Learn About Our Advisors
The Discovery Community Advisory Group
Diane and Susan Baker
Consultant trainers at Dudley Voices for Choice. Having trained over 500 student nurses and medical professionals in how to best support people with learning disabilities we have worked very hard to help others.
Heather Blair
I’m Heather Blair. I work on the Discovery Group for IncludeAge to help older people get out and about. Sometimes I go to Glasgow for meetings with other people with learning disabilities (Keys to Life Expert Group). Working on IncludeAge has got me thinking about things like how its hard for older people with learning disabilities to get around.
Gillian Kelly
I have worked in the charity sector since 2016, which involved setting up a new children’s charity locally to help prevent ‘holiday hunger’ during school holidays for both primary and secondary schools. I then started working with Advocating Together from 2017 and have been responsible for administration/Data Protection/ running self and collective advocacy groups. Since 2020 I have become a full time advocacy worker and deputise for my manager in her absence. I’m delighted to be asked to be a member of the Include Age project and watching it flourish.
Graeme Smith
Hello my name is Graeme Smith. I was Born in West Germany where my father served in the RAF. I moved to England in 1955. I have shared my experiences of living with a Learning Disability on several advocacy projects both in England and abroad. I retired from working in a Work Preparation Unit and currently volunteer for the West Midlands Self Advocacy Network.
The Gold Community Advisory Group
Phil Eaglesham
Phil is a retired mental health nurse and Public Health professional. He has over 35yrs experience in partnership & collaborative working at Scottish, UK and International levels in addictions, mental health, HIV & health improvement. He is a qualified coach, psychodynamic counsellor and is skilled in spanning organisational and political boundaries as a champion of reducing inequality. The latter part of his statutory career specialised in the community justice & homelessness settings. Throughout his career he has volunteered and gained board, trustee and director level experience in blood bourne viruses, sexual health and child protection. He has also developed an artistic portfolio with several musical releases, performance art projects and collaborations and now works as a music walking tour guide in Glasgow. He lives apart/together with his two partners on the West Coast of Scotland.
Suzanna Hopwood
After working in public, private and not for profit organisations as a consultant and interim manager Suzanna has concentrated on providing support and advocacy for LGBTQ+ people in general and trans /non binary people in particular both locally and nationally. Her particular interests are in the area of health care for LGBTQ+ people especially in relation to sexual health, cancer care, primary care and mental health support. She was a member of Stonewall’s Trans Advisory Group, and NHS England’s Gender Identity Programme Board, is currently a member of a Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists working group. She is a Lay Examiner for both the College’s Part III Membership Examination and for the Royal College of Surgeons and a member of the Royal College of Physicians Patient & Carer Network. She was a member of the Royal College of Physicians working group developing a training credential in Gender Identity Medicine. She has also worked in national & local projects with Opening Doors, Mind, Age UK, THT, the Albert Kennedy Trust and cliniQ. She contributes to NHS Leadership Academy Programmes including the Nye Bevan Programme and the Building Leadership For Inclusion programme. She is a member of the Expert Advisory Group for the LOASCA: (Lgbtq+ Older Adult Social Care Assessments) Project at the University of Birmingham. As a member of her local LGBTQ+ forum (Queer Wandsworth) she is variously involved in user engagement in delivery of sexual & reproductive health services for LGBT people in general and trans people in particular and patient engagement in service delivery on SW London’s ICB/ICS.
Sallie Johnson
Sallie Johnson is an independent social worker with a long career in statutory social care. Areas of specialism include Older People, Carers, Palliative and Dementia care. She is also a Teaching Consultant with the Teaching Partnership at Kingston University supporting students on the BA, MA and Apprenticeship Social Work courses.
She has been working on a number of academic research projects for and within the LGBTQ community. These include (LOASCA) LGBTQ+ Older Adult Social Care Assessment study (University of Birmingham – 2 years), (CIRCLE) Creating Inclusive Residential Care for LGBTQ+ Elders (1 year), moderating focus groups for Tonic Housing and projects for Research In Practice.
Sallie is passionate about Diversity. Equality and Inclusion in everyday life. This means making invisible members of our society visible by Including everyone in the conversation. It signifies actively removing barriers and developing cultures where everyone can feel valued, engaged and respected for what they do and who they are. She describes her main people skills as working with empathy, compassion and the intelligence to recognize and respect the emotions and experiences of others.
Tim Kelly
Tim is a retired professor of social work. As a social work practitioner he specialised in the care of older people, mental health, and the use of groups in individual and social change. He continued developing his expertise in care of older people and groupwork across his 30 year career in higher education in the United States and in Scotland. Tim believed it was important to be visible as a gay person, as such, he volunteered in numerous LGBTQ+ organisations both within the universities in which he worked as well as in the community. For example, he set up and ran LGBT sporting clubs, volunteered in AIDS support services, Chaired LGBT staff networks, and Co-Chaired Dundee Pride. In retirement he continues to volunteer and co-facilitates a weekly LGBT+ Ukulele group and is a member of LGBT Health and Wellbeing’s Age Action Group. He also volunteers for the Lucy Faithfull Foundation (Scotland) which works to support families impacted by child sexual abuse. He regularly performs as a queer comedian where he uses his experiences and observations of oppression and exclusion to inform his comedy…thereby educating through the creative arts.
Jim McManus
Jim McManus is Executive Director of Public Health at Hertfordshire County Council and President of the UK Association of Directors of Public Health. He is a Chartered Scientist and Chartered Psychologist as well as a Fellow of the UK Faculty of Public Health. He is a visiting professor at the University of Hertfordshire. He has worked on public health approaches to healthy ageing and on LGBT Health including hate crime response for over thirty years, most recently contributing a book chapter on. Outside work he is a hospice trustee and enjoys powerlifting and weightlifting which he took up after surviving cancer. Jim has a special interest in leadership training and leadership models which are LGBT+ inclusive.
Diego Garcia Rodriquez
Diego is a Leverhulme-funded Research Fellow. He holds a PhD in Gender and Sexuality Studies from University College London. He has worked extensively with marginalised communities including queer Muslims, LGBT+ people living with HIV, older queer people living in isolation and those living in intolerant environments across the world in countries such as, among others, the UK, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka.
Martin Wells
Martin Wells is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in leadership, education, and cancer advocacy. He has a distinguished career spanning several sectors, focusing on innovative practices and personal development. Currently, he serves as the Lead and Ambassador for the Shaping Prostate Cancer Literacy Group, where he raises awareness and provides crucial support to individuals affected by prostate cancer.
Martin’s background includes significant roles in academia as a Visiting Tutor at Lancaster University and the University of Warwick, where he taught project management and leadership. He co-founded and chaired the “Out with Prostate Cancer Support Group,” creating a supportive environment for sharing experiences and providing education.
He has also led HeadHandHeart Limited, delivering experiential learning programs that integrate emotional engagement to foster creativity and problem-solving. Martin’s career is marked by his ability to motivate and inspire others, ensuring they generate practical solutions to complex issues.
