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THE COMMISSIONERS
LIAM BLACK
Liam Black is the former Director of the Fifteen Foundation. Created by Jamie Oliver in 2002, Fifteen exists to inspire disadvantaged young people to believe that they can create great careers for themselves in the restaurant business.
Liam Black is the former Director of the Fifteen Foundation. Created by Jamie Oliver in 2002, Fifteen exists to inspire disadvantaged young people to believe that they can create great careers for themselves in the restaurant business.
He has held several high profile social enterprise leadership positions including CEO at Liverpool's FRC Group, widely seen as one of the UK's pioneering social businesses. He led in the founding of social businesses such as Bulky Bob's & CREATE, which have provided livelihoods for hundreds of formerly unemployed people.
Liam is an adviser to the Government on its business and entrepreneur strategies and a founding member of the Social Enterprise Coalition.
LORD GEOFFREY DEAR
Lord Geoffrey Dear is a distinguished former police officer & holder of the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery. Lord Dear began his career in Peterborough. After service in Cambridgeshire, he held the positions of Assistant Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire (1972-80), Deputy Assistant Commissioner, then Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police (1980-85), Chief Constable of West Midlands (1985-90), and HM Inspector of Constabulary (1990-97). In the latter post, he was responsible for the twelve Forces in the NW quarter of England & Wales, and nationally for the police interface with the Criminal Justice System, drugs, crime prevention & detection; Crime Squads and criminal intelligence.
Lord Geoffrey Dear is a distinguished former police officer & holder of the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery. Lord Dear began his career in Peterborough. After service in Cambridgeshire, he held the positions of Assistant Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire (1972-80), Deputy Assistant Commissioner, then Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police (1980-85), Chief Constable of West Midlands (1985-90), and HM Inspector of Constabulary (1990-97). In the latter post, he was responsible for the twelve Forces in the NW quarter of England & Wales, and nationally for the police interface with the Criminal Justice System, drugs, crime prevention & detection; Crime Squads and criminal intelligence.
He led a number of high profile investigations & reviews, including the Brixton Riots 1981; the shooting of Stephen Waldorf 1983; the Hillsborough Stadium disaster 1989. He was a member of the Glidewell Review of the Crown Prosecution Service (1997-98); advised the Auld Review of the Criminal Courts system (2000) & was a member of the Virdi Enquiry team (2000-01). He was a member of the Strategy group advising the newly formed Security Industry Authority. He was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 1989; was Knighted in 1997, and created a Peer in 2006. He plays an active part in the work of the House of Lords from the Cross Benches, especially in the fields of Home Affairs, criminal justice and rural affairs.
PROF. GUS JOHN
Professor Gus John is a fellow of the Institute of Education, University of London & visiting faculty professor of education at the University of Strathclyde. He is chair of Parents & Students Empowerment (PaSE), a body working with parents & with excluded students and those at risk of exclusion from school. He works with young people associated with gangs & with relatives of victims of gun violence in Manchester. He is a patron of Origin, a rites of passage programme for young black boys in South London. Professor John gave verbal & written evidence to the Home Affairs Committee on Young Black People & Crime.
Professor Gus John is a fellow of the Institute of Education, University of London & visiting faculty professor of education at the University of Strathclyde. He is chair of Parents & Students Empowerment (PaSE), a body working with parents & with excluded students and those at risk of exclusion from school. He works with young people associated with gangs & with relatives of victims of gun violence in Manchester. He is a patron of Origin, a rites of passage programme for young black boys in South London. Professor John gave verbal & written evidence to the Home Affairs Committee on Young Black People & Crime.
MARK JOHNSON
Mark Johnson was born in 1970 to a family which combined violence, heavy drinking and religious extremism. Before he had left primary school he had become a drunk, drug abuser & vandal. He served his first jail term, for violent crime, aged 17.
Mark Johnson was born in 1970 to a family which combined violence, heavy drinking and religious extremism. Before he had left primary school he had become a drunk, drug abuser & vandal. He served his first jail term, for violent crime, aged 17.
In his 20s raves and the accompanying drugs became his life. At 28 he was homeless & lived for a year on the streets of London's West End, addicted to crack & heroin. Faced with a choice between death & rehabilitation he opted for the harder of the two.
Within a few years, with some help from The Prince's Trust, he set up a tree surgery business & employed other recovering addicts. He received, among other accolades, a Pride of Britain award for his work. In the summer of 2007 the publication of Mark's honest autobiography, 'Wasted', shook both the reading public & policymakers.
He is now employed as a special adviser to both the board of the National Probation Service & the Prince's Trust where he helps initiate new ideas, in particular a project called 1-2-1 which uses ex-offenders as supporters for young offenders. He enjoys the special patronage of Prince Charles & both the media & government ministers take a strong interest in his ideas.
Mark works tirelessly to increase understanding of the reasons young people become offenders & drug abusers & hopes to initiate more new schemes to help them find another way. He has not used drugs or drink for seven years.
IAN LEVY
Ian Levy is a college lecturer in auto engineering. He is the founder of The Robert Levy Foundation and the director of Through Unity. The Robert Levy foundation was set up after Ian's son Robert was stabbed to death in Hackney in 2004 when he tried to protect a younger boy from an attack by another youth. The foundation primarily operates in Hackney to mentor young people and offer alternatives to a life of crime and violence. This is followed up with training which helps to prepare young people to enter into work and or training where possible. Through Unity is an organisation set up to provide support to families in the even a loved one is lost through violent crime. They also provide support to small charities operated by those families affected and are able to find the strength to try to make changes in their communities.
Ian Levy is a college lecturer in auto engineering. He is the founder of The Robert Levy Foundation and the director of Through Unity. The Robert Levy foundation was set up after Ian's son Robert was stabbed to death in Hackney in 2004 when he tried to protect a younger boy from an attack by another youth. The foundation primarily operates in Hackney to mentor young people and offer alternatives to a life of crime and violence. This is followed up with training which helps to prepare young people to enter into work and or training where possible. Through Unity is an organisation set up to provide support to families in the even a loved one is lost through violent crime. They also provide support to small charities operated by those families affected and are able to find the strength to try to make changes in their communities.
FAY SELVAN
Fay Selvan is the Chief Executive of The Big Life group which she established in 2002. It is the first group of social businesses & charities in the country and brings together well-known brands such as The Big Issue in the North and nationally innovative initiatives such as the Kath Locke Centre in Hulme, the first primary care centre run by a non-NHS agency.
Fay Selvan is the Chief Executive of The Big Life group which she established in 2002. It is the first group of social businesses & charities in the country and brings together well-known brands such as The Big Issue in the North and nationally innovative initiatives such as the Kath Locke Centre in Hulme, the first primary care centre run by a non-NHS agency.
Fay has extensive experience in the field of regeneration working as a local tenant and subsequently for the public and charitable sectors through the regeneration of Hulme in Manchester. In 1999 she was appointed Executive Sponsor for the Manchester, Salford and Trafford Health Action Zone & for three years she led the community programme. In February 2001, she took up appointment as Chair of Trafford North Primary Care Trust (TNPCT) & led the Trust until taking up the Chair of Trafford Healthcare Trust (THT) in January 2006.
TNPCT covers a diverse area with pockets of inner city deprivation. It has very poor estates, a large number of single-handed GPs & marked health inequalities. Despite these challenges the PCT achieved financial balance, made investment into primary care & has a reputation for quality & innovation. In her new role as Chair of THT, Fay is working to ensure quality services are offered in local hospitals.
PROF. HOWARD WILLIAMSON
Howard Williamson is Professor of European Youth Policy at the University of Glamorgan. He is involved in youth policy development in Europe, having been part of the European Union White Paper on youth policy process & a contributor to the Council of Europe's international reviews of national youth policies in western & eastern Europe.
Howard Williamson is Professor of European Youth Policy at the University of Glamorgan. He is involved in youth policy development in Europe, having been part of the European Union White Paper on youth policy process & a contributor to the Council of Europe's international reviews of national youth policies in western & eastern Europe.
In the UK & in Wales, he has contributed to youth policy development in vocational training, curriculum development, combating substance misuse, youth work & criminal justice. He chairs the Prevention and Inclusion Committee of the YJB & the Consultative Committee for Wales.
