Big Local evaluation advisory group

David has over 30 years experience of working in civil society, starting as a front-line support worker working with the homeless through to running a multi-million pound national charity.

A network weaver, David has extensive experience of bringing together and creating alliances of usual and unusual suspects to create change and make action happen. Through investing heavily in network and relationship building, the resulting alliances have profound impact and outcomes.

David is a Trustee of Coast & Vale Community Action (CAVCA – the local infrastructure organisation in North East Yorkshire), Trustee & Chair of the Finance Committee at Toynbee Hall in East London, Trustee of Invisible Dust and Chair of Engines Orchestra.

Diane is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Brighton and a founding Trustee of Involve. In recent years, Diane has worked mainly on evaluation projects; she has evaluated 20 major national participatory projects and programmes personally, and (as Sciencewise evaluation manager for seven years) overseen a further 41 evaluations of national policy-related public dialogue projects. She has also written widely for public, academic and professional audiences on community, public and stakeholder participation.

The Good Things Foundation is a social change charity supporting socially excluded people through digital technology. Emma was previously a member of the Senior Leadership Team for Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) and the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT), leading their Policy and Research department. The department developed and usesdevidence from research and experience to inform, influence and inspire social change in the UK- with a focus on solving poverty.

Jennie is Professor of Sociology and Public Health at the Division of health Research in the Faculty of Health and Medicine at Lancaster University. Jennie began her research career at the Unit for the Study of Health Policy at Guy’s Hospital in London and has worked as a sociologist in the public health field ever since. Her research interests include social and gender inequalities in health, the sociology of knowledge, public/community engagement in health decision making and the evaluation of complex social interventions. She was inaugural chair of the People’s Health Trust and has served on various public bodies including the Commission for Health Improvement and the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health.

Karl leads NCVO’s policy, research, media and public affairs, and international relations teams. He has lead responsibility for two of NCVO’s strategic aims: championing the voluntary sector, and connecting people and organisations, and speaks and writes widely on the big issues facing the voluntary sector.

Marilyn is Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute for Voluntary Action Research and Visiting Professor at Birkbeck, University of London. Marilyn has been involved in research on community policy, programmes and practice for many years and more recently on place based funding by independent foundations. She has published widely for policy, practice and academic audiences. She is Chair of the Research Advisory Group for the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and a member of the Community Development Journal Editorial Board.

Rich is a Director of Osca and has been in post since 2012. He is currently working as an adviser to the WHO and until 2015 he was a UN Adviser working in the Middle East.

In 2004 Rich was appointed as the first director of the charity Involve, which became a leading centre for public participation research, innovation and policy-making. He is a people power specialist and has written many publications on the subject.

Rich regularly blogs for the Guardian and is a Clore Social Fellow. His latest publication ‘Good and Bad Help’ has initiated a major programme of work on public service reform and social action.