Dawn has worked in community development for over 30 years and been with SCDC for more than 4. She has a life-long passion for social justice, equity and fairness – as well as learning to track the budget!

Dawn loves all things community resilience – importantly noting that it isn’t about shifting responsibilities onto communities, but using an asset based approach to support communities to do what they can.

Within SCDC, Dawn is part of the team for the Scottish Coproduction Network – and loves copro as a way of working, seeing it as a great way to value living and lived experience to shape services and places that work for people.

Living in rural Aberdeenshire, Dawn is an avid sci-fi and fantasy reader, loves to travel, and can’t sit still for long.

Craig started in IT, then moved into outdoor pursuits where he was a director of a well known brand in Scotland, leading on to some time consulting for banks, energy companies, large charities and the Scottish Government. Craig transitioned over to working in the Third Sector, running the Knoydart Foundation for over five years, and then joining SCCAN.

Craig has a particular interest in how taking climate action (whether or not people recognise it as this) can help inequality and improve communities and individuals.  

He also has an interest in how revolutionising and localising food production could positively affect climate and food insecurity.

Craig always has a private project on the go - currently building a chicken tractor for his community farm. He practices Calisthenics and loves rugby.

A graduate in Community Education (1995), Susan began her career in community work with North Lanarkshire Council, progressing from frontline roles to Senior Community Worker posts across several communities. She joined SCDC in 2005, initially on secondment to the LEAP Support Unit, delivering training and support across Scotland focused on community-led health, capacity building, strategic planning and outcome-focused practice. After moving permanently into SCDC, she held a range of development and leadership roles, becoming Head of Programme for Community Led Health in 2016 and Director in 2022. She has also held Board roles with several national community development organisations over the past 25 years.

Susan is driven by a strong commitment to social justice and is particularly passionate about supporting communities, challenging power imbalances and addressing inequality. Training remains her favourite part of the role, valuing collaborative learning and practical application, while she maintains a critical interest in policy and its real-world impact.

Outside work, Susan enjoys music and festivals, cooking and K-drama!

Francesca has worked in community development for over 25 years and been a development manager with SCDC for over 4 years. She graduated with a degree in business from Glasgow Caledonian University and stumbled into the voluntary sector when she was only 21 years old and found her place.  

Francesca is passionate about strengthening communities and participatory democracy. She gets excited about lots of participatory processes but participatory budgeting and co-production are two of her particular favourite interests. She works in a very logical way and enjoys formulating a good process which is understandable and accessible for everyone involved. She also loves a good spreadsheet!

A keen coffee lover, traveller and music fan, Francesca enjoys staying active through dancing (particularly salsa and other Afro-Cuban styles), going to the gym, and spending time with friends.

Pam is a coach, mentor, facilitator and trainer specialising in environmental sustainability and social justice. She holds a Masters in Sustainable Architecture and is currently training as a psychotherapist.

She has co-developed and delivered a UN award-winning community environmental programme, created Climate Conversations for the Scottish Government, and worked with organisations including Carbon Neutral Islands, NatureScot, Uist Development Trust and community groups in Glasgow.

Pam has been involved with SCCAN as a volunteer, team and board member since 2011, and is a founding member of Transition Stirling and Eco-committee member at the Salisbury Centre. 

Pam grew up in Detroit, Michigan but now lives in Stirling. She has a very micro hazel forest with a micro pond, and polytunnel and managed to produce 3 ears of sweetcorn this year! She enjoys rock gigs, walking and reading. She loves films with a strong social justice message and meditates and practices yoga.

Kirsty’s work is driven by a passion for justice and for working collaboratively toward a fairer future. She focuses on communicating climate through shared values, promoting small-scale food growing for nature and community resilience, and fostering transformational adaptation. 

She is a member of the Climate Psychology Alliance and an Active Hope facilitator and trainer, supporting groups to stay motivated when facing the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and systemic injustices. 

With SCCAN, Kirsty started as Events Coordinator and later became Programme Lead for Climate for Change, training and mentoring facilitators to lead accessible conversations on climate knowledge and action. She enjoys co-designing learning and skill-building activities.

Kirsty spent 10 years living in an off-grid village in Spain, and now lives in Argyll. She loves the sea, dancing, gardening, and saunas.

With over 25 years of experience, Paul has an extensive background in community development. He has a particular interest in community research, community-led health improvement, engagement methods and planning, strategic planning, and evaluation.

Paul is currently Development Manager at SCDC, responsible for developing and delivering a range of national and local programmes. His work spans community facilitation, capacity-building, materials development, networking support, strategic planning, research, practice development, and training for trainers. 

At the heart of Paul’s work is a commitment to fairness and equality. Paul takes ownership of the programmes he leads, working to turn ideas into tangible results and seeing initiatives through to completion.

Paul has a passion for drawing and water colours and plays drums in a Scottish band at many gigs around Scotland.

Laura began her career in community work in the early 1990s, starting at a Women’s Centre after studying Community Education. She has worked with organisations focusing on learning disabilities and mental health, and spent time in local government. She also worked at the University of the West of Scotland as a lecturer and member of the Guidance Team before relocating to Argyll and Bute, where she was Community Development Officer for Oban, Lorn and the Isles for 13 years prior to joining SCDC. Alongside this, she has completed mediation training with SACRO and various climate-related courses.

Laura is motivated by social injustice. From an early age, she developed a strong interest in issues of fairness, accessibility and equality, with a particular focus on disability accessibility.

Laura likes to paddleboard, swim, sauna, hillwalk and run (although think tortoise rather than hare) and enjoys the odd book or two.

Andrew has worked at SCDC for 15 years and values working in the community sector due to the chance to contribute to something meaningful. He did a PhD in Sociology into men’s health lifestyles at Caledonian Uni (pls call him Dr if you want!)

Andrew creates guides and delivers workshops that make policy engaging and accessible, as well as supporting people in communities to carry out their own research. He also speaks and writes about issues of social justice and inequality, particularly through CHEX work, and manages the Communities Channel website, which brings together information and links that many community groups find useful. Andrew has always had an interest in climate change and how this impacts health.

He loves writing, recording, and sometimes performing his own music.

Laura has worked for SCCAN for almost 4 years, starting out in finance but now with responsibility for Human Resources, Finance and Admin. 

Prior to SCCAN Laura worked in banking for over 25 years in accounting and finance working on cross department projects with a particular focus on good interdepartmental relations and providing good customer service and value for money. 

Laura has a strong interest in understanding what community means and in ensuring  society’s ability to adapt to climate impacts - in a way that offers accessibility and comfort to everyone.

Laura lives in Edinburgh and runs a small bookkeeping business. She loves reading and is currently working her way through Agatha Christie’s novels.

Eilidh is an artist by nature, a rare “both” brains human who enjoys admin and finance work as an antidote to the chaos of creativity.

After working with Pillars of Hercules Organic Farm and studying Permaculture Eilidh went on to set up and run a volunteer run Community Cafe called The Project Cafe CIC in Dundee and then Glasgow, founded on good food bringing people together. She managed this CIC for 7 years until becoming a parent in lock-down which resulted in working as a book-keeper/business consultant where she really enjoyed the work and relished being able to work from home and be present for her two wee boys. 

Eilidh’s work interests include nature, community, food, gardening, permaculture, parenthood, DIY, efficiency, organisation, sociocracy, and facilitation.

Joana grew up in Lisbon, Portugal, where she did her undergrad and Master's in Architecture. Volunteering with rural communities affected by wildfires, helping them build temporary accommodations and facilities in the aftermath of one of the worst wildfire seasons in the history of her home country, sparked Joana’s interest in community preparedness and resilience to climate impacts and extreme weather events. 

Joana worked on an investigative journalism documentary about the wildfires in Portugal and lived with villagers affected by the catastrophe, survived another fire with them, and was moved by the emotional and psychological impacts of what happened on young people like herself and children. 

This brought Joana to Scotland to study at the University of Edinburgh (Health in Social Science - exploration of eco-emotions in children through fictional stories) and to the SCCAN team, to work with the events and storytelling circles. 

Joana is also a freelance creative writer and illustrator. She lives in Edinburgh with her partner, son and two budgies named Comet and Calypso. 

Joana loves working with communities, especially children and families. She practices self-defence martial arts and yoga and also loves birds.

Sheena has worked across a varied career spanning NHS administration, information science, digital communications and public engagement. After completing a postgraduate qualification in Information Science and qualifying as a chartered librarian, she briefly moved into software sales and training before returning to the NHS. 

Sheena joined SCDC in 2022 and is part of the communications team, with particular interests in health inequalities, co-production and creative, inclusive communications. She picked up graphic design and a bit of coding along the way so she could turn complex health inequalities research into easy-to-understand infographics and data visuals - a skill that the rest of the team are grateful for!

Outside work, Sheena is a multidisciplinary artist with a fondness for dinosaurs, spooky themes, and lives in Glasgow with her partner (and two very fluffy cats).

After studying English and Sociology at the University of Strathclyde, Ruth spent several years travelling and working across a wide range of sectors and countries before returning to Scotland and settling on the Isle of Arran. She found her professional home in the third sector, pursuing long-standing interests in human and animal rights, environmental protection, and community-led climate action.

Working in small communities shaped her passion for communications, particularly the role it plays in empowering people, countering misinformation, and supporting democratic discussion around climate issues.

Away from work, Ruth enjoys time with her dog Bonnie, reading depressing literature, and walking.

Madeleine has two professional qualifications in media studies and is currently studying part time for a postgraduate degree in Marketing and Digital Communications. She has been with SCCAN for 2 years, starting off as a Media Intern and then becoming an Communications Assistant in the SCCAN comms team.

Madeleine loves engaging with storytelling in various formats such as film, TV, podcasts and books. She is passionate about the power storytelling has to highlight important issues in society and encourage positive change.

Outside of work, Madeleine enjoys doing nature photography, taking a trip to the cinema and writing for her blog.

Fani holds an MSc in Literature and Modernity from the University of Edinburgh, where she explored climate narratives and resilience. She is working across environmental communications, community engagement, and journalism and she’s been with SCCAN for the past 2 years. Previously she supported the Green Action Trust as Engagement and Behaviour Change Intern, designing campaigns to promote regeneration and behavioural change in post-industrial communities around the River Leven.

SCCAN work inspired Fani to acquire a Digital Marketing Qualification (TQUK 5) from West College Scotland, and she has also completed specialist courses in climate communication, journalism, and climate leadership, alongside public speaking at several environmental and academic events across the UK and Europe.

Outside of work, Fani’s passion is Latin dancing and she often competes in international competitions and festivals. She also loves to read climate novels and watch nature documentaries.

Kaska has worked in climate communication, engagement and digital community storytelling for over 10 years, with PLANT group, Tayport Community Trust, Transition University of St Andrews, as a freelancer and for the last 4 years - SCCAN.

Kaska believes empowering individuals and communities to share their stories of climate action can drive real change. 

Audio storytelling is a powerful and accessible tool for community storytelling and capturing lived experience by the communities to build cohesion and share their stories with others.

Kaska believes in the power of interpersonal conversations to storytelling in bridging the growing divides in our communities.

She grows veg and crochets.

Rebecca has worked on climate change for over 20 years, across policy, social science, public service, community action and politics. She has also lived in two ecocommunities, and is a trained nurse, holds an undergraduate degree in English and an MSc in Social Policy, and is also a trained mediator.

Rebecca’s work is driven by social justice, with a particular focus on the barriers to engagement created by socio-economic inequality and other forms of disadvantage, and the intersection of austerity and climate vulnerability.

Rebecca likes roller skating, Shakespeare and music a good bit more than she likes computers ;-)