Welcoming our new Chair of York CVS, Lee Probert
A few months into the role of Chair of our Board of Trustees, we caught-up with Lee Probert, to find out a little more about what led him to becoming a trustee and taking on the role of Chair at our fantastic charity.
“I’ve been on the Board of York CVS since May 2023, and formally became Chair at November 2024’s AGM. I’ve learnt so much about the great work of York CVS and our colleagues and the many many charitable organisations we support. It’s a great privilege to be part of team.
My professional experience is in education, mostly in further education and skills. I have worked in the funding council for further education and skills and in that role with a range of government departments. My main day job is as a college principal. What draws me to that work, and York CVS, is the power that education has to transform lives. Many people will see the obvious work that colleges do with 16–19-year-olds who go to college straight from school and secure their successes in wide range of academic and vocational subjects. Less visible perhaps are the community relationships with people who didn’t secure a qualification at a nationally prescribed age-based-milestone who return to college later in life to develop the skills and secure the qualifications they need to move. That sense of being part of something which has the potential to be a positive force for individuals’ mobility, is what attracted me to working with York CVS.
I know that there will be challenges across the sector we support as a CVS. It’s inevitable that one of those will be funding. Our job is to continue to make the case for investment in non-statutory services – especially those which are our members. I am already hugely impressed by the advocacy that is provided by CVS colleagues at all levels of the organisation in this regard.
One of the most exciting things about this role is the opportunity to see a new breadth of work across our communities, where those individuals who experience the most challenging circumstances are supported by an impressive range of charities and voluntary organisations seeking to deliver stability, improvement and purpose.
I’m looking forward to supporting the work of York CVS as all of you as our members”.
Lee Probert