Derri Burdon
CEO
A qualified teacher, Derri previously worked for Bolton Council’s Educational Improvement Service where she was responsible for leading a number of high profile school improvement initiatives including: Find Your Talent, Inspiring Communities, Bolton UFA and Sunflower Clubs.
Derri is a ‘sandgrown-un’ Lancashire Lass with Irish roots. School wasn’t her favourite place as a child but despite this (or likely because of it) she is passionate about improving learning outcomes for all children, especially the most disadvantaged and vulnerable. In her current role, Derri is driven by the passionate belief that rather than attempting to ‘close the gap’, we should be filling it brim-full with enriching and inspirational cultural and collective experiences that the most fortunate families take for granted.
Caz Brader
Deputy CEO & Director Of Cultural Programmes
Caz sets the direction for, and leads the team to deliver, Curious Minds’ major programmes - most notably the Bridge programme.
Sue Langfeld
Director of Finance and Operations
Sue oversees the Curious Minds finance function (accounts, payroll and admin), Human Resources, Communication & Marketing and Digital Information.
Jude Bird
Director of Programmes
Jude directs Artsmark, Arts Award, CASE and SLiCE and has a strategic overview of these programmes and future developments.
Kelly Allen
Director of Programmes
Kelly currently has strategic overview of Hope Streets, LCEPs and any new programmes with a strong equality and diversity theme.
Hannah Baldwin
Senior Manager For Partnership & Place
Hannah oversees our work with Local Cultural Education Partnerships across the North West. She is currently on secondment to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority until June 2020.
Louise Hesketh
Cultural Education Manager
Louise supports the establishment and progress of Local Cultural Education Partnerships throughout Merseyside and Cheshire, helping to develop local plans, and to connect LCEPs to regional and national opportunities for investment and support. She is also the Curious Minds lead contact for Music Education Hubs
Sara Domville
Cultural Education Manager
Sara supports the establishment and progress of Local Cultural Education Partnerships throughout Cumbria and Lancashire, helping to develop local plans, and to connect LCEPs to regional and national opportunities for investment and support.
Stephanie Hawke
Head of External Funding & Policy
Steph oversees the management of external funding bids on behalf of Curious Minds, and she also makes sure that the team stay up-to-date with the latest developments in policy.
Emma Bush
Head of Programmes
Emma oversees a number of areas within the Bridge Programme, including Artsmark, Arts Award and CASE.
Holly Ball
Head of Careers & Employability
Holly leads on the planning and delivery of Curious Minds' careers and employability programmes. Her role involves developing strategic partnerships to develop and improve pathways and progression routes into creative employment.
Teresa Baggaley
Cultural Education Manager
Teresa works with partners across the North West to develop and promote Arts Award to ensure children and young people have access to the national qualification at all levels in our schools, youth groups and cultural organisations. Teresa also supports the establishment and progress of Local Cultural Education Partnerships in Greater Manchester, helping to develop local plans, and to connect LCEPs to regional and national opportunities for investment and support.
Sue Blackburn
Senior Finance and Operations Officer
Sue manages the daily finance function and works alongside the Operations Coordinator on internal operations for the organisation
Dave Muir
Digital and Information Officer
Dave is responsible for the Culture Hubs website, CRM system and in developing reporting systems to assist the team in programme planning.
Andrew Stewart
Senior Contracts & Reporting Officer
Andrew oversees the issuing of any new contracts or grants, including the monitoring of how they progress, and he also assists with reporting across the various programmes that Curious Minds are engaged in.
Shirley Bailey
Executive Assistant
Shirley’s the first point of contact for all-things Derri, our CEO. She supports Management Team, Exec Team and our board of Trustees.
Hanna Lambert
Programmes Coordinator
Hanna assists the Head of Programmes in coordinating Curious Minds support offers for Artsmark and Arts Award. She also supports the delivery of the CASE programme and coordinates other Curious Minds events.
Joe Umpleby
Operations Coordinator
Joe coordinates the smooth and effective running of Curious Minds’ office facilities, providing administrative and project management support to the organisation.
Sally Gorton
Head of Communications
Sally oversees the planning and delivery of Curious Minds' marketing and communications activity. Her role covers a range of work linked to how we communicate with education providers, arts and cultural organisations, opinion formers and the wider public.
Siobhan Garrigan
Communications Manager
Working as part of the wider Communications Team, Siobhan manages the delivery of Curious Minds’ Marketing Communications strategy. This includes planning, producing and publishing content across all Curious Minds’ channels, working to optimise distribution and ensure delivery is consistently on brand and in line with the organisation’s vision, mission and communications objectives.
Saul Argent
Hope Streets Project Manager
Saul is responsible for overseeing Curious Minds' Hope Streets programme, a Heritage Lottery Funded project, which will see young people aged 11–25 revolutionise the way museums work with their peers.
Briony Thompson
Schools Advisory Manager
Briony works with partners across the North West to create, promote and support the delivery of innovative developmental practice as part of the Cultural Education Challenge.
Tom Edwards
Digital Marketing and Campaigns Officer
Tom works as part of the Marketing & Communications team. He helps manage social media and supports Curious Minds with digital design and photography.