Northern Ireland committee members

"I am delighted to be part of the Big Lottery Fund Board as I have seen, and been immensely impressed by, the benefits BIG has brought to communities and people across Northern Ireland through a range of innovative programmes."

Frank is also a non-executive member of the boards of Invest Northern Ireland, Ilex Urban Regeneration Company, the Northern Ireland Strategic Investment Board and the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company.

Previous posts have included:

• CEO of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce
• Deputy Secretary with responsibility for Corporate Services in the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure
• Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Growth Challenge, a private sector organisation set up to take a private sector approach to economic development in Northern Ireland.

Frank has many years of industrial development experience with the former Industrial Development Board and was former IDB Deputy Chief Executive with responsibility for inward investment.

"As a former member of the Government Task Force on Resourcing the Voluntary and Community Sector, it has been important to me that Big NI has been to the forefront of action to support and reorient the sector through, in particular, the Building Change Trust, full costs recovery and five year funding programmes."

In recent years, Paul has been Commissioning Manager for Mental Health and Learning Disability with the Western Health and Social Services Board and Manager of the Northern Local Health and Social Care Group (LHSCG) in Western area.  Paul was Manager of the Western Health Action Zone; Chief Executive of City Centre Initiative in Derry and Co-ordinator of the North West Community Network.
 
In the past, he was a member of the Boards of the Big Lottery Fund and of the Community Fund; a member of the Government Task Force on Resourcing the Voluntary and Community Sector (chairing its Sustainability Working Group); a member of the BBC Northern Ireland Appeals Advisory Committee; Joint Chair of the Government/Voluntary & Community Sector Forum; co-chair of the Local Strategy Partnership in Derry; and founder of the Cross-Border Community Development Project.

"Big funding, together with the advice information and support provided to applicants for grant aid through Big staff, enables organisations to develop and deliver dynamic and challenging programmes that meet the significant challenges faced by people most in need"

Claire has nearly 20 years experience in the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland - including as Director Northern Ireland for the Alzheimer’s Society:

Chairperson of the Community Development and Health Network
Director Community development and Health at Age Concern Northern Ireland
Director of the Association of Chief Officers of Voluntary Organisations (now CO3)
Manager of Belfast Women's Training Services
and as Training and Development Officer with Belfast LawCentre (now Law Centre NI).

Claire has particular interests in the inclusion of older people in all aspects of civic and public life, and in effective approaches to tackling health inequalities.

"BIG listens to, and learns from, communities and people most in need. We are determined to get best value for the investment made by the playing public in the interests of those communities where need is greatest"

"BIG funds projects that really make a difference to people. It also adds value - by sharing learning and making connections between groups and communities in Northern Ireland. I think that's great"

Julie’s professional experience includes the design of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, appraisal of funding applications to the EU Special Support Programmes, provision of needs analysis and planning support to Area Partnerships, evaluation of development programmes and facilitation of local initiatives. Her clients include central Government Departments and Agencies, Local Councils, voluntary sector organisations and neighbourhood community groups.

Julie is interested in the links between policy and practice and in supporting effective partnerships between funders, policy makers and communities. She is also a partner in ‘What Not To Grow’, which supports her interest in the development of spaces that reconnect people with the places where they live, with their neighbours and with the natural world.

Julie is a past Committee Member of the IMAGO befriending project, LINC Resource Centre and Community Evaluation Northern Ireland. She is currently Associate Strategic Advisor with the Strategic Investment Board and a Director of the Building Change Trust.

"I am delighted to be part of the Big Lottery Fund as I have seen at first hand the impact this funding can have and how The Big Lottery Fund is more than just a funder- it wants to leave a legacy for the beneficiaries of its grants so that its impact can be felt long after the money has ended"

Geraldine's current positions include Council member of the Northern Ireland Social Care Council, Council member of the General Osteopathic Council, a member of the Partner’s Council of the Social Care Institute of Excellence (SCIE) and a member of the Steering Group responsible for governing the work of SCIE in Northern Ireland. She has previously held positions in the voluntary sector (as a Chief Executive and Trustee of two charities), the statutory sector (including taking forward the Patient Public Involvement agenda and service performance and development) and in the private sector (business development and marketing). She has a particular interest in:

• service user involvement and how it can lead to better decision-making
• developing the capacity of voluntary sector organisations
• improving social care services

“I am delighted to be part of the Big Lottery Fund as I have seen at first hand the impact this funding can have and how The Big Lottery Fund is more than just a funder- it wants to leave a legacy for the beneficiaries of its grants so that its impact can be felt long after the money has ended.”