Community Cohesion
Speakers
Ciara Wells Ciara Wells joined the Department of the Environment in 1993. Since then she has held a variety of posts across its successor departments. She first got involved in cohesion issues when she joined the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit in the aftermath of the 2001 disturbances. She was private secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, from 2002 to 2005. From there she became Deputy Director for regional governance issues and since July 2007 has been Deputy Director for Cohesion and Faiths. |
Nick Johnson Nick is a leading commentator on issues of integration, cohesion and equality. In November 2007, he joined the Institute of Community Cohesion as Director of Policy. He specialises in strategic policy development and analysis. Between 2004-7, he was the Director of Policy and Public Sector for the Commission for Racial Equality where he led the development of the CRE’s policy agenda. Nick contributes regularly to books, journals and magazines on a wide range of subjects including integration, multiculturalism, social capital, cohesion, citizenship and race equality. Nick is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts and an Associate of both the think tank Demos and the Smith Institute. |
Roy Blatchford Roy Blatchford was Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools (HMI) in England, with lead responsibilities for school improvement and for the national inspection of good and outstanding schools. He was Principal (1999 - 2003) of Walton High & Walton Learning Centre in Milton Keynes, opened in September 1999 and described by OFSTED as 'a first class centre of learning - innovative and inspiring'. He was Founding Director (1996 - 1998) of Reading Is Fundamental, UK a non-profit organisation developing children's reading and family literacy. From 1986 - 1996 he was Headteacher of Bicester Community College, an Oxfordshire comprehensive school serving 1200+ 11 - 19 year old students. During the past twenty-five years he has worked as a trainer and key-note speaker with teachers, schools, parents and governors across many Local Authorities on reading and family literacy, the fun and fundamentals of teaching and learning, raising student achievement, primary-secondary partnership, school improvement, leadership and innovation. |
Kai Rudat Kai is a director at the Office for Public Management. His role encompasses analysing the relationship between organisations and their stakeholders. He draws on a background in community work, social research, broadcasting and communication, and his experience of organisational change, to support local authorities, NHS trusts, community and voluntary services, government departments, organisations such as the Audit Commission and the BBC, and companies working in public partnerships. Kai is particularly interested in stakeholder relationship management, community involvement, community capacity building and conflict management and resolution. His facilitation and developmental skills are backed by a deep understanding of trend analysis, quantitative approaches and futures thinking. |
Michelynn Lafleche For eighteen years, Michelynn has studied and worked on social justice issues relating to race and gender - first in Canada, then Germany and, since 1996, in the United Kingdom. Michelynn worked as a research consultant on equalities and social justice for numerous organisations over a period of ten years, and was also a teacher of English as a Second Language and a university lecturer during that period. She joined the Runnymede Trust in 1997 and began co-ordinating the UK Race and Europe Network, as well as managing Runnymede’s projects relating to European social policy, citizenship, and employment. She was appointed Director of Runnymede in February 2001. |