Directors


Jennifer Render - Director
	Jenny has been the Director of GAVO since October 1988, having previously worked for West Glamorgan Community Service Council where she managed a small team of Development Officers. When Jenny became Director, in 1988, GAVO had 8 members of staff, and provided support to Newport Resource Centre and Age Concern Gwent. Today GAVO has 150+ members of staff. Prior to working in Wales Jenny worked for a small Voluntary Organisation in Bradford - ATEC (which concentrated on Economic and Technological Development) and for the Post Office. An active trade unionist, Jenny went to Coleg Harlech where she got a University of Wales Diploma in Industrial Relations and Politics, and then to the University of Leeds, where she gained a BA (hons) in Political Studies and a MA in Political Sociology.

Lynn Clubb - Assistant Director for Blaenau Gwent
	Lynn oversees the work of GAVO in Blaenau Gwent. After 20 years in Youth Training and Management Lynn joined the organisation in 1993 and has held a variety of roles since. She was Team Leader for the Community Action Programme; Development Officer for SPECTRUM Mental Health Project, Newport; Development Officer for Torfaen; Manager of the New Deal Programme, and Principal Officer for Volunteering. Lynn currently holds corporate responsibility for all staff training and development.

Karen Vowles - Assistant Director for Newport
	Over 20 years experience of working within the Voluntary and Community Sector, Karen began her working life in accounting for a private firm, volunteered as a support worker in a local Opportunity Group, supporting children with disabilities and their families and then moved to NCH Action for Children where she worked as a Play Worker from 1988 until 1998 Karen joined GAVO in 1998 as Development Officer based in Blaenau Gwent. Promoted in July 2007 to Assistant Director overseeing the work undertaken in the Newport City area and has the corporate responsibilities for Communities First, Children and Families, Health and Wellbeing and BME. Karen's main commitments involve ensuring an effective voice for Third Sector, working in with local partners to strengthen relationships and ensuring the engagement of socially excluded groups within the decision making process. With extensive experience over many years of supporting, promoting, raising resources to develop the Third Sector, Karen's main areas of interest are community development, mental health, children and families and social enterprise.

Mike Bridgman - Assistant Director for Caerphilly
	Mike joined GAVO in September 1989 as a Community Development Officer in Islwyn. He was promoted to Principal Officer in 1993 and made Assistant Director in 1996 on Government re-organisation. Mike manages the work of GAVO in the County Borough of Caerphilly and has corporate responsibility for Development, Community Transport, Marketing and Publicity. Mike's main commitments involve ensuring an effective voice for Community and Voluntary Groups, working in partnership in line with the Caerphilly County Borough COMPACT (working better with the Local Authority and Partners to strengthen relationships and ensuring the engagement of socially excluded groups within the decision making process). With extensive experience over many years of supporting, promoting, raising resources to develop the Voluntary Sector and raise the profile of GAVO.

Glenda Genner - Assistant Director for Monmouthshire
	Glenda moved to manage the work of GAVO in Monmouthshire in August 2008 where she leads a team of 16 working in diverse projects, many unique to the county. She originally worked as a teacher for over 20 years until she joined the voluntary sector as a Young Carers Worker in 1995. After receiving extensive help from GAVO officers she became a Community Development officer for GAVO in the Rhymney Valley in Caerphilly in 1997 and was later appointed to Senior Development Officer. Glenda has extensive experience of community development especially project development and planning, fundraising, charity law, play, volunteering and health and social care and she leads on child protection for GAVO. Glenda has a wide range of interests and actively supports participation in planning processes, partnership working and project development by voluntary organisations and statutory agencies.