Meet Our New Board Members
/Our year got off to a great start as we welcomed two new board members to Supporting Communities at our December AGM and a further third new member joined us in February. Each brings something different to the table but they all have incredibly useful and important skills and experiences to share!
Jim Ripley
Jim Ripley has worked in social housing for more than 35 years and has recently retired from his role as Chief Executive of Phoenix Community Housing in London.
Jim has been a passionate believer in the resident-led model throughout his career and wishes it were more prevalent in the housing sector, which is one of the reasons he was interested in Supporting Communities and our work with the Housing Community Network and housing associations developing tenant participation strategies.
"The ethos and purpose of Supporting Communities aligns well with my vision for how housing works best,” says Jim.
"I am excited about this opportunity to serve on both the board of the charity and as a director for Empowering Communities, the trading arm working to raise the standard of tenant participation throughout the island of Ireland. The team at SC is doing fantastic work. I look forward to bringing my years of experience to support the organisation to grow and learning more myself!”
John Mulholland
A native of Whitehead, John Mulholland was an Investors In People (IIP) Practitioner for over 20 years advising and assessing leading-edge clients locally, nationally, and internationally. As owner and managing director of PDQ Solutions Ltd., John provides assessment, consultancy, and training services to a wide variety of organisations.
John first got involved with SC years ago through an IIP assessment. Over many years and several more assessments, first in IIP and now for Customer Service Excellence, John says he has seen the organisation grow in both professionalism and confidence. When the opportunity presented itself to become a director for Empowering Communities, John jumped at the chance.
“I was absolutely bowled over by the progress the business has made. It's very much in line with the ethos and values of Supporting Communities and my own values”, says John. “I would like to use the skills and knowledge I have to channel it in a slightly different direction. The cross-border element is attractive and the commercialisation - I might be able to give some guidance to the board there.”
Geraldine O’Kane
Geraldine O'Kane is our newest member joining us in February. She is a committed member of the Greencastle Community Empowerment Partnership working to help people into social housing.
With over 30 years of experience in the community sector, she has worked closely with the North Belfast Housing Strategy and the Housing Executive on community development and housing issues affecting her area.
Her community group has had a close connection with Supporting Communities for many years giving Geraldine first-hand insight into our training, advice, and support services.
"Supporting Communities has always been there to help me and my community over the years so I was delighted when there was an opportunity to join the board. I look forward to helping the organisation develop and grow!"
