Jon Sawyer is Chair and Board Member of the CDA and also serves on the CHA board. With senior roles at Willmott Dixon, Medesham Homes, and Northampton Partnership Homes, Jon brings extensive housing and development expertise. He has leadership experience in local government, and he is passionate about placemaking, problem-solving, and creating thriving communities.

Ben is Diocesan Secretary for the Diocese of Gloucester and a founder and Director of the CDA. Formerly Director of Finance and Operations for the Diocese of Gloucester, he has held senior roles with Christian Aid, Trust for London, and KPMG. Ben also serves as a Trustee for Barnwood Trust and co-founded Jumping Fish.

Colin Smith (FRICS) is a Chartered Surveyor in 1973 and began his career with the District Valuer’s Office. He has worked at Bruton Knowles, becoming an equity partner in 1995, and Senior leadership at CBRE. Now a consultant and strategic adviser, Colin chairs Barnwood Trust, Nailsworth Community Land Trust, and the Gloucester Diocesan Glebe Committee.

Jenny Tomlinson has served as Archdeacon of Birmingham since 2019 and is closely involved in work arising from the Coming Home report. With extensive experience in diocesan governance, NHS management, and parish development, she is committed to addressing housing issues and supporting clergy and church property matters across the Church of England Birmingham.

Kelly is a senior land and development professional with experience in local and central government, and PLC housebuilders. Now Group Director of Public Land and Place at Vistry, Kelly was formerly a Head of Land Acquisitions at Homes England, Kelly is passionate about creating quality homes and places that meet community needs.

Ade is a Mechanical Engineer by training with 20 years’ experience in Logistics, Procurement, and Supply chain management across Aerospace, Automotive, Food, and Higher Education. She has spent the last nine years of her career in procurement within the UK Housing sector. She hopes to bring both depth and breadth of expertise to her role as a member of the CDA board.

John had a 25-year career with housing associations and a local authority.  During this time, he was ordained.  Until spring 2025, he was Rector of the South Cotswolds for a decade.  He is interested in rural housing and homes for key workers.  He serves on a few bodies concerned with housing.

Dan is our Executive Director with 20 years of experience in the Public and Private Sectors, leading large-scale, high-profile programmes and managing large and diverse property portfolios. Dan is a proactive, motivated, and experienced Senior Property Professional with a Building Surveying background. He is a master’s graduate of the Department of Architecture and Engineering at the University of Cambridge, a Chartered Surveyor with The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and a full member of the Association for Project Management.

Mel has been with CDA since its founding in 2007, when it was Good and Faithful Servant. She brings extensive experience as a Chartered Accountant. She began her career at KPMG in London and later served as Research and Development Accountant at Dyson. She now contributes long-standing financial expertise to the Diocese of Gloucester.

Juliet is a RICS-qualified surveyor with over 30 years’ experience in land and property. She brings specialist expertise in the Church of England sector, identifying development opportunities for parsonage and glebe land. Juliet is a Registered Valuer with a passion for period properties and sustainable building conservation.

Natalie supports communications for the CDA. She holds a master’s in broadcast journalism and a human geography degree, completing her dissertation on a heritage site redevelopment for housing. Since April 2024, she has reported on faith-based stories, local news, and community initiatives for the Diocese of Gloucester.

Eddie is Project Director for the CDA and serves on The Housing Network board. He is Housing Policy Consultant for the National Federation of Builders and an ambassador for St Mungo’s. Former UK Housing Minister and Minister for Rough Sleeping, Eddie has held senior roles with YMCA, whg, Mitie, and Claims Consortium Group, with expertise in housing, transport, education, and equalities.

Raj has over 15 years’ experience in the built environment, delivering large scale, complex projects from a development, project and commercial management standpoint. Raj has led the delivery of projects on a national and international basis in a variety of sectors, including large scale housing, mixed-use schemes, BTR and PRS projects, civil infrastructure, power generation and transmission, renewables, oil and gas (on and offshore), and road and rail.

Alan has over thirty years’ experience of working in the social housing and community charity sectors. He has spent twenty years as CEO within the YMCA federation, developing and delivering social housing projects for the benefit of the marginalised and excluded. He has delivered several high-impact schemes in Birmingham, utilising over £7m of Homes England funding, including schemes which have delivered wider community regeneration and engagement benefits.

Sheryl has over 40 years of senior management experience in affordable housing development across public and private sectors. For the past 13 years, she’s provided specialist consultancy in pre-development research, land acquisition, planning, and project management. She has led major schemes, secured funding for general needs, and supported housing projects, from 6 to 450 units, and developed successful business strategies across diverse regions.

Andy Redfearn is a housing and development consultant with over 35 years in the sector, specialising in affordable and community-led housing. He has worked extensively with local authorities, housing providers, charities, and faith communities to develop housing solutions that respond to local needs. He offers expertise in housing strategy development, project planning, funding applications, and policy research.

Rebecca Stockman has over 20 years’ experience supporting people experiencing homelessness and developing housing solutions. As co-Director of LivShare Housing and Consultancy, she leads affordable housing projects with CDA, including early church developments and shared-living models. Drawing on her YMCA background and systems thinking approach, she shapes community-focused, low-rent housing initiatives from strategy to delivery.