Our Team

Emma has a background in teaching and teacher training. She worked as an English language teacher and teacher trainer for 20 years in Ecuador, Thailand, Japan and Singapore. She came back to the UK with her husband and children a few years ago to be closer to family. She first joined CUF to work on some short-term projects and found that she really enjoyed organising events and helping out the different teams in CUF so joined on a permanent basis as Executive Assistant to Rob Wickham, CUF’s Chief Executive. When Emma is not at work she enjoys hanging out with friends and family and planning adventures for them to go on. She loves cooking food from around the world, travelling and is learning all about gardening.

Kalleen joined CUF as HR and Administrative Officer in June 2024. She has more than 28 years' experience within varied HR environments including The British Museum and London Zoo.

Kalleen is passionate about music and singing and serves in the Praise and Worship ministry at her local church.

She loves spending time with family, especially where food is involved. She is an avid reader and enjoys settling down with a good book and a cuppa!

Kate joined CUF in 2024, having previously worked for charities including Christian Aid, Freedom from Torture, and the Community Foundation Network, to connect funders and supporters with the causes they care about.

She is passionate about the role of grassroots community groups, especially neighbourhood churches, in creating a fairer world for all.

Kate currently volunteers for the Othona Christian community movement, lives in Warwickshire, and loves nature.

Jo has worked as a Programme and Project Manager in the education sector for over 20 years. She has also volunteered with a number of charities, supporting refugees, cancer research and animal welfare. Throughout her career Jo has led a number of programmes to help people into work through a combination of education, work experience and support.

Jo lives in South Manchester with her husband, 2 teenagers and 2 dogs. She loves getting out and about and is passionate about theatre and particularly musicals. She also has a bit of reputation for finding unusual places and events to visit with the family and dogs.

Jon joined the Near Neighbours team in 2024 as a grants administrator having worked in the NHS as a senior manager for over 20 years managing major contracts, undertaking performance analysis and improvement, as well as managing procurement and business intelligence teams.

Jon is actively involved at his church in Ipswich, working on social action projects, leading the Christians Against Poverty (CAP) Life Skills course and Money Coaching course, and chairing the multi-church CAP Debt steering group in Ipswich.

Jon lives in Suffolk with his family, he enjoys gardening and exploring the beautiful Suffolk countryside.

Madison joined Near Neighbours as a grants administrator in 2024, having previously worked for a number of mission-driven organisations in sectors ranging from sustainability to legal aid. She was born and raised in London, but obtained an M.A. in Politics from the University of Glasgow, where she also worked as an Editor for the Glasgow Guardian. She has also contributed to a number of other media publications including the Guardian and Mace Magazine, with social equality at the heart of all of her writing. In her spare time, she likes to weightlift, DJ, and help run events for the lgbt+ community in Glasgow.