Carly is the Head of Capacity Building and works within the Capacity Building and Standards function at Involve. She leads a variety of projects inside and outside of public institutions that aim to build capacity to embed the processes, skills, structures and cultures needed for effective public participation in decision-making.
Carly's work includes developing and delivering training and mentoring programmes, providing strategic guidance and support to decision-makers and organisations, creating and sustaining networks, and developing good practice resources and thought leadership. She is the lead on a variety of Involve's capacity building focused projects, including the Local Climate Engagement programme, Sciencewise and the public engagement element of the Local Policy Innovation Hub as part of the levelling-up agenda.
Prior to joining Involve, Carly was Chief Executive of the Socialist Educational International, a global network of children’s and youth organisations that centres its work around value-based education, and child and youth participation. Before that, she held project management positions in youth and political organisations in the UK and mainland Europe. She is also a freelance trainer and practitioner in non-formal education, and specialises in inclusion and intersectionality.
Carly holds an MSc in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She has written and edited several educational publications on topics such as sexuality and gender, the inclusion of refugees and migrants, and inclusive sex education. Outside of Involve, Carly is the Chair of the Riverside Community Health Project, a local organisation in the West End of Newcastle that works to challenge poverty and systemic inequalities. In her spare time, you can find Carly at the boxing gym or yoga studio, out at gigs, or getting involved in community activism. She is based in Newcastle Upon Tyne.