Youth Biog
Liz Cross has a long track record of working with youth and student organizations over the last 25 years. She has impacted groups and businesses as an activist, an executive, a non-executive and a consultant. A founding Partner in The Connectives and lead Consultant, Liz is known for bringing real break through thinking and fresh energy in her strategic work with organisations across voluntary, private and public sectors.

The connectives has a strong focus in the youth sector with clients which include many social enterprises:-

• voluntary youth groups such as 42nd Street; the Water Adventure Centre
• housing associations - developing their youth strategy and positive programmes to engage young people

Liz has chaired a national youth charity and has over 20 years governance experience - in schools, FE and HE; worked with and in many community groups

She has developed commercial activities with young people and worked with the National Union of Students on political and commercial activities as a political and a professional officer

Liz has also developed new products and services for older people and for delivering opportunities for enabling intergenerational activities and the connectives is currently developing a project called the Shipwreck to provide facilities to make real this idea.

Her reputation in housing, education, group structures, governance, culture change, leadership development and the development of national programmes aimed at young people, older people and increasing the number of women in construction, means that she is often asked to speak at events, judge awards, advise and consult with leaders, and assist in the establishment of new organisations in the UK and abroad on these subjects and more. She has recently given evidence at the World Entrepreneurship Summit on social enterprises and their relationship with financial institutions in the UK and worldwide.

Non-Exec Directorships & Memberships include:
• A regional board member of the Common Purpose Advisory Board
• Deputy Chair of the Blackburne House Group – an award winning 20+ year old education linked social enterprise
• School Governor in Moss Side Primary School, Manchester since 1988
• Member of the British Psychology Society and the Occupational and Organisational Psychology Section

She has served as
• Chair of a national youth charity – the Young Adults Trust
• A board member on the Single Purpose Committee of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation which was tasked with generating research and advice on the future of Public Services and Governance in the UK (3 year appointment ended March 2007)
• A national board member of the Investors in Community Standards
• A member of the international advisory committee on standards in person-directed long term care environments – Washington DC
• Deputy chief executive to a large Housing Group in the UK
• And many years ago – as President of MMU Students’ Union

Liz Cross	Liz Brooks- Allen	Maggie Riley	Mags Porter	Lynn Harrop	Karen Flear	Catherine Thomson	Carol Pickering	Fliss Bridgewater	Leoni Antoniazzi	Dick Bunning	Kirsty Holt