Meet Our Team

Ray Walker

Chair

Ray is a Registered Nurse (Adult and Mental Health). He completed  his initial nurse education at the then South Sefton School of Nursing.

He has over 40 years operational and strategic experience in a diverse number of roles across the NHS, the Department of Health, and Health Education England. He has held a number of senior positions including Director of Nursing at Mersey Care NHS FT and Chief Nurse for the North of England at Health Education England.

Ray Chaired the group that developed the national safe, sustainable, and productive staffing guidance (Mental Health) for the National Quality Board and was a Member of the Prime Minister’s Commission on the future of Nursing.

Ray is semi-retired and is currently a Non Executive Director at the Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust.

Kate Henderson

Trustee

Kate Henderson has over 18 years of experience working in housing. She has worked in various areas during this time including strategy and policy, regeneration and community investment. Kate is currently Head of Strategy and Planning at The Riverside Group where she has responsibility for corporate planning, research, policy development and social value; and  is also the lead for the Group‘s charitable Foundation.

Kate is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing and is also a member of its North West Regional Board, she is also a service user representative for Southport and Ormskirk Maternity Voice Partnership.

Dr Julie Williams

Trustee

Julie qualified as a state registered nurse at the Royal Liverpool Hospital. Her clinical experience was in the Accident and Emergency Department before working for a Liverpool Community Trust developing an early concept of the now familiar ‘Walk in Centers’. Julie moved to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital as Assistant Director of Nursing and following completion of her Masters degree in Nursing she took an academic post in university.

She gained her PhD in Educational Research from the University of Lancaster in 2010. Her academic career spanned several universities including the University of Liverpool, University of Chester, University of Lincoln, Edge Hill University and latterly at Liverpool John Moores University. In this current position she has responsibility for the School of Nursing and Advanced Practice, external engagement with partner organisations and contract management with Health Education England. Julie also works for Health Education England (National) as an Advanced Clinical Practice Reviewer.

Mike Vincent

Trustee

Mike graduated in geology and then pursued a 43 year career in the oil industry with BP, progressing through roles in petrophysics and engineering with assignments in most continents. In recent years he undertook senior international management positions, including roles in the USA, Indonesia and Azerbaijan. He is now an Energy Transition consultant – something of a climate change ‘poacher turned game keeper’.

Mike grew up with his brother, Stan, who was born with serious learning difficulties and who has lived in the White House, for the last 20 years. Mike’s experiences with Stan have developed a deep understanding of the life and care of vulnerable people dealing with a range of challenges. He is currently writing a biography of Stan’s experiences and the role of the family, charities and support groups in caring, confronting and coping with the challenges of health vulnerability with the aim of contributing to wider public appreciation of such issues.

Mike with his brother Stan. 

John McKnight

Trustee

John has had two careers, firstly as an Engineer and then as a Marketer.

Starting as a Technical Apprentice at Plessey in Liverpool he progressed to a Senior Engineer before moving into the IT industry and becoming Engineering Manager for one of the largest UK dealers/distributors.

John then took the opportunity to change career and became a Product Marketer at ICL. Within the organisation he progressed through a number of other roles as a Senior Marketer including Partner Marketing, Sector Marketing and Account Based Marketing for which he won National and International awards. John has also been Head of Marketing at a couple of companies in the Retail Sector and worked as a Marketing Contractor for the likes of O2.

Jill Boggan

Trustee

Jill is a Chartered Management Accountant with over 35 years’ experience working in the public and charity sectors covering audit, finance, procurement, estates, and development of trading subsidiaries. She completed initial accountancy studies at the then Liverpool Polytechnic.

She has held senior roles in Liverpool City Council, and across the NHS including Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust and  Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and was a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) Accounting and Standards Committee contributing to several best practice guidance publications and articles.

Jill is the Director of finance for the Archdiocese of Liverpool with responsibility for the finance, surveying and property, parish centres and cemeteries teams.

Emlyn Williams

Trustee

Emlyn is a partner and employment lawyer with Weightmans LLP, based in Liverpool. Emlyn heads up the Weightmans Healthcare Employment Team nationally.

He has over 30 years’ experience in all aspects of employment law. Emlyn was President of Liverpool Law Society from 2014 to 2015.

Away from the law, Emlyn was a Trustee of the Liverpool art gallery and charity, FACT, from 2015 to 2021.

He is involved in Liverpool Chapter of Citizens UK, a charity which supports local communities to develop their voice, leadership, power and strategy to make real change – and has been a volunteer at Glastonbury Festival, in the recycling team, for over 10 years.