NFA Awards: meet the judges
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Sue Roberts, MBE
NFA Chair
Sue, Chair of the Board at Wolverhampton Homes, has been a council tenant for the last 29 years, and decided three years ago to become involved with her local tenants and residents association as secretary. Sue was awarded an MBE for services to social housing in the 2011 New Year's Honours. Sue is also Chair of the National Federation of ALMOs. Sue says “I will do everything I can to ensure that all the ALMO tenants get the service that they deserve.”
You can follow Sue on Twitter @SueR10.
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Stuart Macdonald
Editor, Inside Housing
Stuart has spent the bulk of his 10 years as a journalist writing about housing, regeneration and property at magazines including Housing Today, Regeneration and Renewal and Property Week. He has also worked as a reporter for the London Evening Standard, Glasgow Herald and Scotsman newspapers. Prior to taking up his current post at Inside Housing at the start of 2009, Stuart was Deputy Editor of Building magazine.
He was named PPA business editor of the year 2010.
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Michael Gelling, OBE
Chair of the Tenants and Residents Association of England (TAROE)
Michael has been associated with the TAROE board since it formed in 1997. Michael has been Chairperson of TAROE for six and a half years standing down from this position in April 2010 when he was nominated to serve on the National Tenant Voice by TAROE. Michael was successfully selected, through interview, to become a Board member of the NTV and through election by Board members, as its Chair from April 2010. It was a short lived position as the NTV is in the process of winding up as a Company. Michael was re-elected as Chair at the November 2010 meeting of TAROE’s Board.
Michael served as local councillor for a 16 year period and held various key positions, understanding the working of local authorities. Michael also served for six years on the Housing Ombudsman Board filling a Board position of a Tenant Director through his membership of TAROE. Michael is also a tenant rights advocate and is involved in many voluntary and community groups.
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Michelle Reid
Chief Executive of TPAS
Michelle joined TPAS as Chief Executive in April 2009. Prior to that she spent seven years as Chief Executive of George House Trust, a leading HIV social care charity. Michelle has had a distinguished career in social housing, particularly in care and support, but also at senior management level with a leading national housing association. Michelle set up the first government-funded rough sleeper project in the North of England, and also specialised in work with young homeless people and people with substance use issues.
She is committed to the tenant empowerment agenda, and works diligently to achieve an inclusive approach to planning and providing services. Michelle is a strong advocate for effective partnership working between tenants, providers and government, and works with people at all levels of decision-making in the UK in order to ensure positive outcomes for all.