ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE

BD_Collective has an interim Board of ten people. We have currently recruited eight and we will be advertising for the additional two before the end of the year. Click arrows below to view Board

Avril is a community leader with a proven track of building sustainable charities, empowering local people to ‘be the change’ in their communities. A resident of Barking & Dagenham, Avril is the Chair of BD_Collective. She is also the Executive Director for Community Resources and has a variety of roles both locally & regionally.

Elaine is CEO of DABD. DABD helps vulnerable and disabled people live independent lives and contribute to their local community. She has championed community empowerment/engagement in Barking and Dagenham for over 23 years. Elaine holds an MBA in Business Administration and Management from The London School of Economics and Political Science.

Karen West Whylie is the CEO of the Business Enterprise Centre based in Barking. A long-term resident of the borough, Karen is passionate about local enterprise and delivering support to start up's and SME's across the borough. Her organisation provides support in building placemaking and community initiatives by helping people to be in the business that they want to be.

Liza Vallance is the Artistic Director and CEO of Studio 3 Arts, a socially-engaged arts practice. Liza is a popular public speaker and trainer for culture and arts conferences and seminars, specialising in access, engagement, participation and locally-led programming

Lorraine is the Executive Director of Carers of Barking and Dagenham. Active in the borough for more than 30 years, Lorraine ensures that carers young and old receive information, support, informal advocacy and training.

Nat Defriend is Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer at Participatory City where he leads on all aspects of organisational operations and has specific responsibility for building national and international partnerships behind Everyone Everyday.

Nat is a trained Probation Officer who was Director of Communities at the Young Foundation and his career has been defined by a passion for tackling some of our communities’ greatest challenges, and latterly by a firm conviction that solutions lie upstream and outside the formal structures of institutions, services and systems.

Nathan is the CEO of LifeLine Projects, an East London based charity dedicated to finding solutions that positively impact the lives of individuals and influence the systems that govern us. Nathan developed the award-winning Vision, Identity and Purpose (VIP) Framework, an approach to working with young people, employment seekers, volunteers and parents.

Zahra is the Director of Excel Women's Association, a resource centre and social space for women and girls. The centre provides community support projects including skills and training, work club for women, IAG, networks, and health and wellness cafe for women and girls in East London.

Terry is the CEO for the Independent Living Agency (ILA) supporting Barking & Dagenham residents who are disabled to live in the community and exercise choice and control in their lives. Terry is also a board member for the CVS.