Staff Profiles
Sally Hardy, Chief Executive
Sally is Chief Executive of the Regional Studies Association and celebrated her twenty second anniversary with the Association in December 2008.
Sally's employment history began at the Economic and Social Research Council with responsibilities on the Industry and Employment Committee and then in the Information and Public Relations division. During this period she worked as a researcher on a science policy project funded by the Advisory Board for Research Councils.
Sally's priority in 2009 is the ongoing delivery of the Association's Development Plan which was launched in 2008. Early successes in this delivery include the growth in membership numbers to levels not seen for 30 years.
Sally has worked to consolidate and strategically develop the Association's finances. There has been an expansion of the conference programme, both domestic and international and with this has come a rise in the profile of the Association within policy making circles. In 2008 the Association was the most pro-active that it has ever been in terms of responding to policy consultations and seeking opportunities to influence policy at different spatial scales. This work will be expanded strongly within a European context in 2009.
In 2009 Sally will be promoting the use of the post-nominals MeRSA by all current members; launching a series of new prizes and awards to celebrate all that is good in our field; building the growth of our research network programme and the number of active spatial networks and seeking to further consolidate work undertaken in 2008 to revitalize our student and early career networks.
Ongoing core areas for work are the Association's two journals - Regional Studies and Spatial Economic Analysis and its recently re-launched book series - Regions and Cities.
Sally will be seeking opportunities during the year to canvass opinion from both the member and non-member community to further strengthen the services that the Association delivers within the area.
Auréliane Beauclair, Development Manager
Auréliane has graduated from the University of Brighton in Tourism Management, where she wrote her dissertation on the economic role of tourism on poverty alleviation in Madagascar. She then went on to complete her Masters in International Relations at the University of Sussex in 2004 where she mainly concentrated her research on genocide studies and wrote her thesis on the relationship between international tourism and contemporary terrorism.
Since then, she has been a Development Manager and a Project Manager in the private sector, and a Researcher at the University of Sussex where she worked on a programme funded by the European Social Fund on EU and UK policies concerning discrimination and unemployment. Auréliane's role is mainly involved within the following areas of the Association: The Research Networks, Spatial Networks, Development of Memberships, the Website and the Regions & Cities Book Series as well as other strategic areas in line with the aims and objects of the Association's Development Plan.
Cristina Comunian, Information and Communication Manager
Cristina has a Masters degree in “Multiculturality and Immigration in the Field of Health and Social Welfare”, a Bachelor in Modern Languages majoring in Communication Sciences, she submitted a dissertation on Applied English Linguistics.
Before joining the Regional Studies Association, she was working at the WHO European Office for Investment for Health and Development (based in Venice) where she was the Office Communication and Information focal point and Assistant to the Head of Office. She was responsible for the coordination of the production of a series of publications on the social determinants of health and health inequities, as well as the production of the Office Biennial Report. In the almost five years at WHO, she was also involved in website management and programme management for the investment for health programme and events coordination. Previous to this employment, she was working for a centre for continuing education and training in the field of health and health management. During the past few years Cristina volunteered for several non-profit organisations, and had the opportunity to learn a lot from the different people she met along her way.
Elizabeth Mitchell, Events and Membership
Elizabeth graduated from the University of Brighton with a BA (Hons) Degree in Hospitality & Event Management in 2005. Prior to this she worked for a conference and event company as a Conference and Events Co-ordinator, which encouraged her to gain a degree in this discipline.
After graduating, she was accepted onto the Compass Group UK & Ireland Graduate Management Trainee Programme, gaining one of eight positions from over 300 applicants. She spent the year mainly at Middlesex University supporting the General Manager and Events Manager, helping to organise large and prestigious events such as the Graduation Ball and Honorary Fellows Annual Dinner Ball; to which Princess Anne was the guest of honour. She also managed smaller events such as canapé & champagne receptions, and hosted VIP suppers for the Vice Chancellor of the University.
After completing her trainee year, Elizabeth went on to work as a Catering & Hospitality Manager for Compass Group, and then as a Deputy Catering Manager in the hospitality and catering department of Brighton University, which gained her invaluable experience in managing multi-site operations, and large numbers of staff.
Michael Curameng-Henderson, Finance Officer
Michael graduated with a BA (Hons) from the University of East Anglia, having read History of Art. His first career was teaching Art and Photography at the leading co-educational private school in Sussex, Brighton College. In 2006, Michael achieved a Merit Award for his Certificate in Accounting with the Open University. His second career saw him working in London for an organisation with diverse activities such as property development in Brazil, film fund management in the UK and carbon trading in Turkey and the Eurozone. Michael’s employment immediately prior to joining the RSA included high level experience of budget monitoring and the audit of multimillion pound housing repairs and gas contracts at Brighton and Hove City Council.
Michael’s ultimate ambition within the finance sector is to gain his full accounting qualification with the ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants). He notes that "My new role within the Regional Studies Association will help me to develop my practical skills and increase my knowledge of maintaining good financial controls within an organisation. I am looking forward to contributing to the overall success of the RSA, its expansion in the international domain and to helping to deliver the Association’s comprehensive Development Plan".
