We would like to give a warm welcome to our newest trustee, Jess Barnes. She joins us as the first female on the board and we are delighted to have her on the team.
Jess is a mum to a young son that has AKU and has supported the charity since his diagnosis in 2013. She has been an active fundraiser, appeared in our short films, and last year presented our very successful BBC Radio 4 charity appeal.
We asked Jess to tell us a little bit about herself:
I’m a mum to two boys and we live in Brighton on the south coast. I’m currently a Director of our family tech business and I also work part-time for a digital agency in Brighton. My background is largely sales and marketing with a strong leaning towards business operations. I have also been involved in various fundraising campaigns for both the AKU Society and a local neonatal charity in Brighton.
When I’m not juggling work and family life, I enjoy creating art, running on the South Downs, and you’ll often find me in the sea as I love to swim.
I was honored when Nick first approached me about becoming a trustee and I’m delighted to be joining the board. I’m very much looking forward to getting more involved and hope that I can represent and advocate for families within the AKU community and offer a different perspective as a female on the board.
Receiving an AKU diagnosis for your child is a very scary and daunting time and having had firsthand experience of the support that the AKU Society provides families, I want to ensure that these resources continue to grow alongside the charity’s other strategic objectives.
I am really looking forward to working more closely with the other trustees and the incredible AKU team.