THREE new trustees have joined Dorset Community Foundation to add even more expertise and experience to its board.
Lee Hardy OBE was born and went to school in Dorset and has had a family home in the county all his life.
As a trustee he brings wide range of experience and a broad business perspective to Dorset Community Foundation gained from a long and operationally focused career in the Royal Navy.
His time in the Navy included frontline and staff appointments at sea, ashore and in Command. Latterly he led an Overseas Territory on behalf of the UK Government, served as a marine and maritime adviser to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and is now closely engaged in the Blue Economy, leading projects aimed at countering illegality at sea.
He is very supportive of the local community and holds a variety of board and voluntary roles. He says he has a curiosity about most things but is especially drawn to military history, travel, safeguarding the marine and natural environment, cycling and the countryside.
He was appointed an Officer in the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2016.
Bekki Stalker has more than 20 years’ experience in the non-profit sector and has worked in community engagement, education and training, for example as Community Engagement Manager for Leonard Cheshire and Project Manager for London Borough of Camden.
Throughout her career she has combined innovation, simplicity, and a people-focused approach towards managing community projects and has a passion for inclusiveness and accessibility – giving a voice to the “quiet one in the room”.
Samantha Everard founded the SAMEE charity, which supports disabled people to gain financial independence through supported self-employment start-up, in 2016 and is currently its Chief Executive Officer.
She is also a disability specialist and to support her consultancy work, she is the Chair of the South West Regional Stakeholder Network for the Disability Unit in Cabinet Office and studying towards a PhD with the Centre of Seldom Heard Voices, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences at Bournemouth University. Both of those roles allow her to engage the voices of disabled people on a deep level which informs the development of best practice and co-created strategies to support the disabled community.
Chair of Trustees Tom Flood CBE welcomed all three to the board, sayimng: “I’m delighted to bring more talent and know-how into the community foundation. Their knowledge of the communities we seek to support will add great value to the board and staff team as we seek to deliver our ambitions plans for 2023..”