Senior Leadership Team

Alan Webb

Chief Executive Officer

Alan’s experience is in organisation development and leadership, primarily with global brands. In 2017, he became an advisor to start-ups and charities whilst spending more time with his young children. Alan has volunteered for over a decade, with Children’s Hearings, as a trustee/Chair of a medium-sized community charity and as a mentor to care experienced young people. He joined us from a UK-wide family support charity where he led on sustainability, governance, volunteering and practice development.

Isabel McKnight

Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Isabel is an experienced executive leader, having worked in both the private and public sector for over 40 years. She has strength in leadership and partnership building with experience in transformation and managing large complex projects. Isabel joined us from a local authority where her executive leadership was pivotal in creating the conditions for positive change. She volunteers on the board of a small housing association and enjoys spending time with her family. She is also a keen lawn bowler and an advocate for sports at all levels.

Alan Hall

Head of Communications and Impact

Alan provides the senior leadership for our communications, data, systems, insights and impact work with the third sector across Dumfries and Galloway and leads our wider influence in the south of Scotland and with national bodies and the Scottish Government. He joined Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway in 2018 after 25 years in media across the region, including senior editorial roles.

Jane Stanistreet

Head of Resources and Development

Jane provides leadership on key areas of organisation effectiveness, including financial management and income, people, strategy and business planning, governance, resources and administration. She also oversees the development of our fund / grant management practice and a number of development programmes.

Natalie Anderson

Executive Assistant to CEO

Natalie provides administrative and coordinating support to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to enable him to effectively conduct strategic business with colleagues, partners, communities, the Scottish Government and wider stakeholders. She is the first point of contact for the CEO. Her experience is in Professional Services management and Natalie is also a volunteer with third sector organisations and groups and was a director and voluntary consultant with a local community development trust.

Our Lead Officers

Joanna Jones

Lead for Communities and Sector Support

Joanna leads our work in communities and our team of development and support officers whose roles include building sector capacity, collaboration, leadership, good governance, sustainability, planning and volunteering. Before joining TSDG, Joanna spent eight years working for a regionwide third sector organisation, supporting members, fostering partnerships, engagement and community-led projects.

Julie Hogg

Lead for Children and Families

Julie provides oversight and leadership of our work across the third sector in support of children and families, with additional connection to our Public Protection Partnership. She develops relationships with the local authority, NHS and organisations across the sector to support collaboration, develop capacity and highlight the role and impact of the sector.

Ken Keenan

Lead for Employability, Skills and Learning

Ken leads our work across employability, skills and learning strategies in Dumfries and Galloway and develops relationships with the local authority and third sector organisations to support collaboration, develop capacity and highlight the role and impact of the sector. He has nearly three decades of experience within employability and skills within the UK and abroad managing local and national programmes and networks as well as working within commissioning bodies.

Niomi Hamilton

Lead for Community Health and Wellbeing

Niomi leads our work in communities and across the third sector on health and wellbeing developing relationships with the local authority, Health and Social Care Partnership) and organisations across the sector to support collaboration, develop capacity and highlight the role and impact of the sector. She brings a vast amount of knowledge and experience in the subject, having joined us from a leadership role within the social care sector.

Owen Fielding

Lead for Local Economies and Enterprise

Owen leads our work to help build strong local economies and develop local enterprise and cross-portfolio working for a wellbeing economy. This is in partnership with local anchor organisations, communities and our sector through supporting collaboration, developing capacity and highlighting the role and impact of the third sector.

Our Development and Support Officers

Anna Fell

Social Enterprise Coordinator

With extensive Third Sector experience, Anna supports on the Dumfries and Galloway Social Enterprise Grant Programme, funded by the UK Government. She manages grants, data, and impact reporting while also showcasing the programme’s successes to the wider public. Her work ensures that funding not only reaches the right places but also drives meaningful, measurable change.

Carol Brotherston

Social Enterprise Development Officer

Carol helps to develop social enterprise activity through capacity building support and provides advice to new and existing social enterprises to support them to grow and thrive, and realise their full potential within our local communities and economy. She is also involved in sector events and projects for the third sector working with colleagues across the organisation.

Daniel Allan

Information Systems Officer

Daniel plays an important role in the management, development and effectiveness of the organisation’s information systems and associated data. Working with colleagues across the organisation, he coordinates the application of data and information management and ensures best practice in data capture and management, reporting and information retention/storage. He also provides first-line technical support with company software/hardware and coordinating support to the wider department as needed.

Gillian Gillespie

Project Lead for Family Support

Working closely with families, third sector and statutory partners, Gillian leads a project focused on the delivery of a community-led model of support to help deliver accessible and timely community-based support for neurodivergent children, young people and their families.

Hannah Bingham

Communications and Impact Officer

Hannah supports our use of communcations with the sector, partners, communities and other stakeholders including our bulletins, website and social media. She also drives external engagement with the organisation and uses data to share stories of our impact and that of the sector using digital, video and traditional media.

Iona Callum

Senior Fund Coordinator

Iona supports the administration of funding/grants to the third sector administered by Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway. She supports the application, decision making, investment, monitoring and reporting processes and communicates directly with applicants, grant holders and the decision-making forum.

Ivan Rudd

Community Health and Wellbeing Officer

Ivan has worked in and volunteered with the third sector for decades. As a development worker, he has helped communities in some of the most excluded neighbourhoods to tackle barriers to health and wellbeing. His career with Public Health in the NHS enabled him to prioritise equity in his work to improve population health and service delivery. Ivan is passionate about habitat protection, wildlife conservation, and Dumfries and Galloway's amazing landscape and history. He will help support the coordination, facilitation, and development of sector forums and events that support stronger community health and wellbeing outcomes across the region.

Jackie Wells

Locality Development Officer (Annandale and Eskdale)

Jackie works to build a strong third sector through collaboration and advice on a range of matters including leadership, good governance, sustainability, planning and volunteering. She hosts the Locality Hubs for Annandale and Eskdale as part of the Community Planning Partnership, working with partners in the local authority, NHS and others. She also has a wider involvement in sector development, including sharing insights and learning from localities to help with decision making.

Kateryna Stoian

Volunteering Development Coordinator

Kateryna supports the delivery of our Volunteering Strategy and our alignment with the national Volunteer Outcome Framework. Developing resources, providing advice to sector organisations and contributing to events, she is central to supporting good volunteering leadership, creating and promoting volunteering opportunities and advocating for more inclusive volunteering. She is also involved in sector events, forum and projects for the third sector working with colleagues across the organisation.

Kayanat Sheikh

Business Support Officer

Kayanat is the first point of contact for the organisation and ensures timely responses to enquiries and supports daily operations. She assists with event coordination and maintaining internal systems and provides support for finance and HR functions. Kayanat also offers administrative support to the Deputy Chief Executive Officer. With her background in administration and project coordination, she is committed to enhancing operational efficiency and supporting the organisation's community initiatives.

Lauren McDaid

Locality Development Officer (West)

Lauren works to build a strong third sector through collaboration and advice on a range of matters including leadership, good governance, sustainability, planning and volunteering. She hosts the Locality Hubs for the Stewartry and Wigtownshire areas as part of the Community Planning Partnership, working with partners in the local authority, NHS and others. She also has a wider involvement in sector development, including sharing insights and learning from localities to help with decision making.

Lorraine Bouse

Finance and Resources Officer

Lorraine coordinates all aspects of our income and payment processing, as well as overseeing essential people/HR processes with the support of our external advisors.

Richard Rennie

Locality Development Officer (Nithsdale)

Richard works to build a strong third sector through collaboration and advice on a range of matters including leadership, good governance, sustainability, planning and volunteering. He hosts the Locality Hub for his area as part of the Community Planning Partnership, working with partners in the local authority, NHS and others. He also has a wider involvement in sector development, including sharing insights and learning from localities to help with decision making.

Yuliia Dymkovska

Fund Coordinator

Yuliia works directly with third sector organisations to encourage preparation for and participation in funding opportunities managed by Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway, particularly the Community Led Local Development Fund. She also assists groups in developing project ideas for funding and support learning, evaluation and impact through direct connection, collaborative spaces and progress review opportunities.

Board

Jo Shearer

Chair

Jo has lived and worked in Dumfries and Galloway for over 30 years. Although Dumfries is now her base, her heart remains in the west of the region. Recently retired from her role as a strategic planning manager for children’s services with the Council, she is keen to use her knowledge and experience on the Board to further support better partnership working for the Third Sector. On a personal basis, she is a keen advocate of disability rights and ensuring families get the right support.

Anne Gibson

Vice-Chair

Anne spent her early years growing up in Kirkconnel and attending Kelloholm Primary School. Her family moved to Edinburgh where she still lives. Her professional background is in teaching and community learning and development. She has worked successfully in leadership roles across public, independent and third sectors. As an HM Inspector for 14 years, she was lead inspector for equality and inclusion and youth employability. Anne worked with Audit Scotland in reviewing the effectiveness of community planning partnerships and with Care Inspectorate colleagues in services to protect children and integrated children’s services inspections. She led on the development of inspection frameworks including How Good is our Third Sector Organisation? She is an experienced CEO in the care and education sector and has held a number of interim CEO positions in third sector organisations. Anne was recently head of practice for child contact services with Relationships Scotland. She holds Scottish Government non-executive positions with NHS24 and the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC).She sits as a lay member on the Joint Standing Committee for Legal Education in Scotland and is a panel member with the General Teaching Council for Scotland on their Fitness to Teach Panel. Anne has recently become a trustee on the Board of Kirkconnel Parish Heritage Society. She is passionate about Dumfries and Galloway and the contribution that third sector organisations can make to local people and communities.

Phil Stewart

Treasurer

Phil Stewart lives in Dumfries with his wife, Tracey. He is the Chief Executive Officer for Dumfries and Galloway Citizens Advice Service having previously been a Police Officer for 30 years and Work Experience Co-ordinator at Dumfries and Galloway Council. He is keen to develop partnership working to ensure that all those in need throughout the region get the help support and assistance they need to live without fear of poverty. He enjoys watching rugby, playing golf, and walking his dog.

Carolyn Kennedy

Carolyn has lived in Dumfries and Galloway for 30 years and has experience in business and project management in private and third sector. She worked with Better Lives Partnership for eight years and was involved strategically with the development of the Bridge to Employment Programme and new strands offering more choice to young autistic people. Carolyn is keen to ensure people have a voice and is passionate about developing partnerships to ensure people can access appropriate support when and where needed.

Leanne Bradwick

Leanne has worked in the third sector directly with communities since moving to the region in 2021. Currently working with DG voice, supporting people with disabilities and additional needs, as well as being the Lead producer of Nithraid River and Environmental Festival. Previously, she worked with The Stove Network and all her experience of supporting community groups and helping them develop has hopefully given her a broad understanding of what Dumfries and Galloways needs and hopes to serve the Third Sector in any way she can.

Penny Halliday

Penny Halliday is the founder and Chair of A Listening Ear. She was an FE lecturer with Dumfries and Galloway College for 18 years and then moved to community development for 10 years setting up local and national support for kinship carers as well as families affected by drugs, for which she won several awards. Penny has served as a Non-Executive Member of the Board of NHS Dumfries and Galloway as well as Vice Chair of the Integrated Joint Board – the body set up to oversee the integration of local health and social care services within the Region and is also a Trustee for a number of other local organisations.

Wendi Cuffe

Wendi lives in Ardwell and has worked with the Stranraer community for the past 25 years. She is a former employee of Dumfries and Galloway Council with Economic Development Services, managing community and capital projects to support the regeneration of Stranraer and Loch Ryan. Previously, Wendi was a community development practitioner with NHS and voluntary sector organisations. Since retiring in 2016, she has worked as an independent consultant with third sector organisations.