Leigh-Anne Stradeski, Chief Executive
Key areas of expertise:
- Children’s museums and science and discovery centres
- Play for play’s sake
- Learning through play
Leigh-Anne Stradeski has been the Chief Executive of Eureka! The National Children’s Museum since 2000. She came to Eureka! from Canada where she was Executive Director of the London Regional Children’s Museum in London, Ontario between 1994 and 2000.
Prior to entering the Children’s Museum field, Leigh-Anne held senior level positions in public relations, marketing and fundraising in the tertiary health care and higher education sectors. Leigh-Anne holds an MPA from the University of Western Ontario and a BA from the University of Alberta. She has held positions on boards and advisory committees in arts, culture and museums on both sides of the Atlantic. She is immediate Past President of Hands-On Europe, (the European association of children’s museums), a trustee of both the US-based Association of Children’s Museums and the Association of Science and Discovery Centres – UK, and a member of the Advisory Board for the development of the National Children’s Museum in Washington.
Leigh-Anne was awarded Voluntary Sector Director of the Year for Yorkshire and Humber by the Institute of Directors in 2006, and in 2010 received an Inspiration Award from Calderdale Community College. A great believer in the importance and power of community, Leigh-Anne is Chairman of the Community Foundation for Calderdale and Past Chair of its Grants Committee.
Tudor Gwynn, Projects Director
Key areas of expertise:
- Museum and gallery development
- Science communication
- Consultation with children
Tudor has been at Eureka! since 2001 and has responsibility for the project management of the re-development and expansion of Eureka! from the Master Plan that sets out Eureka!’s ambitions for the next 15 years. He also has overall responsibility for facilities management, the exhibition management element of operation as well as Eureka!’s sustainability strategy.
Over the past 9 years he has delivered capital projects totalling over £3.5M, revenue programmes of £1M and manages an annual facilities budget of £0.5M. Tudor joined Eureka! from the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester.
Outside Eureka!, Tudor is Chair of Wild Rose Heritage and Arts, a Calderdale-based oral history charity.
Becky Johnson, Play & Learning Director
Key areas of expertise:
- Early childhood development and the importance of play
- Learning through play
- Informal learning
Becky joined Eureka! in September 2005 and has responsibility for the Visitor Services and Learning teams in the museum, as well as Eureka! Nursery.
Becky is a strong advocate for learning through play and developing high quality experiences for children and their families, with extensive experience of working in the Early Years sector in the UK, Italy and Hong Kong.
Her role includes developing and leading on the implementation of initiatives and programmes which support learning through play. She also identifies and develops partnerships which contribute to Eureka!’s understanding of the importance of play, and support Eureka!’s long term objectives within the informal learning setting. Becky is the Eureka! co-ordinator of the Leeds Metropolitan University partnership, which involves overseeing many cross-departmental initiatives. One of the most significant of these was the development of the country’s first cross sector modules on Play and Learning in a Children’s Museum for their Childhood Studies and their Playwork students.
Externally, Becky is a board member of Yorkshire Play and is on the Early Arts advisory board.
Liz Smallman, Head of Learning
Key areas of expertise:
- Primary education
- The importance of play for children’s development
- Consultation with children
Liz has been at Eureka! for 15 years and is responsible for developing playful learning opportunities for school and family audiences.
Liz is a Primary Education graduate with a specialism in the Expressive Arts and Theatre in Education. As a former teacher, Liz plays a pivotal role in the development of playful learning programmes delivered on site and off, public events and exhibition developments. Externally she is the Regional Convenor of the Group for Education in Museums (GEM), a regular contributor to the Yorkshire Museums Training Group and represents Eureka! at the Association of Science and Discovery Centres. Until recently she was a governor of a local school and her writing experience includes being a columnist for the National magazine Child Education.
Tom Warman, Director of Marketing and Development
Key areas of expertise:
- Fundraising
- Marketing
Originally cutting his teeth in the creative side of advertising for Work Communications, Tom transferred his skills of persuasion to the third sector with his first key appointment as Head of Corporate Partnerships at Barnardo’s where he worked on a UK-wide remit to build a portfolio of national fundraising partners for the charity. Tom played a key role winning a £3m partnership with Royal Mail, a UK-wide employee volunteering initiative with RBS Group, professional fundraising charity of the year collaborations with Eversheds, Lloyds TSB and KPMG and high net worth donor appeals with support from Adam & Co.
Working at a time when the corporate fundraising climate changed from being proactively generous to warily cautious, Tom has gained a unique understanding into the challenging donor landscape that charities and voluntary organisations are now competing in. Tom is now working with Eureka! on helping define and continually refine its fundraising proposition.
Trizia Wells, Helping Hands Project Lead
Key areas of expertise:
- The impact of disability and SEN on families
- Primary education
- Working in partnership with parents
Trizia joined Eureka! in December 2011 as the Project Lead for Helping Hands. This 3 year project is a unique approach to engaging with disabled children and their families. Funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation will enable Eureka! to go beyond just physical accessibility, to make Eureka! a friendly, welcoming and easy place for families and groups bringing a child with a disability to visit, enjoy and explore.
Prior to joining Eureka! Trizia worked in the field of disability and education and has had articles published in national publications SEN and ACE magazines. She is also an infant and peer massage therapist and has worked with parents and children of all ages.
Trizia’s role as Project Lead includes working closely with parents and parent groups to ensure that the Helping Hands project is relevant and responsive to their needs. She believes in giving Eureka! enablers the right training and as much practical experience as possible to underpin their confidence when supporting families of disabled children.
Clare Dean, Early Years Professional
Key Areas of Expertise:
- Early years practice
- Childcare provision
- Child development
Clare joined Eureka! Nursery in October 2006, having completed A levels in Childcare and Psychology Development, followed by a Diploma in Child Care Development. She became Unit Head of the Pre-School Room, before gaining experience working at Play English, a bi-lingual school in Monza, Italy.
Clare went on to completed her BA in Early Years Studies, and achieved Early Years Professional status in September 2010. She now works across the different nursery rooms, with all age groups from babies, through to teenagers in Eureka! Den, supporting and developing this unique nursery. Eureka! Nursery was rated Outstanding in every category by Ofsted in November 2011.
Sophie Ballinger, Communications Specialist
Key areas of expertise:
- Digital Communications
- Social media development
- Communications training
Sophie joined Eureka! in September, having worked in charities and not-for-profit organisations since 2008, as Communications and Social Media Officer at NAVCA, and latterly as Communications officer at CDX (Community Development Exchange). Sophie worked in Higher Education at the University of Derby and University of Manchester for almost a decade, following completion of her own studies for a BA (Hons) Interactive Arts in 1999.
Sophie looks after Eureka’s social media presence on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn, is developing the main website and Play 20 site, and is Eureka!’s main contact for press and media queries.
Outside Eureka! Sophie is a social media advocate and volunteers to support charities and groups with their social media, primarily through Social Media Surgeries. Sophie co-founded Our Society, and designed & developed their online community.
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