About Us
Board of Directors

Probation Association Board of Directors 2010

Alan Wooderson

Devon and Cornwall

Elected Chair of PA Board of Directors September 2007

Qualified as a social worker 1977 and first employed in Plymouth as a child care specialist. Subsequently, 30 years experience in all aspects of local government and social care, before taking early retirement in October 2006.  Alan's wife recently retired as Corporate Director for CAFCASS, having previously been an Assistant Chief Probation Officer.  Whilst employed in local government social care Alan held a significant portfolio implementing major change programmes.  He has a particular interest in strategic planning and partnership development; service commissioning and cross sector working.  He has had a long involvement in criminal justice issues and particular knowledge of drug and alcohol services, Supporting People, Safeguarding Children and Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults.  Currently continuing to chair the Safer Devon Partnership delivering the Local Area Agreement.

Lesley Bessant

North East

Chair Northumbria Probation Trust

Chair of Northumbria Probation Trust for three years. Prior to this Lesley was Assistant Chief Executive at Gateshead Council and also Assistant Clerk to Northumbria Police Authority.  She spent all her working life in the public sector until her retirement in 2006.  Lesley is also on the board of NomadE5 Housing Association.

Julie Dent

London

Chair London Probation Trust

After retiring from the NHS in 2007 Julie has developed a portfolio career.  She held numerous senior posts in the NHS and DoH and her last post was Chief Executive of South West London Strategic Health Authority.  She was awarded the CBE in 2006 for her services to the NHS and her role in the health response to the London bombings.  She has a particular interest in leadership and organisational development.  Julie's current portfolio includes coaching and consultancy.  She is currently working for the Social Enterprise Coalition and the NHS Institute for Improvement and Innovation.  She is Chair of two social enterprises: Secure Healthcare (which provides prison healthcare) and The Hub (a workplace/space for social entrepreneurs).  She is married with two grown up children.

Mike Fisher

South East

Chair Hampshire and Isle of Wight Probation Trust

A Solicitor with over 30 years experience in the public sector.  He retired at the end of December 2005 as Chief Executive of the Isle of Wight Council.  His interest in the world of criminal justice sprang from being on the Board of Visitors of HM Parkhurst.

Christine Goldstraw

East Midlands

Chair Nottinghamshire Probation Trust

A highly experienced and recently retired innovative Executive Director with over 10 years of leading and setting corporate strategy, delivered under different political climates.  Detailed knowledge of, and responsibility for, leading and implementing complex change.  Operational management and direction of a corporate Portfolio which included departments as diverse as Maintenance, Construction and Property Services Development, Dietetics, Out-Patients and all front of house Hotel functions.  Staffing of over 1000 employees, with corporate responsibility for a Trust with an annual turnover of over £240m with 6,000 employees.  Results oriented, self-motivated with a track record of high achievements in: Project Management, Change and Operational Management.  Additional board responsibilities included: advice on Procurement, Health and Safety and wider community initiatives. As Executive Director also a member of the Risk Management Committee and was Vice chair of the controls Assurance Group.  A Magistrate and Chair of New College Nottingham.

Stan Hardy

Yorkshire and Humberside

Chair West Yorkshire Probation Trust

Educated in York and RMA Sandhurst. After serving a Short Service Commission as an infantry officer he joined the GKN Group as a management trainee, rising to Divisional General Manager in both the Fastener and Forging Divisions and worked in the Far East and USA.  He continued soldiering as a member of the Territorial Army, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1991, having graduated from both the UK and NATO Staff Colleges.  He left GKN to set up his own specialist engineering company while simultaneously becoming the Chair of the Institute of Directors(IoD) in Yorkshire and a member of the IoD National Council.  He sold his company and intended to take early retirement. However the IoD persuaded him to become one of its first Regional Directors, opening the organisation's first non-London permanent "footprint" at the Leeds Club, offering members a scaled down version of the facilities in IoD Pall Mall.  Once again he intended to retire but became involved in an IT project in Greece.  On his return to the UK in 2002 he became the Director of a trade association, representing the UK's metalforming industry throughout the EU, Middle East, Japan and China as well as with UK and EU Ministers and government departments.  He also served on the BA Trade Association Forum as an elected member and is a member of the China-British Business Council.  Stan chairs Create a Future, a not for profit organisation dedicated to developing basic skills and technical and mathematics skills in young people to both improve their employability and serve the national interest.  He is a director of Northern Defence Industries, a consortium which assists SMEs to join as subcontractors in national and international defence contracts.

Dr  Alan Harrison

West Midlands

Chair Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust

Dr Harrison was appointed as West Midlands Chair following a four year period as a board member and Chair of the Audit Committee. In March 2008 he was sworn-in as a magistrate for the Birmingham Courts. Alan was the first Chief Executive for England Athletics, setting up the new governing body for the sport and taking governance from the Amateur Athletics Association. As Corporate Affairs Director for Remploy, he worked closely with and on behalf of people with a disability and partnered a range of charitable organisations. He spent the majority of his career with Courtaulds plc, undertaking business training at INSEAD, Paris and holding a variety of senior executive positions. He has led a number of business turnarounds and managed a worldwide business improvement programme for Courtaulds Fibres. Alan is also a non-executive director with the South Warwickshire General Hospitals Trust.

Adrian Heffernan

East of England

Chair Bedfordshire Probation Trust

Previously employed by the former British Railways for 20 years, Adrian represented Bedfordshire's communities for 12 years as a county councillor. Served for six years as Chair of Bedfordshire's Police Authority, appointed Chair of the Police Pay Review Body 1999-2005 and jointly leads for the employers' side on the National Negotiating Council for the probation service. Adrian also serves on the Department for Work and Pension's Ethics Committee, which advises ministers on a range of issues.

Joe Kuipers

South West

Chair Avon & Somerset Probation Trust

Background includes: working for the probation service, both as a practitioner, middle manager and chief officer grade; as a research fellow looking at the post-release experience of prisoners serving short sentences; in HM Inspectorate of Probation as an inspector and then as Assistant chief and joint acting Deputy Chief Inspector; as a senior manager in the Commission for Social Care Inspection, leading a team of regulators and inspectors, and with particular responsibility for the social care performance of seven London boroughs, working closely with the Audit Commission and with lead responsibility for services for children; and for the past seven years as an independent advisor working for a variety of probation areas, local authorities, universities and NOMS.  Joe is committed especially to helping to bridge the gaps between custodial and community provision for offenders coupled with ensuring that the priority on public protection through effective offender management is fully implemented.  It is crucial that front-line staff set high aspirations for the offenders that they work with, supervise and hold to account.  Often it is through that relationship that offenders can start to believe that they can change, despite the frequent set-backs that they will often experience.  It is our front-line staff who are best placed to translate organisational diversity expectations and enable access to opportunities for offenders regardless of their specific backgrounds and circumstances.  In tandem with leading the Avon and Somerset Board to drive forward needed service improvements in our particular area, with our new Chief Officer, Joe is very receptive to the re-opened debate on the size, scale and numbers of probation trusts across England and Wales, and will work constructively with colleague chiefs, trust chairs and members across the region to help shape the best possible management and delivery arrangements that achieve effective services that represent the best value possible for the investments made.

Roy Male

North West

Chair Lancashire Probation Trust

Philosophy graduate of St. John's College, Cambridge.  Joined the NHS as a management trainee and worked for 35 years in the North-west and East Anglia. For a brief period he served as a JP on the Norwich Bench.  Spent over 20 years in personnel management before becoming Chief Executive of Addenbrooke's Hospital and then Chief Executive of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals.  Awarded CBE in 2003 for services to the NHS.  Since retirement from work he is an Independent Member of the Disciplinary Tribunals, ILEX and an independent Member of the Standards Committee of the Lancashire Combined Fire Authority.