The Secret Garden
Kemptown
The Secret Garden: Trustees
Anne Boddington, Chair of Trustees
Anne was educated as an Architect and Cultural Geographer, was Dean of the College of Arts & Humanities and a senior leader at the University of Brighton until 2017. She is Professor Emerita of Design Innovation at Kingston University where she led Research, Business and Innovation.
Having spent over 40 years in Higher Education, she now works independently to support Higher Education Institutions with strategic and organisational design, business planning, research development, quality assurance, career development and international partnerships as a consultant, coach and mentor.
A former Trustee and Deputy Chair of the Design Council Trustees, she is currently Chair of the Sub Panel for Art & Design, for the UKRI Research Excellence Framework (REF), Chair of the Learning & Research Committee for the Design Council. Her experience includes strategic and organisational design, business planning/finance, quality assurance in teaching and research, career development and international partnerships. She has worked for the UK Government’s Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), with museums and the cultural sector and as a strategic research reviewer for UKRI.
Caroline Cowley, Trustee
Caroline Cowley is a freelance interior designer and project manager. She grew up locally and was educated at Lancing College before studying American and Commonwealth Arts at Exeter University, spending a year of her degree course studying photography at UCSC.
Following graduation she combined her practical and creative skills to set up a team of muralists working on private commissions in London and the U.S., which developed into an interior design consultancy.
Mike Jones, Trustee
Mike brings many years experience of working within the NHS as a health educator, counsellor and manager . He has also worked with the charity sector, in both paid and voluntary roles and as a Trustee , including services working with homeless / unhoused people and people living with long term and acute mental health difficulties .
He is particularly interested in how we can make gardens and horticultural experiences accessible to all. He is a qualified freelance gardener and was a volunteer gardener at Brighton Pavilion .
Taylor Monckton, Trustee
Taylor is a Researcher and Data Analyst at Brighton College. He grew up locally and was educated at Longhill High School before obtaining a Master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Nottingham.
His professional experience includes data analysis, statistical modelling, and research design, with a particular focus on translating complex data into clear, actionable insights. He has also contributed to work involving data governance and financial analysis, supporting effective organisational oversight and reporting.
Stephen Neiman, Trustee and Treasurer
Stephen Neiman set up The Antony Dale Trust with Gavin Henderson. Throughout his career, Stephen has been involved in major arts projects, both nationally and internationally. He has played a leading role in several charities in Brighton & Hove, including: Founder and Trustee of The Old Market Trust, Chair of the Brighton Youth Orchestra and Regency Society and President of the Brighton Soirée and Hove Rotary Clubs. He is also Secretary of the Hanover Band Foundation.
Talia Rodgers, Trustee
Talia Rodgers is the Head of Higher Education at Digital Theatre. From 1991-2015 she was Publisher for Literature, Theatre and Performance Studies at Routledge. In the mid-1990s Talia managed the launch of the third edition of the Arden Shakespeare, and also the journal 'Performance Research’.
Talia has lived in Kemptown since 1988. She is also a trustee of Flute Theatre: Shakespeare for Inclusive Audiences. In 2018 Talia was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of London.
Elizabeth West, Trustee
Lizzy brings a background in NHS social prescribing, with experience supporting diverse communities to access creative and arts-based approaches to wellbeing across the city. She has worked across community-focused projects, contributing to inclusive and accessible programming.
Lizzy is trained in mindfulness, holistic therapies, and yoga, and has a growing interest in nature-based approaches and ecotherapy as part of her wider commitment to wellbeing and community care.
Camilla Yates, TRUSTEE
Camilla is Managing Partner of a creative agency, with 18 years of experience as an advertising strategist. She has worked with a wide variety of global brands from Greenpeace, to Cadbury to Odeon Cinemas.
Camilla is a passionate advocate of marketing as a force for good, and helped her agency pivot to becoming one of the only B-Corps in the UK's top 100 agencies in 2022.
Camilla is also an Emergence Academy fellow, meaning she’s trained in running Futures Literacy Labs - a visionary, collaborative working process enabling brands to flourish within a culture of emergence, driving innovation and long term strategy.