Meet the board

Emily has recently started as the Managing Director for Thera East Anglia.

Emily has worked in adult social care for over sixteen years, with both private and public sector organisations. Her career began as a support worker and she has held various management posts before joining Thera East Anglia. Emily is extremely passionate about providing excellent, person-centred support and has experience of delivering Positive Behavioural Support, an area which she is committed to and passionate about.

Emily is very excited to be joining Thera East Anglia and is looking forward to the journey.

David uses his own experience of having a learning disability to make sure Thera East Anglia provides people with quality care and support. He checks that people are being supported to design and manage their own support. He takes a lead on Being Heard that makes sure the people we support can have their voices heard.

Andy initially trained with Unilever in Marketing, then moved into the international arena, taking well established UK brands into numerous markets. In 2008 his career changed direction when he became a Support Manager for Affinity Trust. Andy moved to the Royal Mencap Society, managing supported living and domiciliary care services around Bury St Edmunds.

Recently retired, Andy says it has been a privilege to support people in the community and make a difference to people’s lives. Andy hopes he can continue to make a difference in his new role with Thera and in the Trusteeship he has taken up with The Prospects Trust.

Jenny's day job is an executive director for Thera Trust where she shares her Learning Disability Leadership role with Matthew Smith, who brings his lived experience of learning disability to the role alongside his work in advocacy. Jenny was born and brought up in Angus, Scotland and qualified as a nurse (RNLD) in Dundee the mid 1980s. Since then, she has worked in both health and social care. Throughout her career, Jenny has focussed on working with people to develop their opportunities and move on from institutional care.

My actual name is Anthony Burns although everyone calls me Joe which is my middle name. I am a Chartered Engineer and have worked all over the world designing and building roads, bridges, schools and hospitals and many other things. I have had a lifelong association with people with a learning disability. I was on the lookout for an opportunity to contribute my experience to a charity to which I could identify, so when I saw the advert for a Non-Exec director I applied immediately.

Bill joined Thera East Anglia as a Non-Executive Director during the Covid-19 pandemic, and has worked in advocacy, IT and retail. Bill has lived experience and knows what it's like to claim for benefits, live independently with support, and understand certain information amongst many other challenges people face. Bill hopes to contribute and use his own experiences to help point Thera East Anglia in the right direction.