GroupWorks.  Independent facilitator and Conflict Resolution practitioner, trainer and consultant in the private, public and voluntary sectors.  Previously 20 years in the IT industry, as employee and independent contractor, developing computer systems as a programmer, systems analyst, team leader and project manager.  Worked in USA and the UK for banks, brokers, insurance businesses, consultants, media and publishing houses and manufacturers.  Co-ordinated technical change and managed organisational change and merger facilitation team.  As a consultant since 1999,  developed courses in leadership and group conflict, and trained at UWCN as a mediator.  Currently participates in an AMED best practice group on Performance Management – often a source of major conflict in the workplace.  Her MSc dissertation is focussed on group conflict training.

Peter Nuttall

Expert in emergency response planning, implementation and evaluation across several sectors from British Red Cross domestic civil emergency planning and preparation, to livestock disease control to complex emergencies and natural disasters.  He is also a generalist logistician, project manager, needs assessor and evaluator with extensive experience in international disaster response and humanitarian aid, from the Balkans, to Darfur, to Pakistan, to the Tsunami response in India and in Sri Lanka, where he was deployed two days after the event itself

Dr Melita Petanovic

Qualified medical doctor and licensed General Practitioner.  ‘Front line’ Humanitarian Aid experience with MSF and with ECHO as Health and Social Sector coordinator, first in Bosnia and then Albania, finally as Head of Office, implementing ECHO’s Albania exit strategy.  Senior monitor/evaluator on the EC Balkans regional Tacis/CARDS monitoring programme.  Health/Nutrition specialist on TWWP’s Evaluation of ECHO’s Actions in northern Uganda.  Languages include Serbo-Croat/Bosnian, English, French and Italian, with some Albanian.

Junie Ong

A founder of The People Strategists, Junie has 25 years’ experience in management consulting, training and sales in a variety of industries.  She provides coaching, consultancy and facilitated learning workshops for CEOs and senior management teams in organisational change and development contexts.  She specialises in enhanced interpersonal and team communication, working with issues of interpersonal influence, assertiveness skills, leadership, strategic management and management development.  In 2003, having successfully launched an award-winning Australian human rights NGO concerned with refugee issues, Junie was declared “most influential Australian of the year (NGO category)”.  Nominated for the Human Rights Medal, she was personally commended by Dr Sev Ozdowski, Human Rights Commissioner.  She has a first degree in Psychology and Sociology and a Master’s in Adult Education.

Geoffrey Parkes

Passionate about sustainable development, Geoff has extensive practical experience of socio-economic, technical and environmental aspects.  He spent six years in Zimbabwe as a forester, was a director of a small UK forestry company, provided training and work experience for long-term unemployed people in the UK and worked for fifteen years for a design bureau on international shipping and related facilities.  Recent consultancy work has included report drafting for community forums on the South West Regional Spatial Strategy.  He has been on the Governing Council of the Royal Geographical Society and stood as an independent candidate in UK parliamentary elections.  He is a graduate of the London School of Oriental & African Studies and has a Masters degree in Forestry.

Lene Poulsen

An agricultural economist with a long track record in food security, Early Warning Systems and livelihood improvements, Lene is accomplished evaluator of humanitarian and development policies, programmes and projects in more than 60 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, focussing on Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development (LRRD).  She has particular knowledge of gender equality and strengthening the role of women.  She works with several UN agencies including UNDP, FAO, UNDCP as well as NGOs, the EC, bilateral government agencies and research institutions.  She has a Masters in Agronomy and postgraduate diplomas in Animal Production and Rural Economics.  A native Danish speaker, her daily working languages are English, French, and Spanish.

Risang Rimbatmaja

A specialist in Participatory Research & Group Facilitation, Risang has been developing and utilising skills in applied research for social change for over ten years and is a university lecturer on the subject.  His work is particularly focussed on hygiene and sanitation practices and health issues related to nutrition and the heath environment including diarrhoea, dengue fever and tuberculosis.  Among the organizations he has served are the International Organization for Migration, Center for Communication Study University of Indonesia, the Indonesian Ministries of Health, Public Works, Agriculture, Women Empowerment, the Food and Drugs Regulatory Body/ World Health Organization, Johns Hopkins University Center for Communications Program, USAID Environmental Service Program, Asian Development Bank and World Bank.  He has managed social communication programmes in the fields of social capital, health and water related behaviour and is keen to exploit participatory community organising and edu-entertainment approaches wherever appropriate.  He has a Master’s in Sociology, a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and is fluent in English as well as his Indonesian native tongue.

Laura Rossi

Nutritionist and experienced implementer, programme manager, researcher and evaluator of food aid programmes and nutritional status assessments of vulnerable groups using anthropometrical and biochemical techniques.  This includes identifying risk groups and environmental variables, use of nutrition indicators, designing nutritional surveillance systems and assessing Early Warning Systems.  Her experience spans developing countries (Guinea, Ivory Coast, Zimbabwe), transition economies (Armenia, Serbia, Macedonia, Tajikistan) and emergency situations (Ingushetia, Kosovo, Algeria, South Darfur).  Laura’s first degree is in Biological Sciences and her PhD is in Auxology and Physiopatology of growth.  She works in English and French and has some Spanish as well as her native Italian.

Karin Silver

Director of R K Partnership.  Provides project support for participatory decision-making processes with particular interest in community involvement in service provision, social inclusion and sustainability.  Independent social researcher with experience of survey design, and quantitative and qualitative data analysis.  Masters in Social Research, BSc in Development Studies and Social Anthropology, and a professional background in language training and cross-cultural communication.

Cathy Williams (née Thompson)

Founder of Indras Net, Cathy has two decades of experience in policy, research and project management working with communities for sustainable development and better quality of life.  Her passion is getting people together to communicate well for better outcomes, especially achieving “win-win” solutions, and she has devised and run numerous meetings, consultations and conferences.  She graduated in Environmental Sciences (BSc Hons) and is a member of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management.

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