Staff

Gavin Calver is the CEO of the Evangelical Alliance. He has a burning passion to see the church working together to share the Gospel throughout the UK. Formerly the leader of Youth for Christ and chair of Spring Harvest, he’s an ordained evangelist and regular public speaker, and has authored six books. Married to Anne, they have two children, Amelie and Daniel. He loves new challenges, is a passionate AFC Wimbledon supporter and was part of the team that broke the World Record for the longest 5-a-side football match.

Peter oversees the advocacy team and the work of the Alliance across the four UK nations. He is passionate about faith in the public square and leads the Being Human project with Jo Frost. He previously worked as a barrister in Belfast before studying theology at Regent College in Vancouver, where he serves on the board. Peter is a regular media commentator, is married to Rose, has two daughters, and loves running.

Fred has been an ordained minister of the Church of Scotland for more than 20 years. He has led both traditional and new churches and has a postgraduate degree in missional leadership and a diploma in pastoral theology. Fred is passionate about storytelling, the power of prayer, the gospel, and unity for extending the kingdom of God. He is an author and writer and has led conferences on new church in various countries. Fred seeks to give focus to the prayer support that is so vital to the work of the Evangelical Alliance.

Siân was appointed director of Evangelical Alliance Wales in January 2019 having previously taught music, drama and performing arts at a secondary school in north Wales. She is passionate about equipping, releasing and championing others to become all that God has created them to be.

Siân is a regular speaker at conferences across Wales, both in English and through her first language, Welsh. Having graduated in music, naturally many of her interests revolve around live music, performing and all things creative.

She also loves travelling, entertaining and is wholeheartedly committed to seeking out a perfect latte.

Rev Dr Israel Oluwole Olofinjana is an ordained and accredited Baptist minister and has led two multi-ethnic Baptist churches and an independent charismatic church. He is the founding director of Centre for Missionaries from the Majority World, a mission network initiative that provides cross-cultural training to reverse missionaries in Britain. Israel is an honorary research fellow at The Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education in Birmingham and is on the advisory group on Race and Theology at the Society for the Study of Theology (SST). He is a consultant to the executive team of Lausanne Europe, advising them on matters related to diaspora ministries in Europe. He is on the Christian Aid working group of black majority church leaders exploring the intersection of climate justice and racial justice.

Jo joined the Evangelical Alliance in September 2017, having previously worked with a number of Christian charities, including Share Jesus, Release International and Bible Society. Jo completed her Masters in Public Communications at Westminster before joining an international campaigns consultancy specialising in human rights and environment issues. She then went on to set up her own business as a communications consultant and brand specialist. Jo teaches and preaches regularly on communications, conflict, whole-life discipleship, mission and leadership.

Emrys is a Chartered Engineer and business graduate having held a number of senior management positions in blue-chip, hi-tech, international businesses. Following a God-directed career transition, he took on the role of director of operations with Care for the Family, an Evangelical Alliance member organisation, eight years ago. He has been a trustee of other Christian charities and is a member of his local church, part of the Salt & Light family, and lives in rural Leicestershire.

Sarah has been a PA at senior level since 2007, working in sports, private households, PR and classical music. She studied at Ellel Ministries and has been volunteering within evangelical and Catholic charities since a teen. Sarah has a penchant for talking to strangers, Sichuan chillies, psychedelic folk and Latin music, and middle-earth like pubs. Above all, she loves her mates, comedy, naps, and her husband, Leo.

Cassie joined the Evangelical Alliance in 2015, after a successful period as service manager at a charity that supports vulnerable young people and families. The graduate in arts management, who is in the leadership team at her church, provides administrative support for the general director, and other members of the leadership team, as they grapple with issues that affect evangelical Christians around the UK. Cassie counts it a privilege to serve colleagues across the Evangelical Alliance, as well as the charity’s diverse membership.

Nadia joined the Evangelical Alliance as executive assistant in the finance and operations team, after working in operations for a digital agency that equips and trains churches to preach the gospel online. Before that, she lived in the US for three years gaining accreditation in ministry and leadership development where she met her husband, Ryan, who hails all the way from Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Passionate about discipling radical and wholehearted followers of Jesus, Nadia has spent the last six years writing for and serving as executive editor for an online women's magazine, overseeing the editorial calendar and published content. She loves reading, running, good food and family time.

Jo joined the Evangelical Alliance in September 2017, having previously worked with a number of Christian charities, including Share Jesus, Release International and Bible Society. Jo completed her Masters in Public Communications at Westminster before joining an international campaigns consultancy specialising in human rights and environment issues. She then went on to set up her own business as a communications consultant and brand specialist. Jo teaches and preaches regularly on communications, conflict, whole-life discipleship, mission and leadership.

Hailing from the sunny countryside of the Cotswolds, Tim joined the Evangelical Alliance in 2016. He previously worked for Onelife Leadership and was self-employed as a freelance web designer. He is a huge fan of technology, any sport, and could be the world's biggest extrovert. Tim has been designing websites since the age of 12 and now looks after the digital world of the Evangelical Alliance, including this website.

Naomi joined the Evangelical Alliance in 2018 as editorial content manager. Positions with publishers and within the marketing and communications faculty of a higher education institution, plus stints as a reporter, have enabled the media and cultural studies graduate, who has an NCTJ diploma in newspaper journalism, to hone the necessary skills and qualities to serve members well.

Helen joined the Evangelical Alliance in October 2020. Prior to this, she trained in ministry for a year in Birmingham where she worked with students and was immersed in church life, in between summers working for the charity Open Doors. Helen studied English literature with creative writing modules, and loves writing, painting and walks with friends in all weathers.

Jerome joined the Evangelical Alliance’s 2021-22 graduate scheme in October as digital content assistant after graduating in creative writing from the University of Portsmouth earlier in the year. He currently volunteers at Evangelical Alliance member organisation Speak Life, which is based in his hometown Eastbourne, where he and colleagues work together to make film and spoken word to share the gospel.

Jerome enjoys listening to and writing rap music, and he recently got into boxing. Keen to get to know the members he’ll be serving as part of his role in the comms team, he invites you to hit him up (get it?).

Sarah has been with the Evangelical Alliance ever since she graduated in 2016 from the University of Nottingham with a degree in English. Having started as an intern, she now heads up the membership team – which includes managing the lovely membership team, looking after existing members, overseeing recruitment of new members and running the exhibition stands.

Ellie joined the Evangelical Alliance in August 2018 after spending the last few years working in the social and criminal justice sector. Ellie enjoys serving on the prayer team at her church and discovering secluded pockets of London or frequenting old haunts to enjoy good food and coffee.

A Londoner born and raised, Hannah joined the Evangelical Alliance in 2019 having previously worked for the NHS and her local church. She is passionate about studying the Bible and serving in the student ministry at her church. Hannah loves heritage and museums from studying archaeology at university and has a masters degree in museum studies. She also likes tea, books and long walks in the countryside. Hannah is part of the membership team at the Evangelical Alliance and enjoys her work with churches and organisations.

Danny joined the Evangelical Alliance in 2008 and has held a range of roles in the advocacy team. He currently leads the advocacy team's work across the UK including public policy work an engagement with the parliaments and assemblies, and respective governments. Before working for the Evangelical Alliance, Danny, who has degrees in politics and political philosophy, worked in parliament for an MP. Danny is passionate about encouraging Christians to integrate their faith with all areas of their life, especially when it comes to helping them take on leadership outside the church, and helped initiate the Evangelical Alliance's Public Leadership programme. He frequently provides comment on current political issues, both in Evangelical Alliance publications and to the press.

Kieran joined the Evangelical Alliance Scotland team in 2012. Prior to this he worked for MSPs at the Scottish parliament for three years, with spells in both Edinburgh and Inverness. Before this he spent a number of years working in youth and community work in the housing estates of his native Glasgow. Kieran helps the Evangelical Alliance connect with politicians in Holyrood and local government, connects with national and local media, and also provides support and encouragement to churches, organisations and individual Christians trying to engage with wider Scottish society.

Alicia joined the Evangelical Alliance as head of public policy in August 2021.

She brings over 15 years' experience working in politics, policy and activism. After completing her degree in politics, Alicia went on to work with UK charities and overseas ministries specialising in international human rights law, social justice, restorative justice and the Government's serious violence strategy.

She is passionate about the church bridging the divide between cultural opinion and the gospel. In her spare time, she loves photography, studying photojournalism and learning to make Japanese cuisine.

Chris joined the Evangelical Alliance as public policy officer (Scotland) in 2021. Previously, Chris worked for MSPs in the Scottish Parliament and participated on the Evangelical Alliance’s Public Leader: Scotland programme. Originally from Northern Ireland, Chris completed degrees in both Geography & Politics and Public Policy in Scotland. Chris is passionate about bringing the transformative perspective of the gospel into the public square for the flourishing of culture, communities and politics across Scotland. Outside of work, Chris is a budding podcaster, West Wing re-watcher and loyal supporter of West Ham United since 2006.

Damilola is the Evangelical Alliance's advocacy engagement lead.

Danielle lives on the north coast of Northern Ireland with husband Graham and three teenage kids. She joined the team in Northern Ireland in October 2020 and has become part of the team through the wonders of online connection. Previously, Danielle worked in administration and finance in retail and local church, but after completing a masters in communication and PR, she was keen to pursue a role in political engagement.

In her role as public policy officer she hopes to highlight a broad range of issues that matter to the church and christians in Northern Ireland and to encourage Christians to engage in these issues with a voice of hope that reflects the good news message of Jesus.

Jo joined the Evangelical Alliance in October 2020, after five years in Devon. Having grown up in Dubai, Jo moved to the UK to study English and Film at Exeter, before being an assistant youth worker for her church. She is passionate about equipping young people to enter conversations about contemporary issues, and ultimately speak of Jesus.

Jo loves the beach, music, art and food, and is married to a Welshman.

Nathan joined the Evangelical Alliance in October 2020 on the graduate scheme after completing an English literature degree earlier in the year. Nathan, who also works part-time for Alpha, is passionate about the discipling of the next generation of church leaders and equipping churches to be missional in their communities.

Being a Welsh speaker, one of his interests involves sourcing the best that Welsh language music has to offer. Nathan is also a keen wild swimmer wherever and whenever possible, and is a big fan of Everton FC.

Nicola re-joined the Evangelical Alliance in August 2021 as the Westminster public policy officer. She previously interned in the Scottish office in 2018 before spending a couple of years working within Scottish politics and for a faith-based homelessness charity.

Being a Glasgow girl, Nicola is adjusting to life south of the border and enjoys spending her time exploring new places, taking lots of photographs and meeting new people.

Jo joined the Evangelical Alliance in September 2017, having previously worked with a number of Christian charities, including Share Jesus, Release International and Bible Society. Jo completed her Masters in Public Communications at Westminster before joining an international campaigns consultancy specialising in human rights and environment issues. She then went on to set up her own business as a communications consultant and brand specialist. Jo teaches and preaches regularly on communications, conflict, whole-life discipleship, mission and leadership.

Rachael worked for British Youth for Christ for 13 years, most latterly as corporate director within the leadership team before working for four years with the Diocese of Ely as youth adviser – developing training, resources, and strategy for equipping churches in their outreach to young people. Rachael is married to Darren and lives in Ely, Cambs with her two sons, Jacob and Isaac. She is passionate about evangelism, mission, and church unity, and is very involved in her local church – overseeing the youth work and ministry to teenage girls in particular. She is a trained coach and mentor, loves travel, languages, shoes, and is a reluctant soccer-mum!

Phil Knox is the head of mission to young adults at the Evangelical Alliance. He lives to see people come to know Jesus and Christians inspired and equipped to share their faith. He has a passion for his generation, the local church, loves learning, and has degrees in law, and mission and evangelism. Phil is married to Dani and they have two sons, Caleb and Jos. He is an avid runner and footballer, a proud Aston Villa supporter, and battles a mild coffee addiction. He is the author of Story Bearer: How to share your faith with your friends. Find out more at www.storybearer.com

Ben is the head of church unity and also leads soulcity church, Stockport, which he planted in 2017. He is unapologetically passionate about the local church, reaching people far from God and seeing the movement of Jesus reproduced in others. He also loves good coffee, falling off surfboards and getting lost on mountains.

Rich currently works part time in the unity for mission team at the Evangelical Alliance. He recently began a PhD in theology at the London School of Theology. To relax, you’ll often find Rich and his wife, Kit, enjoying the outdoors – preferably up a mountain.

Dayalan joined the Evangelical Alliance's South Asian Forum team in 2018 to help oversee events and new resources. Having taken over from Manoj Raithatha as the forum's national coordinator, Dayalan now organises cross-cultural mission training events to help churches reach out to those of other faiths. As part of his role, he also facilitates relationship building and joint mission among South Asian churches, and helps them integrate into the wider UK church.

After graduating in geography, Emma joined the Evangelical Alliance in October 2020 from the London School of Economics. Emma, who has volunteered within the international development sector, is passionate about the pursuit of social justice and seeing the diverse local and global church unified. As an unashamed people person, she is always up for a good old chat and loves random acts of affirmation. You can usually find her hitting up north London’s best green spaces or struggling up hills on her fixed-gear bike.

Rev Dr Israel Oluwole Olofinjana is an ordained and accredited Baptist minister and has led two multi-ethnic Baptist churches and an independent charismatic church. He is the founding director of Centre for Missionaries from the Majority World, a mission network initiative that provides cross-cultural training to reverse missionaries in Britain. Israel is an honorary research fellow at The Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education in Birmingham and is on the advisory group on Race and Theology at the Society for the Study of Theology (SST). He is a consultant to the executive team of Lausanne Europe, advising them on matters related to diaspora ministries in Europe. He is on the Christian Aid working group of black majority church leaders exploring the intersection of climate justice and racial justice.

Titilola’s passion to see inclusion in churches and organisations brought her to join the Evangelical Alliance in September 2020 as our One People Commission coordinator. Titilola has practiced as a solicitor and barrister in Nigeria and then in Ireland. Whilst in Ireland, she was actively involved in championing and supporting the emergence of new communities, representing the migrant community from grassroot to national levels, and lobbying and dialoguing issues on race, equality, diversity and inclusion. She also managed cross-border European Union-funded projects and initiatives before God orchestrated her journey to the UK. Titilola previously served in her church’s administrative team, and children and women’s ministry, and she is currently a part of the worship team. She is blessed with four daughters, an avid cruciverbalist and has authored her first book.

Emrys is a Chartered Engineer and business graduate having held a number of senior management positions in blue-chip, hi-tech, international businesses. Following a God-directed career transition, he took on the role of director of operations with Care for the Family, an Evangelical Alliance member organisation, eight years ago. He has been a trustee of other Christian charities and is a member of his local church, part of the Salt & Light family, and lives in rural Leicestershire.

Hil heads up our people and facilities here at the Evangelical Alliance. She joined us from the world of education where most recently she set up and led the HR function across a group of four London schools following an 18-year career break. She is a self declared chocoholic, charity shop addict and loves to play and watch netball. She is happy to be the mum of the office especially now her four grown up children have all left home! Hil lives in West London where she and her husband are involved in leadership of their local church.

Wendy has a deep love for the UK church and a passion for unity. Her career has been wide-ranging and varied, encompassing roles such as bank manager, financial adviser, life coach and fundraiser. She is an ordained minister and co-leads a fantastic church in rural Buckinghamshire with her husband Marcus. Wendy is a very proud mum to three children, as well as being an avid foodie and movie fanatic.

Jon joined the Evangelical Alliance in 2019 having previously been at New Wine and a small accountancy firm prior to that. He manages the finance team and is responsible for ensuring the money in and out is recorded correctly. Jon is on several teams at his local church and has served at the Soul Survivor summer events either in the chat room or on the prophecy team.

Dave joined the Evangelical Alliance in 2020. He previously worked as the accountant for Soul Survivor, until it finished running events in 2019. Dave lives with his wife and daughter in Hertfordshire and loves exercising, films, reading, and any sport that requires standing on a board. He is known for his humour and being tall.

Stefan joined the Evangelical Alliance as facilities administrator in June 2019 after almost two years at a private company where he worked as an operations executive. An English, Film and Television graduate, Stefan has a huge passion for writing and movies. Since October 2016, he's served as youth editor on Christian magazine Majestic. He has a heart for young Christians and leads the youth ministry team at his local church.

David Smyth is head of Northern Ireland and coordinates the Public Leader: Northern Ireland course. He is a former solicitor and represents the Evangelical Alliance on a range of government, civic and charitable forums. He serves in the space where faith, law, politics and culture intersect.

Dawn keeps the office and team in order. She also heads up Both Lives Matter, of which the Evangelical Alliance Northern Ireland is a founding partner. Dawn serves on the board of New Horizon and the operations team of Ards and North Down Street Pastors. Dawn is also a deacon in Kircubbin Community Church and lives on the Ards peninsula, with her husband Peter and their three daughters.

In this role, Donna seeks to resource the church to be strategic, creative and bold as we proclaim, enact and embody the good news of Jesus in our context. She is passionate about equipping the church to be both biblically faithful and culturally relevant as we stand at the interface between gospel and culture. Donna's heart and voice for church and mission have been formed by her Masters in Missiology, several years of church planting work in Bangladesh followed by developing church engagement with mission through her OMF role in Ireland. Donna lives in Belfast with her husband Nathaniel and children Micah and Tabitha. Some of life’s good gifts for Donna include a morning coffee, shared laughter with friends, a long run out in nature, and a good crime drama.

Danielle lives on the north coast of Northern Ireland with husband Graham and three teenage kids. She joined the team in Northern Ireland in October 2020 and has become part of the team through the wonders of online connection. Previously, Danielle worked in administration and finance in retail and local church, but after completing a masters in communication and PR, she was keen to pursue a role in political engagement.

In her role as public policy officer she hopes to highlight a broad range of issues that matter to the church and christians in Northern Ireland and to encourage Christians to engage in these issues with a voice of hope that reflects the good news message of Jesus.

Ryan joined the Evangelical Alliance in 2020 as a graduate researcher for the Being Human project. Originally from the US, he had spent a decade working as a worship music director while obtaining an MDiv and ThM in worship and theology before he moved to Northern Ireland for doctoral research in history. The unifying theme in Ryan’s research is how big and abstract ideas are tangibly lived out in the experiences of individual people and worshipping communities.

Siân was appointed director of Evangelical Alliance Wales in January 2019 having previously taught music, drama and performing arts at a secondary school in north Wales. She is passionate about equipping, releasing and championing others to become all that God has created them to be.

Siân is a regular speaker at conferences across Wales, both in English and through her first language, Welsh. Having graduated in music, naturally many of her interests revolve around live music, performing and all things creative.

She also loves travelling, entertaining and is wholeheartedly committed to seeking out a perfect latte.

Em joined the team in April 2016 as the Welsh administrator. She grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and moved to Cardiff in 2011 to study Religious and Theological Studies at Cardiff University. Em is married to Cam and they have a little boy who, let’s say, keeps them on their toes.

Nathan joined the Evangelical Alliance in October 2020 on the graduate scheme after completing an English literature degree earlier in the year. Nathan, who also works part-time for Alpha, is passionate about the discipling of the next generation of church leaders and equipping churches to be missional in their communities.

Being a Welsh speaker, one of his interests involves sourcing the best that Welsh language music has to offer. Nathan is also a keen wild swimmer wherever and whenever possible, and is a big fan of Everton FC.

Fred has been an ordained minister of the Church of Scotland for more than 20 years. He has led both traditional and new churches and has a postgraduate degree in missional leadership and a diploma in pastoral theology. Fred is passionate about storytelling, the power of prayer, the gospel, and unity for extending the kingdom of God. He is an author and writer and has led conferences on new church in various countries. Fred seeks to give focus to the prayer support that is so vital to the work of the Evangelical Alliance.

Kieran joined the Evangelical Alliance Scotland team in 2012. Prior to this he worked for MSPs at the Scottish parliament for three years, with spells in both Edinburgh and Inverness. Before this he spent a number of years working in youth and community work in the housing estates of his native Glasgow. Kieran helps the Evangelical Alliance connect with politicians in Holyrood and local government, connects with national and local media, and also provides support and encouragement to churches, organisations and individual Christians trying to engage with wider Scottish society.

Chris joined the Evangelical Alliance as public policy officer (Scotland) in 2021. Previously, Chris worked for MSPs in the Scottish Parliament and participated on the Evangelical Alliance’s Public Leader: Scotland programme. Originally from Northern Ireland, Chris completed degrees in both Geography & Politics and Public Policy in Scotland. Chris is passionate about bringing the transformative perspective of the gospel into the public square for the flourishing of culture, communities and politics across Scotland. Outside of work, Chris is a budding podcaster, West Wing re-watcher and loyal supporter of West Ham United since 2006.

New to the team, Cara lives in Glasgow with her husband Alex and five young children. She is a member of Newton Mearns Baptist Church and helps out with their activities for children and young people. Previously, Cara has worked in administration in both retail and finance and has also worked in the lobbying sector in Scotland. She has a degree in politics and a masters in public policy.