About the town deal board members

On this page you can find out more about about the Town Deal board members.

Co-chair: Carole Dixon (Hastings Community Network)

Having a background in education, Carole moved into the charity sector in January 2012 to establish and lead the Education Futures Trust. Her passion lies in improving the life chances of children and vulnerable adults in our town. Having lived and worked in Hastings for almost thirty years, she believes that education, in its broadest sense, provides the route out of poverty and into a hopeful future.

The charity has come a long way since its inception, and as its Chief Executive she has worked closely with other charities, the public and private sector to build local partnerships. Together we can have so much more impact in the town. Currently chairing the Hastings Community Network Executive Group, the Skills and Learning in the Community charity and the Local Strategic Partnership, while also being a member of the local Executive Delivery Group, CHART Local Action Group, Hastings Opportunity Area Board and East Sussex Skills Partnership. Any spare time she has is spent with family or their skittish 16.3hh horse.

Co-chair: Graham Peters (SELEP/Team East Sussex)

After training as an engineer Graham changed direction becoming a property advisor, investor and developer. He has lived in East Sussex for nearly 30 years and has been involved in regeneration initially in the rural areas of East Sussex for over 20 years. He Chairs Team East Sussex charged with regenerating the County, is a a Vice Chairman of SELEP, a parish councillor, school governor and churchwarden, and is a Deputy Lieutenant of East Sussex. He is also a Trustee of the Sussex Heritage Trust, the Rural Rother Trust and a director of the Woodland Enterprise Centre. For fun he sings, welds, fishes and swims.

Jess Steele OBE (Trinity Triangle Heritage Action Zone)

Director of Jericho Road Solutions, with 25 years’ experience of community-led regeneration. A founder trustee and now advisor to the Heart of Hastings Community Land Trust, lead partner for the HAZ, currently studying for a PhD in self-renovating neighbourhoods. 

Jericho Road provides coaching to neighbourhood groups and community businesses across England while working with government, funders, corporates and academics on national initiatives to make community-led change easier. It invests profits directly into people and projects in Hastings, including one-third ownership of the social developer White Rock Neighbourhood Ventures, owners of Rock House and the Observer Building. 

Liz Coleman (Hastings and Rother Interfaith Forum)

Hastings and Rother Interfaith forum's mission is to promote community cohesion through dialogue, co-operation and festivities between people with faith in a God and those who do not, enabling them to embrace difference. Joining the Town Deal Board will enable me to promote this vision of community cohesion while also promoting an economy that will be of benefit to all.

Catherine Parr and John Bownas (Love Hastings Ltd - Hastings Business Improvement District - BID)

To represent the interests of the town centre businesses.

Cllr Kim Forward (Hastings Borough Council)

Leader of Hastings Borough Council and Strategy and Partnership Working Portfolio Holder.

Cllr Colin Fitzgerald (Hastings Borough Council)

Deputy Leader of Hastings Borough Council and portfolio holder for Regeneration, Culture and Tourism.

Jane Hartnell (Hastings Borough Council)

Hastings Borough Council's Managing Director. Responsible for Financial Services, People and Business Support, Legal services, Accommodation and Transformation, IT, Policy, Continuous Performance and Democratic Services.

Cllr Keith Glazier (East Sussex County Council)

Cllr Keith Glazier is the Leader of East Sussex County Council and Lead Member for Strategic Management and Economic Development.

He is responsible for the delivery of services including Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Economic Development and Infrastructure to the residents of the county.

While also Chairing Transport for the South East and the East Sussex Health and Wellbeing Board, he is also Vice-Chairman of the East Sussex Strategic Partnership.

Cllr Glazier is a Director on the South East Local Enterprise Partnership and is a member of the Executive Committee of the County Council's Network and the LGA's People and Places Board.

Becky Shaw (East Sussex Council)

Becky is the most senior officer in East Sussex County Council. She is responsible for all work carried out by the council and is the main advisor on overall policy. This includes transport and infrastructure, economy, education and social care.

James Harris (East Sussex Council)

Assistant Director of Economy for East Sussex County Council, responsible for the economic development of the county and promoting public and private investment.

Sally-Ann Hart (MP for Hastings and Rye)

Member of Parliament (MP) for Hastings and Rye since 2019.

Stuart Mitchell (NewRiver REIT)

NewRiver REIT, Member of the Executive Committee and responsible for Asset Management of the Southern Portfolio, NewRiver Leasing and Commercialisation Strategies. NewRiver REIT mostly own and fully operate Priory Meadow shopping centre.

Andrew Harvey (NewRiver Reit)

Priory Meadow Shopping Centre Manager.

Steve Manwaring (Hastings Voluntary Action)

Director of Hastings Voluntary Action, working to enhance the quality of life of people in the Hastings area by promoting the principle and practice of voluntary action by individuals and organised groups, and by supporting the development of local initiatives to meet community needs.

Rich Moore (Source Park)

Co-founder of The Source Park, leading online BMX retailer worldwide and operator of The Source BMX Park, the largest underground BMX park in the world.

Marc Moore (Source Park)

Co-founder of The Source Park, leading online BMX retailer worldwide and operator of The Source BMX Park, the largest underground BMX park in the world.

Darrell Gale (Public Health ESCC)

Director of Public Health for East Sussex County Council (ESCC) responsible for overseeing work that contributes to the improvement of resident's physical and mental health and well-being.

Richard Watson (NHS Hastings And Rother Clinical Commissioning Group)

Assistant Head of Health, Wellbeing and Partnerships, East Sussex and Brighton and Hove.

Richard has lived and worked in Hastings and Rother since 1998 and has a proven track record of involving and listening to individuals, organisations and our communities having worked for registered social landlords, East Sussex County Council and the local NHS. He is currently the CCGs' lead in East Sussex and Brighton and Hove. Improving the health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities of local people and communities. In November 2018, he was recognised for his work, winning a national award in collaborative working at the UK Public Health Register Innovation awards 2018.

Fiona Kellett (NHS Hastings And Rother Clinical Commissioning Group)

Director of Estates and Facilities - NHS East Sussex and Brighton.

Liz Gilmore (Cultural Leaders Group)

Chair of the Hastings and Rother Cultural Leaders group, working to support the cultural vibrancy of the area and championing the cultural sector regionally. Director of Hastings Contemporary Art Gallery, an independent gallery exploring all forms of contemporary and modern art.

Kate Adams (Cultural Leaders Group)

Member of the Hastings and Rother and East Sussex Cultural Leaders Groups working to support the cultural vibrancy of the area and championing the cultural sector regionally. Visual artist, co-founder and director of Project Art Works, a Hastings-based arts organisation that collaborates with neurodiverse artists and makers, galleries, social care agencies, psychologists, families and caregivers.

Clive Galbraith (Chamber of Commerce)

Chair for Hastings' Chamber of Commerce, leading voice of business for Hastings working on behalf of their members, to grow the economy of the town and the wider region in order to create a more supportive environment for businesses to operate in - irrespective of their size, sector or age achieving this in the following ways.

Sean Dennis (Chamber of Commerce)

Sean has worked in business and finance for over 35 years, the past 20 years based in Hastings and is Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce Director. Leading on meeting and event content, as well as the development and growth of the Chamber, to ensure the voice of the Chamber and its members is heard. 

He is the director of Let's Do Business Group and is extremely proud to have been an instrumental part of the team that has seen us grow a grant dependent Hastings and Rother focused social enterprise to a leading and sustainable business support organisation covering the South East of England.

Leading on the finance and funding side of the business which supports start-ups and established SME's access the funding they need to start, grow and prosper; which also takes our activities into London and the East of England.

Education is another area of interest, so he also sits on the Hastings Local College Board for the East Sussex College Group.

James Leathers (Trinity Triangle Heritage Action Zone)

Executive Director of Heart of Hastings. Heart of Hastings Community Land Trust is committed to using a bottom-up development approach to achieve its aims of providing affordable homes and workspaces, alongside inclusive opportunity for marginalised communities within regeneration projects.

Sonia Blizzard (SeaChange)

Sea Change Sussex is a not-for-profit economic development company working to expand the area's economy and generate jobs by attracting successful employers and enabling local firms to grow. Their focus is on developing a portfolio of prestigious commercial property - offices, business parks and sites for businesses from small firms to big corporations, with many premises available on highly flexible terms.

Dan Shelley (East Sussex Colleges Group)

An Executive Director of East Sussex College Group (ESCG), which includes Hastings campuses at Station Plaza, Ore Valley and a motor vehicle training centre on the Ponswood Industrial Estate. ESCG provides a wide range of programmes in the town, from entry to degree level study, linking the offer to local employment and regeneration priorities.

Dan has worked in Hastings since 2012 and leads on external partnerships and has Group leadership responsibilities for Apprenticeships, Higher Education, International education, marketing, student services, data and business planning.

Helen Kay (Hastings Opportunity Area)

Programme Director for Hastings Opportunity Area, one of 20 across the county committed to improving the social mobility and life chances of children and young people. Hastings Opportunity Area programme works across key areas for improvements, and collaborates with local businesses, schools, nurseries and colleges to give every young person the chance to go as far as their talents and hard work will take them.

Dawn Dublin (Un-Veiled)

Director of Un-Veiled, initiatives include community engagement, enterprise, training, support, community wealth building, knowledge and skills sharing and community cohesion.