Meet the Team

Kelly is responsible for leading our team to support Belong’s work, membership and deliver our mission. She works alongside Belong’s trustees to ensure we have the strategy, partnerships and resources to make our vision a reality. Kelly draws on over 25 years’ experience in roles leading the development of cohesion policy and overseeing the research and delivery of programmes that challenge hate, counter extremism and promote dialogue. Kelly has worked nationally and internationally from grassroots to government level and her experience includes her role as Director of Programmes at the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation (formerly the Peace Foundation), co-chair of the European Commission’s RAN network and Policy Advisor to the Mayor of Greater Manchester.

James is responsible for widening Belong’s reach and ensuring the Network develops events, products and opportunities to meet the challenges faced by our members. James joined Belong in May 2023 from the Housing Association Charitable Trust (HACT), where he worked as a subject matter expert helping public, private, and charitable organisations to develop their Social Value practice. He was particularly involved in the development of the 2022 version of the influential UK Social Value Bank which was designed to aid organisations in their decision making and in enhanced outcomes.

Speak to James about partnerships, collaborations, membership benefits and funding applications relating to Belong – or any enquiries on how our organisations can work together.

Jeni is responsible for all Belong’s research work and leads on consultancy, evaluation, impact assessment training and resource development for our members and wider network. She also leads on Belong’s Shared Ground Community of Practice. Jeni brings over 25 years’ experience working in the not-for-profit sector and recently completed a PhD. Jeni co-ordinates the Sheffield Cohesion Advisory Group and also convened the Yorkshire and Humber Health Stream of Sanctuary. She is a professional member of the International Association of Process Oriented Psychologists and an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Speak to Jeni about Joining our Shared Ground Community of Practice, Belong Network’s research, if you are looking for resources to help your work, or if you are interested in an evaluation of your own social cohesion work.

Alex leads on communications and engagement for Belong, overseeing external communications, digital channels, and events.

With seven years’ experience across the non-profit, public and commercial sectors, Alex has delivered communications for major research, policy and partnership projects involving government departments, local authorities, universities and national organisations.

Before joining Belong, Alex worked in events and marketing at Selfridges, contributing to high-profile campaigns and charity partnerships including Marcus Rashford’s ‘In The Box’ campaign, which sparked her interest in social change.

Speak to Alex about Belong Network events, press and media enquiries, or sharing cohesion insights and success stories across the network.

Eve joined the Belong Network team through the Charityworks scheme, with experience in social cohesion and integration projects across Manchester. She previously worked for food poverty non-profit Bounceback Food and Collective Aid, an NGO working to provide dignifying services to displaced peoples across Europe. Eve has just completed a masters in Humanitarianism and Conflict Response at the University of Manchester, where she focused on displacement, humanitarian advocacy, and solidarity campaigning.

Speak to Eve about Belong Network events, our monthly newsletter, or sharing your cohesion success stories with our network.

Rebecca leads the strategic design and delivery of Belong’s place-based practice and national policy programming.

She brings over 13 years of experience in policy and leadership, including roles as Head of Policy and Strategy at Crest Advisory and Programme Director for Serious Violence Prevention at Devon and Cornwall Police and Office for the Police and Crime Commissioner. There, she led a public health approach to tackling violence and directed the recovery of the 2021 Plymouth mass shooting.

Rebecca previously led the Strong Cities Network, supporting over 140 cities worldwide to counter extremism, polarisation, and misinformation. She has advised national governments and international bodies including the UN, EU, and has served as an expert advisor to the UK Department for Education.

Speak to Rebecca about your ideas for national policy changes and our local government place-based services.

Jill has worked on community cohesion, integration and immigration policy for over 20 years, at the Refugee Council, as a university lecturer, at the Institute for Public Policy Research and at British Future where she remains an associate fellow. Jill was a co-author of the 2024 After the Riots report on community cohesion, with her other publications including Control and compassion: a new plan for an effective and fair UK asylum system (British Future, 2023), and Moving Up and Getting On (Policy Press, 2015). Jill is interested in ways to involve local communities in conversations about community cohesion and integration and led the National Conversation on Immigration in 2017-2018. Over the course of 15 months, this engaged 20,000 people through surveys, and through stakeholder and public discussions in 60 different locations across the UK.

Active in her local community, Jill was a founder trustee of the Migration Museum, and volunteers at an employment support project, and for an organisation that uses textiles to bring people together.