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Staff, Chair and Vice chair

Who's Who at CPRE Sussex

Paul Steedman  Director

Our Director, Paul, has lived in Sussex for nearly 20 years. Passionate about our beautiful countryside, Paul can often be found, with his partner and young daughter, up on the Downs, down by the sea and traversing our fields and woodlands, exploring Sussex’s rich wildlife and heritage.  

Paul brings a wealth of policy and campaigning experience to our work, with past roles at consumer champion the National Consumer Council; thinktank the Food Ethics Council; and environmental campaigners Friends of the Earth, where he was involved in campaigns on energy, air pollution and saving our bees. 

A former local councillor and planning committee member, Paul has worked closely with politicians at every level of government on shaping a greener future for all of us, drawing on his Masters degree in Leadership for Sustainable Development.  

A regular volunteer at the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership’s Stanmer Wellbeing Gardens project, Paul’s also a keen cyclist, walker and birdwatcher – and a great supporter of Sussex’s many fantastic pubs and brewers. 

 

Prof Dan Osborn  Chair

Dan is Professor of Human Ecology at University College London (UCL).

He is co-Chair of UCL’s Environment Domain, maintaining an overview of the different aspects of environmental research. His own interests concern how people’s wellbeing relates to their environment and its natural resources.

Dan works closely with the Sussex Community Development Association to encourage people who do not make use of green space to do so to benefit their wellbeing.

He co-led the chapter on ‘People and the Built Environment’ in the Evidence Report for the 2nd UK Climate Risk Assessment published in 2016, contributing sections on flooding and the risks coastal communities face from a changing climate.

Before joining UCL, Dan had several roles with the Research Council including the cross-government research initiative Living With Environmental Change. As Chair of the British Ecological Society’s Policy Committee, he helped initiate discussions between ecologists and economists that led to the National Ecosystem Assessment published in 2011 and 2014.

Dan has worked with businesses, charities, national and local government in the UK, with the European Commission and various Parliamentary groups on a range of legislative and best practice issues. Much of his work has involved protecting the health and wellbeing of people and the environment and ensuring that resources are used more sustainably.

David Johnson

David Johnson    Vice Chair

David Johnson was brought up on the edge of the Green Belt and North Downs, playing out on its commons and woods. Although going to school in central London he became a ‘Young Farmer’ and worked on a small farm’s dairy, its horse drawn milk float and potato picking.

David’s varied career led him to work with the Irish cheese and ‘real’ food producers, to develop effective public, health and welfare services and encourage equal opportunities across rural and urban settings. In recent years he has taught on international MBAs in China, Japan, South America and Europe on organisational and management development and led leadership programmes in the UK and Ireland.

In the 1990s David moved from Wimbledon to rural East Sussex where he kept horses on a few acres. David has worked with voluntary organisations since the 1980s, currently as a school governor in Brighton; he helped set up Shoreham Wordfest.

A long time country lover and user, his anxiety at the Government’s pressure for building at any cost, led him to join CPRE Sussex as chair. Having served his maximum term as Chair, in 2019 he took on a new role as Vice Chair. He continues to seek to build strong alliances with campaigners across Sussex, attract new volunteers and members from among both rural and urban country users and renew the sense of countryside stewardship in the wider society.

Lesley Wilson  Branch Administrator

Lesley’s background is in administration and marketing. She worked with civil engineers, architects and a management consultancy before taking time out to travel and later have her family.  Lesley has enjoyed all her roles particularly working in small organisations alongside individuals and teams enthusiastic about their projects and work.

Educated in Plymouth, she moved to London to work and later lived in Surrey before moving to East Sussex in 2003 with her young family.  Always fascinated by nature and with a deep concern for the environment, Lesley gained an Open University BSc(hons) in Social Science with Environment in 2009.  Lesley has always been an active volunteer in the community and discovered CPRE Sussex when researching for environmental volunteer roles in her area.   Beginning as a volunteer for CPRE Sussex, Lesley was delighted to take on the role of Branch Administrator in February 2013.

Lesley loves nature and getting out and about in the countryside.  She and her family have been fortunate to explore and experience unspoilt and wild places.  She is a keen walker, horse rider and has more recently discovered the joys and tranquillity of snow shoeing in the French Pyrenees.

Duncan Lyne  Accounts Manager

Duncan is a qualified accountant, and having spent over 25 years in a variety of finance posts in the oil and chemical industry, took the role of Accounts Manager at CPRE Sussex in April 2019 on a part time basis.

Away from work, he is passionate about wildlife conservation and has been fortunate to have been involved in a number of overseas volunteer projects, namely in Costa Rica, assisting at a wildlife refuge and in Sri Lanka, helping monitor the elephant population in particular. Closer to home he also volunteers at the Folly Wildlife Rescue in Eridge, helping support a variety of local wildlife including injured hedgehogs and badgers (a bit smelly at times!)

Duncan is also a keen sportsman, and whilst the cricket pads have now been hung up, he still plays tennis regularly and enjoys family dog walks in the Sussex countryside. Duncan’s music taste isn’t always shared by the rest of his family as he enjoys listening to and playing ‘the blues’ and attends concerts when he can.  At other times you may find him with a trowel in hand tending the borders or alternatively at local music festivals where he volunteers.