Deborah Menezes is an academic with vast international scholarship and expertise in both the theory and practice of knowledge mobilisation, knowledge exchange, research design approaches and co-production of knowledge. 

Deborah recently Co-Led Social Action Inquiry Scotland, which involved co-storytelling with 17 different communities in Scotland.

Deboarh is leading the production of a practical guide on using storytelling for community-led change.

Megan Arthur is an interdisciplinary qualitative researcher working at the intersection of social policy and public health. 

Her research investigates governance and policymaking at multiple levels that shape the social and environmental determinants of health equity, including in food, climate, and health policy domains, and how these are mediated by political, economic, and commercial environments.

Megan is leading a research project for SPRE which looks at SPRE’s 2024-25 programme of events and the collective learning from our community on policy engagement and impact.

Leah Lockhart is a cross-disciplinary person with experience in learning and evaluation, community engagement, facilitation, service design, and user research. 

Leah is an anti-oppressive practitioner means they pay special attention to power, how the systems we work in create and uphold inequities, and how research or design can be used as tools for solidarity and destabilising oppressive systems. 

Leah is leading SPRE’s Community of Practice sessions this autumn, focused on Reflective Practice.

Jamie Stein MISTD is a freelance designer and educator with nearly two decades in the creative sector.

Founder of Stein Design, Freelance Educator at V&A Dundee, and part-time Graphic Design Tutor at the University of Dundee, he leads co-design and branding projects across ethical, tech and community sectors.

Guided by his mantra “Let’s design positive things”, Jamie champions inclusive design education and is currently collaborating with SPRE on developing and designing a storytelling resource.

Yarrow is a web designer and tech consultant based in Fife who supports us with communication, design and website development. They have over a decade of experience in developing sustainable digital strategies and love supporting freelancers, organisations and small businesses in aligning their values with their systems.

Yarrow also supported our recent zine launch workshop and hosts a podcast called the Kind Business show all about slow marketing, the magic of automation and introvert-friendly community building, which you can listen to over here.

Unity Consulting is made up of Neil Findlay, Michael Sharpe and Tommy Kane. 

The team have 30 years experience in the frontline of local and national politics, and combine academic research, policy development and strategic campaign planning to provide expert support and advice for driving change. 

Unity Consulting are leading direct policy engagement based on Social Action Inquiry Scotland and sharing the process with SPRE and our co-funders The Binks Hub.

Briana Pegado FRSA is a governance and anti-oppression consultant based in Edinburgh, and the founder of Good Trouble Co., supporting values-led organisations through disruptive leadership and strategic change. She is an award-winning social entrepreneur, activist and author with over a decade of experience as a senior manager across Scotland’s creative industries and third sector. She was the first President of the Edinburgh University Students’ Association (EUSA) in 2014 and helped establish the University of Edinburgh’s first Black History Month in 2010.

She has held leadership roles including Chief Executive of Creative Edinburgh, Co-Director of Creative Informatics (AHRC funded), and interim CEO of YWCA Scotland. She was a Co-Director of We Are Here Scotland and served as Creative Director of Fringe of Colour Films, both supporting Black and POC led artists. In 2018, She cofounded a ‘conductancy’ (Povo), to enable clients to engage with play and divergent thinking processes. In 2022 she was appointed Chair of the Scottish Government’s Independent Culture Fair Work Task Force. She is currently Cofounder of the Black Community Filmmakers Network (BFCN) in partnership with Glasgow Film Festival and a critical friend of NEUK Collective’s neurodivergent leadership programme Spectra. She was recently appointed the BFI and FilmHub Scotland EDI Champion for the BFI Film Audience Network (FAN).

Briana has served on the boards of the University of York and the University of Edinburgh, is a Data-Driven Innovation Ambassador for the Edinburgh Futures Institute, and is a long-time contributor to BBC Radio Scotland’s Sunday Morning Show. Her first book, Make Good Trouble: A Guide to the Energetics of Disruption, was published by Watkins in 2024.