Our Trustees seek to use the Foundation’s resources to help build a better society, one more equal and less divided. Their emphasis is on tackling the causes of poverty and other social ills rather than alleviating the symptoms, and on doing so where possible by empowering the most disadvantaged, in the first instance in the Foundation’s own home region.

Yvonne Gale
Yvonne is a Chartered Accountant with a career in improving the economy of the North East by managing and advising impact investment funds underpinned by firm structures to ensure good environmental, social and governance practices. Yvonne applies these transferable skills as the chair of the Investment Committee for the Millfield House Foundation.

She holds a range of local, national and international governance roles focused on enabling economic development and addressing poverty and inequality.

Her interest in the work of Millfield House Foundation stems from a childhood where poverty and inequality were ever present.

Rosie Lewis
Rosie Lewis is an ending violence against women and girls (VAWG) activist and consultant. Specialising in work with migrant and multiply marginalised women and children, her work has ranged from frontline IDVA, ISVA, service and executive management roles to strategic policy making and research positions. 
 
Rosie is currently working with national and regional organisations to develop strategic VAWG policy, sector research and to review standards frameworks. She continues to provide infrastructure and leadership consultancy and pro-bono support to grassroots led by and for Black and minoritised women’s organisations and the wider women’s sector. 
 
She holds a range of specific domestic abuse, sexual violence and leadership qualifications alongside a First-Class Honours Degree and Masters in Research. She is in the last stages of completing her PhD at Durham University.

Emma Richardson
Emma Richardson is the Senior Manager, Poverty Lead within Northumberland County Council. Originally from the North East, Emma spent 25 years working in community settings in the West of Scotland developing programmes of support – much with parents of looked after children, still an area she is passionate about.  Case and group work led to inevitable interest in social policy, the value of voice, and meaningful impact measurement – and best deployment of resource. Enriched by a Writer in Residence project with HomeStart Scotland, asset strategy work, and a (shortlisted) bid for City of Culture, Emma now showcases the importance of quality, culture, and enrichment in addressing inequality and poverty.
 
Returning to the region in 2017, in her current role Emma enjoys working across the council and its system partners; “leaning in” as a critical friend to ensure we get the best from policy, resources, and opportunities available. At its core this includes hardship supports and targeted provision, but also seeding activity to test new ways of working in and with communities developing sustainable and ambitious approaches to shared challenges. Key in all areas of Emma’s work is spending time forming relationships, learning from others, and stretching to new models of cross sector workforce, and using this knowledge to influence impactful policy. Emma is known for her optimism and enthusiasm, both fuelled by realities of now, and the futures we reach for.

Matt Roche
Matt currently works for the Mercers’ Company, a livery company in the City of London. His role as Head Grant Programme Manager includes taking a lead on grant making in the North East, Norfolk and Lincolnshire, as well as leading the Company’s relationship with the church and day to day work on social investment.

Matt is also a councillor in Darlington and is the Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Health and Housing.

Prior to his role at the Mercers’ Company Matt worked at the Big Lottery Fund, where his biggest achievement as a Head of Funding was the development of a £200m portfolio of programmes that have supported over 2,500 charities and social enterprises to become more enterprising and take on repayable finance. Before this Matt worked in the mental health and community development sectors. He has also worked as a senior consultant for Power to Change, supporting them with their work on the future of the high street, including co-authoring a report. Matt has been on a range of grant making panels/Committees, including during his work at Big Lottery Fund and for Durham University.

Matt is currently a member of the NHS Integrated Care Partnership and Governor of the North East Ambulance Service. He has over 30 years of non-executive experience of third sector organisations. This has included being on a Parochial Church Council, Deanery Synod, Chair of a charitable arts organisation and Chair of a social enterprise, as well as a founder and Secretary of Darlington for Culture (a cultural co-operative).

Laura Seebohm
Chief Executive of WWIN Specialist Domestic Abuse Service for Sunderland, Laura has 28 years’ experience in the statutory and voluntary sectors. Prior to joining the WWIN, Laura was Chief Executive of national charity the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, a campaigning organisation driven by joining together lived experience and clinical expertise. 
Laura has spent the majority of her career leading work to improve policy and practice for women and girls.  She set up women’s services for Changing Lives where she worked for many years both as Operational Director and latterly as Executive Director for External Affairs.  Laura has a strong commitment to influencing policy and system change by amplifying voices of people with lived experience of trauma and discrimination, and influencing decision makers at a local, regional and national level.
 
Before joining Changing Lives Laura worked as a Probation Officer and her background brings specialist expertise of supporting women with experience of the criminal justice system, sexual exploitation, and domestic abuse.

Laura has experience of policy at a national level, multiple peer research projects and system change practices.  She sits on several boards, including as Trustee of the Millfield House Foundation and Women’s Reform CIC, and is a Core Group member of the Better Way Network.

Jonathan Walker (Chair)
Jonathan is Head of Policy at the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX); responsible for leading policy and campaigning activity on behalf of its 21,000 members across a range of issues including access to justice, legal aid reform and diversity in the legal profession. Prior to this he was Policy Director at the North East England Chamber of Commerce. Jonathan holds a BA in politics and MA in media and public relations from Newcastle University and is a member of the Chartered Institute for Public Relations.

MHF Trustees may be involved in various capacities in other organisations in the North East. A register of interests and procedures for declarations of interest at meetings has been adopted.

All our Trustees live in the North East. They meet three times a year, usually in February, June and October.