Board Members

Neil Moulden - Chair

Neil is the Chief Executive and Company Secretary of Derbyshire Dales Council for Voluntary Service, having joined in 2002. He is also a Director and Trustee of Rural Action Derbyshire. Neil has a variety of other roles including Board and Executive Committee member of the High Peak and Derbyshire Dales Local Strategic Partnership; Board member of Third Sector Support for Derbyshire (3D) and member of the Leader Local Action Group. Prior to his current role, Neil spent six years as the Administrator of Derbyshire Community Foundation and then two years working in Community Development for the Peak District Rural Deprivation Forum before going on to chair this group. Before moving to work in the voluntary sector Neil spent ten years working in the printing industry, and has also taught Management Studies at Derby College.

Penny Anderson - Peak District National Park Authority Member

Penny established her well-respected ecological consultancy; Penny Anderson Associates in 1972, which is now based in Buxton, and from which she retired in 2013. She is an expert field ecologist, principally a botanist, with excellent general knowledge of various fauna and flora. Penny has extensive experience assessing the value, potential, restoration and management needs of many habitats, especially moorland and grassland. She has pioneered habitat creation and rescue techniques, winning awards for those carried out at Stansted Airport. Amongst many qualifications and memberships, she is a Chartered Ecologist and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, of which she was President 2010-2012; a specialist volunteer for the National Trust; has presented evidence to House of Lords Committees and at Public Enquiries, and is currently Peak District National Park Authority Secretary of State nominated member for biodiversity. Penny has lectured widely and still runs courses on various ecological and environmental subjects. The Peak District is familiar and close to her heart, having lived and worked here for over forty years.

Peter Dewhurst - Derby University

Peter is Dean of Faculty and Strategic Director of the University of Derby, Buxton, which comprises the School of Sport Performance and Outdoor Leadership and the School of Hotel, Resort and Spa Management. Peter has been chair of the Peak District Partnership since its launch in 2012, he also sits on the Board of Vision Buxton (Director since 2013); Buxton Town Team; Business Peak District; Visit Peak District and Derbyshire; Derbyshire Economic Partnership's Rural Forum, and Derbyshire Economic Partnership's Rural Implementation Group.

Alison Pritchard - Derbyshire County Council

Anne Robinson - Friends of the Peak District

As a trustee of Campaign for National Parks and a volunteer with Friends of the Peak District Anne is wholly committed to seeing the Peak District wildlife and landscapes made the best they can be - which means even better than they are now!

Jo Smith - Derbyshire Wildlife Trust

Jo grew up in Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire and studied Biological Sciences specialising in Ecology at Durham University, where she also gained her PhD. After a career in academia in both the UK and US, she switched to conservation in 2001 and began working for Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. Jo was Director of Operations for six years before joining Derbyshire Wildlife Trust as Chief Executive, and now represents the interest of conservation charities and biodiversity groups working in the Peak District.

Jon Stewart - National Trust

Jon's professional journey began with a degree in Ecology. He worked as a Conservation Officer for the Nature Conservancy Council in Scotland and English Nature in Cornwall before moving to the Peak District. Specialising in team, upland and Sites of Special Scientific Interest management he led a wide range of programmes for English Nature and subsequently Natural England in the Peak District and East Midlands. More recently be became General Manager for the National Trust in the Peak District responsible for the care of over 12% of the National Park's varied and special landscapes.

Rhodri Thomas (advisory) - Peak District National Park Authority

Rhodri has been working for the National Park Authority for over twenty years, and has been Natural Environment Team Manager for ten. Rhodri is an excellent ecologist, with knowledge of many fauna and flora from all over the country including Wales and East Anglia. He has been involved in many conservation projects in the Peak District, and is currently involved in the Birds of Prey Initiative.