Opening plenary: Hope isn't lost, it's local
Melissa Aase is the Chief Executive Officer of University Settlement, a pioneering social service organisation in New York City.
She took the helm in March 2020, following an impressive tenure as Executive Director since 2013. Melissa's commitment to community and social justice runs deep, having spent nearly her entire career at University Settlement. She initially joined in 1992 as a social work student, quickly rising through the ranks as a case manager and supervisor for programs focused on youth development, employment, and homelessness prevention.
Before her current role, Melissa served on the senior management team as the Director of Community Development, overseeing crucial centres and programmes like the Houston Street Center and The Creative Center, while fostering new community and strategic partnerships.
Her influence extends globally: she currently serves as the President of the Board of the International Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers, representing over 11,000 centres worldwide, having also served as its past Executive Director.
Melissa sits on the board of the United Neighborhood Houses of New York, the federation of 45 settlement houses across New York State. She also serves on the Policy and Advocacy Committee of the Human Services Council. Melissa holds a Master of Social Work from Columbia University and a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary.
LinkedIn: Melissa Aase | University Settlement Society of New York
Instagram: univsettlement
Facebook: University Settlement Society of New York
Bluesky: univsettlement.bsky.social
YouTube: NYC_is_US
Locality is the national membership network supporting local community organisations to be strong and successful. Tony has led Locality since 2014 and oversees all aspects of the organisation.
He has a background in supporting communities to have more say over their local areas in the third sector and the public sectors. He led the national charity Living Streets between 2008-14.
Before joining the sector, he was a civil servant for nine years and held a number of senior policy adviser roles in the Government. He worked on neighbourhood regeneration and renewal, and health improvement and was one of the original members of staff of the Government's Neighbourhood Renewal Unit from 2001.
Tony was awarded an OBE in the King’s Honours for services to local community organisations.
LinkedIn: Tony Armstrong
Joanne Anderson is the former Mayor of Liverpool and a highly influential agenda-setter, renowned for her decades of work in social impact, equity, and the environment. She made history as the first woman to be Mayor of Liverpool and the first Black woman to be a directly elected Mayor in the UK. Her progressive, community-first approach defined her leadership, notably through her campaign's "triple-lock" promise, which required every council decision to be scrutinised for its social impact, environmental sustainability, and inclusivity. This purpose-driven ethos has positioned her as a leading expert on equity, diversity, and inclusion.
During her time as Mayor, Joanne demonstrated exceptional cross-cutting leadership, guiding the city council through a period of significant governance transformation while ensuring Liverpool continued to thrive. Her achievements include securing the prestigious hosting rights for Eurovision 2023 and launching the globally recognised Liverpool Against Racism festival. Beyond local politics, Joanne has been responsible for a string of "firsts," including launching Liverpool's first Black-led social enterprise and social traders network. She is an internationally respected voice on structural inequalities, investment, and resilience, and her work on equality has significantly raised Liverpool's global profile.
Recognised by Vogue on its influential '25 list' for women "defining—and redefining—the way we live now," Joanne is a passionate and engaging speaker on race and gender equity, social enterprise, inclusive prosperity, and environmental impact. She holds a first degree in business studies and a Business Scale-Up MBA, and has been appointed an Adjunct Professor and Chair of the Business School Strategic Advisory Board at Liverpool John Moores Business School.
LinkedIn: Joanne Anderson
Jane Dawe is the Director of Partnerships at SAFE Regeneration, a pioneering community business dedicated to empowering local people and driving lasting change in Bootle, Merseyside. Drawing on a robust background in education, strategy, and marketing, she helps shape SAFE’s long-term vision and strategy. Jane's work is fundamentally rooted in community-led regeneration, focusing on building strategic partnerships that create new pathways for enterprise, employment, and meaningful participation in local life.
Jane co-leads major, high-impact initiatives that champion community power in action. These projects include the ambitious #destinationbootle, a £42 million canal-side regeneration programme, the multi-award-winning Lock & Quay Community Pub and Gardens, and the organisation's Place Based Social Action work. Extending her expertise beyond Bootle, Jane has collaborated internationally on creative learning programmes for disadvantaged groups and currently supports communities across North Wales with ambitions around asset acquisition and regeneration.
When Jane is not shaping strategy, she co-writes and performs in the musical Born by the River and the play with the 'Hot Tub Hobos'. She also enjoys paddling and baking—because at SAFE, creativity, community, and cake always go hand in hand!
LinkedIn: Jane Dawe
Christopher Hanway has served as Executive Director of Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement in Long Island City, Queens, since 2014. He leads this 135-year-old community organisation, which provides essential support to thousands of public housing residents and their families each year. With over two decades of experience in the non-profit sector, Chris is a passionate advocate for equity, actively working to bridge local and international social justice efforts. He connects the community empowerment work of place-based organisations like Riis Settlement with broader movements for human rights and global solidarity.
Chris's influence extends far beyond New York. He is an active member of the global community sector, serving on the Board of Directors of the International Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers (IFS), a global network with United Nations ECOSOC status. Furthermore, he is the Vice Chair of the NGO Committee on Aging and is the past Chair of the NGO Committee on Migration, where he advocated on behalf of migrants worldwide. He also serves as a proud Board member of United Neighborhood Houses, the umbrella organisation for 46 Settlement Houses in New York State.
LinkedIn: Christopher Hanway / jacob-a--riis-neighborhood-settlement-house
Instagram: riis_settlement
Facebook: riissettlement.org
Bluesky: riis-settlement.bsky.social
Afternoon plenary: Hope in action
As the Founder of New Ways, Letesia works with teams who want to show up differently, with more courage, clarity, and impact rooted in equity and justice. She partners with organisations across social impact, nonprofit, and progressive corporate sectors, places where people are ready to face complexity with honesty, unlearn entrenched patterns, solve sticky tensions and challenges holding them back, move beyond 'us' and them' and create conditions for lasting, systemic change. She believes that big change comes by making changes at the relationship level.
LinkedIn: Letesia Gibson
Ed leads all areas of Locality’s influential policy, research and public affairs work, and is responsible for the development of Locality’s membership network of over 1800 community organisations. Ed is also a Board Member at Social Investment Business, who support charities and social enterprises to build stronger and fairer communities. Before joining Locality, Ed was a director at one of the UK’s leading think tanks, and a political speechwriter.
Soye is the Chief Operating Officer of The Winchester Project (The Winch), a leading children and young people’s charity based in Camden, North London. The Winch runs a comprehensive cradle-to-community pipeline of support, targeting children, young people, and families from 0-25 years in areas with high levels of deprivation and child poverty. In his strategic role as COO, Soye oversees vital functions including strategy, impact and evaluation, and employee wellbeing. Crucially, he is responsible for the successful implementation of a Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) approach across the entire organisation, embedding equitable practice in every aspect of The Winch's community empowerment work.
Bringing over 20 years of experience in charity leadership, Soye has a formidable track record in driving organisational and sectoral change, particularly in institutionalising equality standards. He previously held significant leadership roles at various football club foundations and served as Head of Equality at Crystal Palace FC, where he successfully led the club to achieve the Premier League Intermediate Equality Standard in Sport in 2018. His deep commitment to equitable governance is further demonstrated by his current positions as Chair of Surrey Football Association and the Chair of the JEDI Board of Representatives at Surrey FA.
LinkedIn: Soye Briggs
Instagram: soyebriggs
Max is CEO of Rotunda Ltd, an anchor organisation close to her heart, having been a student of Rotunda in her early 20s. She returned in 2009 following a successful career in both public and private sectors. During her 15-year tenure, Maxine has taken Rotunda from a position of grant dependency to sustainability, re-modelling the organisation to support over 2,000 people a year with their unique offer of education, training and enabling services. Rotunda has grown from two to 34 members of staff, with 40 volunteers, a turnover of £1m+ and an investment of over £7.5m in their built assets, rescuing and restoring five Grade II listed buildings – the last of their kind in the area – placing them back into the hands of local people, for generations to come.
Max continues to grow the depth and breadth of Rotunda’s offer in line with local need, with great focus on community cohesion in an area rich in community and culture, which has experienced decades of economic neglect. Max platforms North Liverpool’s voice amongst decision makers in the Liverpool City Region, advocating tirelessly for meaningful change across key networks.
LinkedIn: Maxine Ennis | the-rotunda-ltd
Facebook: rotunda.kirkdale
Instagram: rotunda_liverpool
TikTok: Rotunda_liverpool
Tim Magowan is the Executive Director of the 174 Trust, a pivotal organisation in Belfast that provides arts and community-based programmes to over 20,000 people annually. The Trust operates in an area of Belfast that was disproportionately impacted by ‘The Troubles,’ making its work in community strengthening and reconciliation essential. With over 20 years of experience as a Charity Director for both international and local NGOs, Tim is passionately committed to building the resilience of charities and marginalised communities.
A qualified Social Worker and Coach, Tim’s expertise lies in developing impactful community cohesion initiatives. Since 2018, he has pioneered the acclaimed Circle of Change programme. This initiative has successfully supported 75 people from diverse communities to engage in mutual learning, sharing their stories and gaining new perspectives on Belfast's shared future. Critically, the programme has also invested £85,000 in grass-roots projects, directly empowering local people to contribute to a collaborative and positive future for the city.
LinkedIn: Tim Magowan
Website: theduncairn.com
Vandna is a dedicated leader with 40 years of experience spanning the charitable and statutory sectors, driven by an unwavering passion for social justice and improving the lives of the most vulnerable in our society. She recently joined Highfields Centre in Leicester, a well-established community hub with a remarkable 50-year legacy serving a vibrant and diverse inner-city community. Vandna is currently working alongside Priya Thamotheram as he transitions from his long service, ensuring the continuity of the Centre's vital mission: fostering a family-oriented hub for education, sports, and arts learning that serves Leicester/shire, having welcomed over 89,000 users in the last reporting year.
Highfields Centre stands as a powerful example of community-led success and long-term sustainability. It first opened its doors in 1974 as an inner-city community centre and is in the heart of a vibrant and diverse community in Leicester. In the last reporting year, we welcomed over 89,371users, with 17,450 unique beneficiaries. The community successfully secured direct control of the building in 2010 via a long lease until 2060, demonstrating resilience and commitment to a permanent community anchor role. This multi-purpose hub is equipped with extensive facilities, including a dedicated youth wing, sports hall, nursery, and alternative education provision, making it a critical geographical and social resource. Vandna's work in steering this foundational organisation offers valuable, practical insights into community asset transfer, legacy building, and maintaining multi-generational relevance within the UK's local charity landscape.
YouTube: Highfields Community Association's 50th Anniversary
LinkedIn: Vandna Gohil | highfields-centre-leicester
Website: highfieldscentre.ac.uk
Facebook: HighfieldsCentreLC
Sunday Ofili Ibobor is a Professor at the Department of Social Work, University of Benin, Nigeria. He served as the Acting Head of the Department from 2023 to 2024 and from 2019 to 2020. Furthermore, he is one of the Vice-Presidents and a Board Member for the International Federation of Settlement Houses and Centers.
He is the Founder of Umuebu Neighbourhood House Center for Community Development, Umuebu, Delta State, Nigeria and the Secretary to IFS, Africa.
LinkedIn: Sunday Ibobor
Facebook: umuebuneighbourhoodhouse.umuebu
Mourad Chalal is a dedicated French community worker and social centre director with over a decade of experience in fostering community engagement, education, education, culture, international cooperation and equality in urban neighbourhoods, notably in Aulnay-sous-Bois near Paris. His approach to social action is unique, blending his background as a classical guitar teacher with a strong belief in creativity, cultural rights, and dialogue. Mourad is committed to empowering residents and young people, utilising international cooperation as a powerful means for civil diplomacy and building bridges across cultures, an approach significantly deepened by his participation in the Fulbright NGO Leaders Program in New York.
His commitment extends beyond local work to national and international governance, having served on the boards of the Federation of Social Centers of Seine-Saint-Denis, the French National Federation of Social Centers (FCSF), and the Euro Mediterranean Federation (EFS). These roles highlight his expertise in large-scale community building and intercultural exchange. Mourad’s focus on fostering connections, building trust, and strengthening a sense of belonging through international networks offers valuable insights, demonstrating how local community action can be amplified through global solidarity.
Webiste: mourad-chalal.com | seinesaintdenis.centres-sociaux.fr | centres-sociaux.fr
Facebook: mourad.chalal.3
LinkedIn: mourad-chalal
Closing plenary: Ideas to unleash the power of your community
A New York native, Rod believes in the settlement house model to ensure that every person can reach their fullest potential. He has led Goddard Riverside since 2017 and serves on the boards of United Neighborhood Houses and United Neighborhood Centers of America.
Before taking the helm at Goddard Riverside, Rod was President and CEO at Grace Hill Settlement House for over nine years. Prior to this, he served as President and CEO at The Community Place of Greater Rochester, Inc. Rod earned his Doctorate in Education and Executive Leadership.
Guided by a vision to nurture women’s wholeness, Misba Khan founded Evergreen Collective nine years ago. An international speaker and consultant, her journey has touched thousands across ten countries and twenty-nine cities. She now leads the UK’s first Muslim women-led holistic wellness centre—redefining what it means to truly heal and belong.
Rob has spent over 20 years working in the disability arts sector, having founded Liberdade in 2003 with eight young people with learning disabilities, they have created an arts centre that uses social enterprise and the arts to generate social change.
Gosforth Civic Theatre (GCT) is a pioneering cultural venue in Newcastle. Founded and shaped by a group of people with learning disabilities. As Chief Executive, Rob oversees all aspects of the organisation and successfully delivered a £2.5 million capital redevelopment in 2023.
Daniel Sukula is the Founder and CEO of Be The Change Youth Project, a community organisation empowering young people through leadership, sport, creativity and mentoring. With lived experience and strong local partnerships, Daniel is dedicated to providing safe spaces, opportunities, and positive pathways for young people to thrive and succeed.
Naomi has been Director of the Commonside Trust since 2005. She has overseen Commonside’s growth from a local project supporting lone parents and young mums to running a sizeable community centre – the New Horizon Centre – as well as running the Pollards Hill Lunch Club for Older People and services and activities for older people.
Melissa Aase is the Chief Executive Officer of University Settlement, a pioneering social service organisation in New York City.
She took the helm in March 2020, following an impressive tenure as Executive Director since 2013. Melissa's commitment to community and social justice runs deep, having spent nearly her entire career at University Settlement. She initially joined in 1992 as a social work student, quickly rising through the ranks as a case manager and supervisor for programs focused on youth development, employment, and homelessness prevention.
Before her current role, Melissa served on the senior management team as the Director of Community Development, overseeing crucial centres and programmes like the Houston Street Center and The Creative Center, while fostering new community and strategic partnerships.
Her influence extends globally: she currently serves as the President of the Board of the International Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers, representing over 11,000 centres worldwide, having also served as its past Executive Director.
Melissa sits on the board of the United Neighborhood Houses of New York, the federation of 45 settlement houses across New York State. She also serves on the Policy and Advocacy Committee of the Human Services Council. Melissa holds a Master of Social Work from Columbia University and a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary.
LinkedIn: Melissa Aase | University Settlement Society of New York
Instagram: univsettlement
Facebook: University Settlement Society of New York
Bluesky: univsettlement.bsky.social
YouTube: NYC_is_US
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