Linda Wagner

Linda is Chair of the Board. She has lived in Beswick for 21 years. Linda is secretary and a founder member of the Palmerston Street Tenants Association, which was established in 1996.

The Association has successfully campaigned for road traffic calming, environmental improvements and persuaded Mercedes Benz not to develop on open green land.

Linda has just completed a four-year term as a Representative for Beswick on the Beacons Board at New Deals for Communities and is a Board Member and Treasurer for 4CT Ltd at The Grange Community Resource Centre in Beswick.

Bernard Priest

Bernard is Vice Chair of the Board.  He has been a Manchester City Councillor since 1998 representing the inner city ward of Ardwick.  He spent seven years as Chair of a Scrutiny Committee and has been the Executive Member for Finance and Human Resources since 2007.

Until recently, he was the Senior Vice Principal of a large Further Education College and now works as a consultant in Further Education.

Sam Dada

Sam has lived in Clayton since 1988. He is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor by professional and has worked in the UK Construction Industry for more than 20 years.

Sam has qualifications, skills and enthusiasm to assist in the development of policies that provide an effective, efficient and consistent service. 

Stephen Kinsey

Stephen is a Solicitor. He is a partner in the real estate team of a leading law firm in Manchester

His specialist area is property investment and development (commercial and residential) with particular reference to multi-property portfolios, site assembly, large scale acquisitions and disposals, regeneration schemes, landlord and tenant management and secured lending. His clients include a number of well-known North West property companies and institutions, both public and private sector.

Stephen was brought up in Beswick and is delighted again to be associated with an area with which he has close connections. He is also a director of the Zion Arts Centre based in Hulme which focuses on developing the performing arts skills of young people living in inner city Manchester.

Tom Flower

Tom has been the Strategy Manager for Manchester City Football Club’s award-winning charity City in the Community for five years. He helps to manage and co-ordinate a range of community-based sporting initiatives that use the power of football to improve health issues and tackle social exclusion.

Through his position within CITC, Tom is committed to helping all members of the community, particularly in the area around the City of Manchester Stadium. Tom has also gained an MA in Community Sports Development.

Andy Wilson

He has over 20 years’ experience in both local authority and housing association roles working in estate management, housing development, homelessness and allocations.

Andy has managed housing services for more than 10 years across south Manchester, Moss Side and Wythenshawe, leading major changes to the way local services were delivered to residents.

He has led a range of partnerships at a local level both as ward coordinator and as chair of an area crime reduction partnership.  Andy is a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing.

Donna Taylor

Donna has lived in the Gorton South area of Manchester for 28 years. She has been a member of the Tenants Association for Gorton South (TAGS) for more than seven years and was a founder member.

Donna was a member of the Steering Group that helped to guide tenants towards a Yes vote in the transfer of 5,250 council properties to Eastlands Homes.  She has worked closely with consultants to ensure the transferring homes are brought up to the Decent Homes standard and - until recently - Donna has also been involved with the East Consultative Group.

She is very community-driven and sits on several of Eastlands Homes tenant forums.

Craig Wright

Craig is a partner at accounting firm BDO LLP and is the firm's National Head of Risk and Advisory Services. He is a Chartered Public Finance Accountant and member of the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors.  Craig has extensive experience in internal audit, risk management and corporate governance at a strategic level. He has led on reviews for major regulators, funding bodies and major corporations.

Craig has been delivering risk and advisory services for 15 years and has led on a significant number of consultancy projects, assisting organisations to develop their enterprise risk management and governance arrangements through workshop facilitation, effectiveness reviews and training programmes. He has audit experience across a range of sectors including social housing, technology, automotive, oil, manufacturing, central government, education and local government.

Craig is also a school governor at Stalyhill Infants School.

John Longsden

John has been a Labour Councillor representing the Bradford Ward since 2003. He has served on the Communities and Neighbourhood Scrutiny Committee and currently serves on the Licensing Committee.  He also holds the Position of Deputy Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services.
 
John has lived all his life in Openshaw. He is married with three grown up children and three grandchildren . He is a qualified Electrician. He worked in the contracting industry until joining Tameside Council Building Division where he stayed for thirty years eventually being transferred to New Charter Housing as a Senior Supervisor.  
 
He is also a Board Member of Enterprise Manchester Partnership Ltd,  Trustee of Edward Mayes Trust , Trustee of the Openshaw Millennium Green , and Chair of Governors at St Barnabas C of E Primary  School Openshaw.

John Brown

John has lived in Levenshulme for 28 years. He’s retired from full-time work but still works part time as a barperson and does a huge amount of voluntary work.

He is, among other things, Chair of Governors for Gorton Mount Primary School, Vice-Chair of Governors for Cedar Mount High School, a Community Guardian scheme member and a member of the Friends of Highfield Country Park.

Edna George

Edna has lived in Ardwick since she moved to the North West in 1999. Until recently she worked as a Paediatric Nurse Educator at Stepping Hill and then at St Mary's Hospitals.
 
She has involved herself in the local community principally as a founder member of her local Tenants and Residents Association .Keen on the development of her community she is a member of several of Eastlands Homes Tenant Panels.

Edna is an active member of The Parochial Church Council of her church, where she is a Eucharistic Minister. She is also a Lay Assistant and her particular interest is in Pastoral Care. 

Julie Milad

Julie is a Vice Principal at Manchester College, where she has worked (originally as a member of the staff of MANCAT) since 1993.  Julie was brought up in Levenshulme and went to school in Gorton. She still has family within the Eastlands area.

Julie gained a Psychology Degree and originally pursued a career in clinical psychology. She then commenced a career in Human Resources Management in private and public sector organisations and successfully gained her CIPD qualifications. During her time at the Manchester College she has undertaken the role of HR Director. In recent years she has undertaken a general management role at senior level. She currently leads the college's Support Service and Administration Service.