Our trustees have all been commissioners of local Poverty Truth Commissions. At least 50% of the board should be trustees who have had a direct experience of the struggle against poverty. Our current trustees are:

Claire Brown

Chair

Claire is an artist, wife, and mum of 2 amazing boys both with additional needs. In her spare time she is learning to play the cello and she enjoys hiking. She is passionate about improving the quality and availability of accessible housing.

Kidist Teklemariam

Kidist is the founder of Unleashing Refugee Potential C.I.C, a social enterprise dedicated to assisting refugees and migrants in accessing education, employment, and self-employment opportunities. Additionally, she served as a community commissioner on the Leeds Poverty Truth Commission, actively engaging in efforts to combat poverty in her community.
Currently, she is in the final year of her PhD program, focusing on migrant education and conducting valuable research in this field. In her leisure time, she enjoys spending quality moments with friends and community members, watching movies, and immersing herself in the world of music.

Joanna Young

Joanna is CEO at Citizens Advice North Lancashire and a trustee at Morecambe Bay Foodbank. She’s a school governor and previously a City Councillor on Lancaster City Council. A Civic & Business Commissioner in round two of Morecambe Bay Poverty Truth Commission, Joanna is really passionate about working to amplify the voices of those who have lived experience of poverty to ensure they can play a full part in the community.
When she’s not at work Joanna loves Morecambe where she lives with her husband and three teenagers and can be frequently found on the prom with two much loved and badly behaved black pugs.

Michou Burckett St Laurent

Michou works in Wellbeing Services in Higher Education and is passionate about providing people-focused support and being part of the transformative impact that services can have. She joined the Swansea Poverty Truth Commission as a Civic & Business Commissioner and through this, has not only made great friends but learned a great deal, not least about the incredible work of the Network.
She is currently studying for an MSc in Psychology and loves learning, particularly with and from others through coproduction. She loves reading, music and being outside (ideally up a hill with her dog).

Barbara Dean

I have been a victim of poverty and hardship over the years and several members of my family are Autistic. This means that I have also experienced the many barriers to getting the help for people I desperately needed to.
I have been a Community Commissioner with Cheshire West and Chester Poverty Truth Commission, which has been very rewarding, and given me the opportunity to help make a difference in the lives of people living in poverty today.
I spend most of my spare time with my family, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, but also meet regularly with friends where we go to different live music or amdram events and meals out.

Carrie-Anne Birch

Carrie describes life as a roller-coaster having always lived in poverty. She was a Community Commissioner in the first Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Poverty Truth Commission. Carrie is a lone parent to neurodivergent children, cancer survivor, fatigue sufferer, and champion of sleeping through alarms. She has recently co-edited a new textbook ‘Poverty in the UK’ The Lived Experience – out mid-2026.