Saima is a researcher who has worked for think-tanks and national charities on children’s rights and welfare. Since joining IVAR in 2010, she has carried out research into collaborative working in the voluntary and community sector and explored the role of community-based organisations in contributing to political and civil life. Currently, Saima’s main areas of work are on resolving specific problems related to hidden homelessness and implementing volunteer strategies within third sector organisations.
Ben has more than 20 years' experience of work in and around the voluntary sector as a volunteer, manager, trustee, trainer, writer and researcher. As co-founder of the Aston Centre for Voluntary Action Research in 2000, Ben led the development and delivery of a dynamic new approach to action research and capacity building with local, regional and national organisations. Now, as the founding Director of IVAR and Honorary Research Fellow of Birkbeck, Ben is responsible for taking this work forward.
Eliza leads on IVAR’s organisational support work. This currently includes managing the delivery of the Anchors Strategic Development Programme (run by Locality and funded by the City Bridge Trust) and the One-to-One Support Project for Gypsy and Traveller Groups (funded by the Travellers Aid Trust). In addition, Eliza is involved in IVAR’s work delivering strategic and organisational support for grantees of the Tudor Trust and Lankelly Chase.
Diana is a chartered librarian, and has used her information management skills in a number of jobs during her varied career. She has worked for the BBC, the Royal Air Force Museum, in publishing, for an internet company, the General Optical Council (the regulatory body for opticians) and the Pensions Management Institute (the educational and professional body for those working in pensions).
Leila is an experienced researcher who has been working in the third sector for twenty years, starting out as a volunteer in homelessness hostels in London and Oxford and including a stint as Shelter’s Research Manager between 1995 and 2004. Leila has worked as a volunteer, practitioner and trustee as well as researcher with a wide variety of small voluntary and community organisations, local authorities and housing associations as well as national charities and think tanks.
