Trustees
Our Board of Trustees plays a crucial role in helping us to support greater numbers of young people and adults through high quality and professional career, employment and training services.
Mike Storey, Patron
Mike Storey is the Patron of Career Connect. He is a member of the House of Lords and leads and speaks for his Party on Education. He is also Vice Chair of the all Parliamentary Group on Education. He is a member of the House of Lords Select Committee on Communications and Digital. Mike was the former Leader of Liverpool City from 1998 to 2005 and was proud of the role he played in regenerating the City and it was his successful idea to bid and achieve European Capital of Culture in 2008. He is a former Headteacher of two schools and is the Patron of the Royal Life Saving Society.
Trustees
Lorraine Dodd, Chair of the Board
After a career in finance and investment management, I’ve continued my life-long interests in education and health which I strongly believe are key areas for the well-being of local communities and families.
As a Trustee, and now Chair, at Career Connect I’ve seen its development and growth over the last few years in particular and the positive impact it has on so many people’s lives. . It’s a privilege to be part of the team and the Board.
I’m also Chair of the Neuro Therapy Centre which provides support to individuals with neurological conditions, like Parkinsons’ and MS.
Dr Lauren Ballaera, Trustee
Lauren is the Chief Research Officer at TASO (Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education) and a Lecturer at the UCL Institute of Education. As a cognitive psychologist, her research focuses on the development and measurement of education outcomes.
Lauren’s previous roles include Director of Research at ImpactEd Group and Chief Impact and Strategy Officer at The Brilliant Club. In 2019, she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to examine how critical thinking is defined and taught in higher education in the UK and US. She currently serves as an editor for the Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning journal and the Cambridge Journal of Education.
Steven Leach, Trustee
Steven is a career development specialist who has worked in secondary, tertiary, mainstream and SEND settings. In addition to careers guidance, Steven supports school and college leaders seeking accreditation for their careers programmes as a mentor and assessor for the Quality in Careers Standard.
Tom McBride, Trustee
Tom McBride is the Director of the Ending Youth Violence Lab, a new initiative dedicated to building the evidence on effective approaches to serious social problems that impact on the lives of children.
Tom has over 15 years of experience of public sector research and analysis roles. He is the former Director of Evidence at the Early Intervention Foundation and the Head of Strategic Analysis at the Department for Education.
Kate Pettifer, Trustee
Katie Pettifer is a senior civil servant. She worked on criminal justice and social policy in a range of different roles over the past two decades, most recently as the Director for Offender Policy and Youth Justice in the Ministry of Justice. She also spent several years at Ofcom, the UK’s independent communications regulator, and she is now the Chief Executive of the Food Standards Agency.
Andy Rannard, Trustee
A teacher since 1996, senior leader since 2004 and Acting Head / Headteacher since 2015, Andy has worked in both inner-city and comprehensive secondary school settings. He believes strongly in the importance of ‘giving something back’, has served as a governor in primary and secondary schools for 10 years and is currently a governor of an inner city academy and an outstanding Sixth Form College.
Andy has a passion for careers education and the important role that effective careers education, combined with meaningful engagement and opportunities, can have on the life chances of young people. Beyond work, he likes to spend time with his family, going on long walks, playing tennis, football and also enjoys kayaking.
Sue Smith, Trustee
Sue Smith is an experienced housing professional with more than 20 years’ experience in the social housing sector. Throughout her career, she has held a range of senior leadership roles spanning finance, governance, assurance and commercial organisations.
Sue was Director of Finance and Assurance at Halton Housing, where she led the organisation’s finance, risk, governance and assurance functions. She also served as Managing Director of Halton Housing’s for-profit private rented subsidiary, giving her valuable commercial experience alongside her extensive knowledge of social housing.
In addition to her executive career, Sue is a Board Member and Audit & Risk Committee Member at Moss Care St Vincents (MSV) Housing, where she contributes to strong governance, financial oversight and effective risk management.
Sue is passionate about improving peoples lives and strengthening communities. She is particularly committed to improving opportunities for young people and serves as a Trustee of Career Connect, supporting initiatives that help young people develop the skills, confidence and aspirations to move forward in education, training and employment.
Known for her collaborative approach and strategic perspective, Sue brings extensive leadership experience, sound judgement and a genuine commitment to making a positive difference for residents, organisations and communities.
Elaine Sweeney, Trustee
A Chartered Accountant with over 20 years’ experience in the Finance Departments of global Financial Services and Logistics companies across UK and Europe, Elaine is a member of a national prizewinning finance team. She possesses extensive leadership, financial control, financial reporting and financial systems skills.
Leona Letts, Trustee
Leona Letts is a Senior Policy Officer at the Race & Health Observatory, a charity that works to address inequalities in healthcare. Before that, she was on the Wellcome Trust’s graduate scheme, where she developed experience of global health policy and participatory action research, with a keen focus on health equity. Leona has a passion for driving inclusion and has experience in various voluntary roles supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Leona has a degree in history from Warwick University, where she focused on social history and histories of migration and resistance. Outside of work, she enjoys reading and baking. She also volunteers for Sister Space, a charity that works to support black women who are victims of domestic violence.
Jess Evans, Trustee
Jess is passionate about promoting evidence-based policy and service design, creating meaningful opportunities for young people and driving impactful youth engagement across all levels of decision making. Having recently graduated from the University of Cambridge in Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Jess is currently a civil servant at the Department for Education supporting user-centred policy design and digital delivery.
She is also a non-executive director at Youth Futures Foundation, the What Works centre working to ensure marginalised young people can secure and thrive in good work. Jess previously worked as an adviser to the National Citizen Service Royal Charter Body Board, supporting the design and delivery of their youth engagement strategy.
Jo Reilly, Trustee
Jo Reilly is a consultant working on criminal justice reform. She has worked with SHiFT, a national charity which seeks to break the destructive cycle of children and young people caught up in crime, to define and structure their ambitions for systems change. Her previous roles include Head of the Serious and Organised Crime Unit in His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, Senior Adviser in the Prime Minister’s Implementation Unit, Head of Performance and Planning at the Legal Aid Agency, and Public Affairs Adviser to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Jo is a Policy Fellow at Cambridge University’s Centre for Science and Policy, a Royal Academy of Engineering Policy Fellow (applying engineering systems thinking to tackling child criminal exploitation) and a Churchill Fellow (looking at best practice developed in New Zealand for supporting individuals affected by sexual violence).
