| About the CWA |
CWA Directors |
|
 | Michaela Hunter | | Position: Chair | Michaela Hunter is an active board member in the Kilfinan Community Forest Company in Tighnabruaich, Argyll and Chair of CWA.
She previously worked as a project manager in the corporate world in London and Edinburgh before jumping ship to study Countryside Management at Scottish Agricultural College, Ayr in 2001-2005. Shortly after graduating she worked for the Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group conducting farm surveys and completing Rural Stewardship Scheme applications. She then worked for the Scottish Wildlife Trust for nearly 2 years as a wildlife ranger in Irvine, Ayrshire. She moved to Tighnabruaich soon after and worked for the Community Woodlands Association as Development Officer, and also got heavily involved in the Kilfinan Community Forest initiative. Michaela has been involved in every aspect of the project to its community buy-out which concluded in March of this year (2010) for which the group raised £130,000 to buy their own forest (127ha). Now the hard work actually begins in the sustainable development and management of this forest resource for community benefit.
She lives on a woodland smallholding in Tighnabruaich with David Blair and her beloved collection of animals. In her spare time, Michaela is a Forest School Leader, getting the local children out and about in their local woodlands. | | |  | Mark Lazzeri | | Position: Vice Chair | | Mark trained originally as a botanist and then as an agronomist. After a brief sojourn in forestry he started work as anarboricultural consultant and then moved to agricultural research before migrating to agricultural and environmental economics and land management. Mark is a dog owning, whisky, drinking deerstalker with an abiding passion for the outdoors, particularly woodland. Currently the Development Manager for the Assynt Foundation – a 44,500 acre community owned estate in SW Sutherland Mark’s career history contributes practical knowledge and experience of land management to the Board, particularly in the areas of deer stalking, sporting potential, and estate management. Mark also bring a familiarity of dealing with national and local government, government advisory bodies, and NGOs. | | |  | Piers Voysey | | Position: Treasurer | | Piers is a freelance forester and woodland co-owner. From 2003 to 2007 Piers worked as the project manager for the Anagach Woods Trust, the community woodland group in Grantown on Spey. He has previously worked for Scottish Native Woods, the Forestry Commission Scotland and on community woodland projects in Papual New Guinea and Guatemala. | | |  | Jean Barnett | | Position: | Jean was born in London but an early move meant that she spent most of her childhood and early adult life living on farms in the rolling Somerset hills. She loves gardening, dogs and trees but not necessarily in that order.
Jean has lived in Caithness since the early 70’s and became an active member of the Board of Dunnet Forestry Trust in 2004, taking over the Chair in 2008. | | |  | Mike Steele | | Position: | | Mike Steele is a Director of Nith Valley LEAF Trust in Dumfriesshire striving to acquire Clauchrie Woodlands from FCS. He is also a community councillor. He keeps sheep and runs an academic society about animal science. Mike has been planting trees since 1971 from coconuts to Scots pine in the firm belief they will add much to our communities, economy & environment. | | |  | Isobel Knox | | Position: | Isobel Knox grew up in a Dundee housing scheme - which had a huge corner garden with mature trees, part of the original country estate.
She has been convenor of Dunbar Community Woodland Group for 5 years, 2005 to 2010, retiring at AGM last month. She has been delivering John Muir Award for 4 years at Dunbar Grammar School, where she is a Pupil Support Worker. She is involved peripherally with the Dunbar Arts Trust, and helped them to organise an Easter Arts, crafts, music & poetry event. She also supports the friends of John Muir’s Birthplace Museum. | | | | Amanda Calvert | | Position: | Amanda Calvert lives near Kingussie in a draughty old farmhouse with many children, parents, dogs, cats, hens and ducks. She has been involved with voluntary conservation work since she was 16, with Young National Trust, Urban Wildlife, WATCH and young ornithologist groups and so a move into working in the woods was the logical step. Over the past 10 years Amanda has taken another degree, and an MSc in Forest Ecology and Management, worked for Laggan Forest Trust, The Community Woodlands Association and Reforesting Scotland as well as carrying out consultancy work and some academic research.
Amanda currently works for Highland Birchwoods as a project manager for Use Green Heat, a renewable heat support and advice service and is co-opted as a director of Kingussie Community Development Company. | | |  | Gordon Gray Stephens | | Position: Company Secretary | | Gordon Gray Stephens is the Director of Scottish Native Woods, a conservation charity that aims to restore native woodlands as well as the links between people and woodlands. He is also one of the founding members and the Company Secretary of the Argyll Green Woodworkers Association (AGWA). | | | | Charles Dixon-Spain | | Position: | Charles Dixon-Spain lives and works in Glendaruel in South-west Cowal. He is chair of the Colintraive and Glendaruel Development Trust which is in the process of purchasing 600ha Stronafian Forest under the NFLS scheme. Charles’s varied professional interests include: Managing Director of Dunans Castle Ltd., the social enterprise which is restoring Dunans Castle and grounds into an events and visitor attraction; Internet Services Director of ForArgyll.com (Argyll’s online broadsheet) and Business Director of the Walking Theatre Company. In 2011 Charles was also Marketing Manager for Brandish Bute, the wholly-own subsidiary of the Bute Community Land Company, tasked with promoting the products and producers of the Isle of Bute. Charles is also the founder of ARSN (the Argyll Rural Schools’ Network).
Charles is married to Sadie, has two delightful daughters and a truculent bassett hound. He has spent much of last decade renovating the family home using wood he has won and milled onsite.
| | |
|
|
|
|
