The staff team
For any general enquiries please contact info@studentminds.org.uk
Alice Cooper Corporate Funding Officer About Alice
Alice works to create meaningful partnerships with corporates who want to champion student mental health and support Student Minds. After nearly two years as corporate partnerships officer at Brake, the road safety charity, Alice is looking forward to meeting a whole host of new businesses ready to showcase their corporate social responsibility. Outside of work, Alice is a keen netball player and rugby league fan - come on you Saints! She also enjoys travelling, experiencing the wonders of nature and can often be found with a good book in hand. |
Alice Wilson Clinical Supervisor About Alice
Alice is our part-time Clinical Supervisor, working within the Student Minds team on a consultative basis to provide supervision and support to our staff and team of peer-supervisors. Alice completed a Psychology degree at the University of Birmingham back in 2003 and trained as a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist within the NHS in Oxford becoming fully accredited by the BABCP (British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies) in 2012. She now works at Birmingham City University as a Mental Health Adviser and CBT Therapist within Student Services. As part of her role she also sits on the University Mental Health Adviser Network (UMHAN) committee as Development Worker Supervisor. Alice has a particular interest in Mindfulness and Compassion Focused Therapy and tries to attend workshops and training on these regularly. |
Amanda Lilliefeldt Sector Improvement Programme Officer About Amanda
Amanda works in partnership with students, staff and organisations across the sector to deliver programmes which aim to enhance approaches to university mental health. She currently supports Student Minds’ two major sector enhancement programmes: the University Mental Health Charter and the Students’ Union Support Programme. Amanda loves binge-watching tv-series accompanied by a big mug of tea, experimenting with healthy-ish baking as well as campaigning for human rights issues. |
Amy Kasper-Hope Peer Support Manager About Amy
Amy joined Student Minds in September 2019 after 19 months at the University of Nottingham Students’ Union as a Student Living Coordinator. Amy has responsibility for one of Student Minds’ core charity activities, assisting in the management and development of our formal peer support initiatives. Outside of work, Amy enjoys cross stitching, spending time with her dog, Logan, and watching TV. |
Danielle O'Connell Project Support Officer About Danielle
Danielle works across various projects including the Eating Disorder Audit, International Students Mental Health Project and Education for Mental Health Toolkit. Danielle studied her MA in Applied Theatre and Intervention at The University of Leeds where she discovered her passion for marrying theatre and performance with mental health. She strongly believes that engaging in the arts is a great way to improve wellbeing and personally loves going to the theatre- whether that’s to watch a play, drag performance or ballet. Danielle also enjoys binge-watching a new crime-drama series or Friends (for the hundredth time). |
Dominic Smithies Student Voice and Equality Lead About Dominic
Dominic joined Student Minds in August 2017 after a year as the Community and Wellbeing Sabbatical Officer at the University of York’s Students’ Union. Dom takes a lead on our equality and diversity work, student engagement and co-production. He is also involved in our work with Students' Unions, supporting the campaign groups and understanding and tackling health inequalities. Outside of work Dom is an avid gamer and also spends his time volunteering with Pride In London and the NHS Youth Forum. |
Eleri Dare-Edwards Head of Operations About Eleri
Eleri maintains oversight of Student Minds’ activities across the staff team, supporting staff to achieve their goals and seeking at all times to ensure the organisation develops and delivers on its objectives. She is responsible for the charity’s day-to-day operations, including HR and financial management and reporting on these to the rest of the management team and trustee board. Outside of work Eleri enjoys walking in nature and playing netball. |
Fay Dixon Executive Assistant About Fay
Fay is the Executive Assistant at Student Minds, providing support to Rosie (our CEO) and the senior management team. She is responsible for co-ordinating the quarterly Trustee meetings and Clinical Advisory Groups. Prior to this, Fay worked as an office manager and internal recruiter for an executive search business. Outside of work, Fay loves to cook and bake, go to gigs, watch films and documentaries, and bother cute dogs in the street. |
Gareth Hughes Charter Content Development Lead About Gareth
Gareth is the content development lead for the University Mental Health Charter. He works alongside the project team and researchers to ensure we're informed by the most up to date evidence. Alongside his part-time work with Student Minds, Gareth is a psychotherapist and the Research Lead for Student Wellbeing at the University of Derby. |
Grace Anderson Communications Manager About Grace
Grace leads on our communications activities, from running our social media accounts to working creatively with the staff team to communicate new exciting projects and research. She is passionate about giving people a platform to share their mental health stories, she supports our Press Ambassadors and the Student Minds Blog to ensure student's experiences are at the heart of our work. Grace is happiest when drinking tea, reading a good book or watching a documentary. |
Jenny Smith Policy Manager About Jenny
Jenny is our resident policy specialist, delivering research, briefings and analysis to empower the whole Student Minds team. She keeps a finger on the pulse of the higher education and mental health sectors, and is passionate about grassroots activism, co-production and student leadership. She previously worked as the Welfare Coordinator for Sheffield Students’ Union, where her love for all things policy flourished. Outside of work she is a dubious ice hockey player and all-round outdoorsy type. |
Kate Mitchell Fundraising Officer About Kate
Kate works with our network of community fundraisers and corporate supporters, providing practical support, advice and encouragement. She is also responsible for bringing in income for the charity’s activities through other channels, including donations and grants. She has worked in the charity sector since graduating from university in 2017. In her free time, she can usually be found curled up with a book, in an art gallery or halfway up a mountain. |
Krishna Lad Design and Office Manager About Krishna
Krishna works with all of the team members at Student Minds, assisting with various operations and HR processes such as recruitment as well as managing the design of the charity. Since joining the team in 2016 Krishna has refreshed the brand of the charity as well as relocating the office up to Leeds. Krishna can be found relieving stress by punching a bag (through supervised boxing!) or doing some drawing and watercolours. |
Leigh Spanner Sector Improvement Lead About Leigh
Leigh works in partnership with students, staff and organisations across the sector to deliver programmes which aim to enhance approaches to university mental health. She currently leads on Student Minds’ two major sector enhancement programmes: the University Mental Health Charter and the Students’ Union Support Programme. Leigh loves being surrounded by nature and is always on the lookout for new music, gigs and festivals. |
Ollie Kasper-Hope Head of Engagement About Ollie
Ollie oversees all the work we do to engage students with the charity. He has oversight over campaigns, policy, research, health inequalities, student voice as well as being our strategic lead for our work with Students’ Unions and movement building. Ollie is a self-confessed SU geek having worked in 4 different Students’ Unions over a 10 year period prior to joining us here at Student Minds, occupying different roles relating to student welfare and engagement. Outside of work Ollie enjoys spending time with family and friends, as well as reading and binge-watching everything he can get his hands on. |
Rosie Tressler CEO About Rosie
Rosie leads the organisation, working closely with the staff team, trustees, student advisors, clinicians, professionals and our cross-sector partners to develop the charity’s direction, strategy and future opportunities. Rosie has been undertaking a Churchill Fellowship to explore preventative approaches to student mental health, and was awarded an OBE in 2019 for services to Mental Health in Higher Education. Prior to joining Student Minds in 2013 Rosie worked in a range of student facing organisations in roles involving campaigning, volunteer management, fundraising, and programme development. Outside of work Rosie enjoys being inspired by a book, play or film, often those with feminist vibes. Twitter: @rosietressler |
Sophie Cohen-Jones Training Manager About Sophie
Sophie is the Training Manager at Student Minds. She provides support for the network of trainers, facilitates the various training sessions and courses Student Minds offer and contributes to the development of the training programmes. Prior to this Sophie worked in education as a Secondary School Teacher for 6 years. Sophie enjoys nothing more than a long stroll in the forest with Wilbur (her four-legged friend). |
Zoe Maggs Programme Officer (Men's Mental Health) About Zoe
Zoe is the Programme Officer for the Men’s Mental Health project; she is responsible for recruiting, supporting and training volunteers and evaluating the effectiveness of volunteer-led interventions. Zoe interned with Student Minds over the summer before this post, and has a background in widening participation work. In her spare time, she is an avid reader of crime, horror and mystery fiction, and she is a keen mental-health rights campaigner who also volunteers as a peer-support facilitator for Leeds Mind. |