New Chair of Trustees

We are delighted to announce that Charlotte Weinberg, the Executive Director of Safe Ground, has been elected as our new Chair of Trustees.

Charlotte replaces Liz Hill, who is stepping down after seven years as Chair. Liz will remain as a Trustee.

Outgoing Chair of Trustees, Liz Hill, said:

I have been one of the Centre's Trustees since the early 1990s and Chair of Trustees for most of the last decade. During my period as Chair of Trustees, the Centre has delivered significant achievements, both in its work in the fields of criminal and social justice, and in continuing to be a strong organisation and good employer.

It is the role of the Trustees to ensure proper governance and accountability and to provide support, connections, ideas and an environment which enables achievements to be delivered by the commitment and hard work of the staff. As a Trustee, and latterly as Chair of Trustees, I am proud of the ongoing success of the organisation based on those joint efforts.

The Chair of Trustees is first among equals but needs to do more than colleagues to coordinate and provide support, particularly to the Director. Reluctantly, I have concluded that from deepest rural West Devon I am no longer able to deliver the time and attention that the role requires.

I am delighted that Charlotte Weinberg has taken on the role of Chair. She and I have had time to do a proper handover and I look forward to the energy and fresh approach that she will bring. I will remain as a Trustee and an active supporter of the Centre and its work.

Charlotte Weinberg, our new Chair of Trustees, said:

I was attracted to the Centre very early on in my time at Safe Ground because it appeared to me to be an important organisation, offering critical challenge and scrutiny of criminal justice policies, as well as proposing solutions to some of our most intractable criminal justice policy problems.

I have had the pleasure of watching Liz chair the Trustees meetings for some time and have learnt from her calm and clear manner and enjoyed her direction. Liz has always been keen to foster open discussion and collective decision-making. I aim to continue the steady direction she has set.

It is an honour and a privilege to share the leadership of a national organisation with someone as skilled as Richard and with a team as expert as that at the Centre.

I relish the opportunity to help drive forward our exciting new strategic plan, deliver impact and influence policy and public opinion through the concepts and practice of social justice.

Our Director, Richard Garside, said:

I am incredibly grateful to Liz Hill for the leadership she has brought as Chair of Trustees and the advice, guidance and support she has afforded me over several years. I am very pleased that she has agreed to stay on as a Trustee.

I am also delighted that Charlotte Weinberg has agreed to take on the role of Chair of Trustees and very much look forward to working with her in the years to come.