Team & Board

Erica has 20 years’ experience of working in the heritage and cultural sector across a variety of artistic programming, event management and leadership roles. Previous employers include the National Trust, Theatre by the Lake, Rural Arts and Harrogate International Festivals. She was appointed Acting Director in January 2019 and confirmed in the post of Director in January 2020 (just in time for a global pandemic!).

Erica is responsible for defining the artistic vision and strategic planning for Word Up North, as well as having ultimate responsibility for financial management, income generation, governance, and people management. Erica works closely with the Board of Trustees to make sure Word Up North’s mission, aims and values are clearly articulated and shared at all levels of the organisation as well as with external stakeholders.

Outside of the arts, Erica enjoys spending time outdoors with her working cocker spaniel and thinking back fondly to the last time she had a lie-in (pre-working cocker spaniel).

*Spaniel pictured not model’s own

Kate has more than 20 years’ experience in project management and event delivery. Having worked in the UK, Australia and USA, she has developed and produced a wide range of events – from festivals to fashion shows, product launches to live cooking tours.

At Word Up North, her focus is on managing partnerships, including sponsors and funders, and overseeing all the moving parts that go into the organisations operational delivery. Kate runs our volunteer programme and works with Erica to develop strategy, manage the general business, finance and HR needs of the charity.

Becky leads on Word Up North’s live literature programme, including Ilkley Literature Festival which takes place each October. Becky also develops the New Writing programme of work with year-round activity, including Word Up North’s New Northern Poet’s programme, writing residencies and development opportunities for rising talents, working with a variety of organisations to deliver in partnership.

Becky joined Word Up North in 2019. She has a BA in English Literature from University of Lincoln and an MA in Romantic Literature from the University of Leeds. Outside of her career in the arts, Becky loves to travel and explore new places. She enjoyed a year-long backpacking trip to South America, Oceana and Asia, and taught English in Cambodia.

Michelle has worked in the field of participatory arts and socially engaged arts practice for over 20 years. She is passionate about the power the arts and story sharing have to empower and uplift individuals and communities. Bringing people together to co-produce wondrous moments of creativity, engagement and celebration is her absolute favourite thing to do!

Over the years she has worked in formal education (both mainstream and non-mainstream), for arts, cultural and heritage organisations and in partnership with local authorities, healthcare and VCSE organisations. She has extensive experience of developing and delivering participatory arts projects, programmes of work, festivals and events and is a keen playwright and dramaturg.

She loves storytelling and story sharing in all its many forms and is never happier than when someone is telling her a tale or two at bus stop or in a café. As one of her (many!) favourite authors Phillip Pullman said, “After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world”.

Suzanne joined Word Up North in May 2024 and is responsible for researching, devising, and delivering the overall marketing, communications and digital content plans for Word Up North’s year-round work arts charity work and for the annual Ilkley Literature Festival.

Suzanne is passionate about storytelling and finding engaging ways to share ideas that spark the imagination. Before moving back up north and joining Word Up North, Suzanne held a variety of roles in the London publishing industry for 10 years. Prior to her current role, she was a Commissioning Editor at Ebury, Penguin Random House, where she commissioned, edited and published narrative non-fiction books ranging from serious history to seriously funny humour books.

Outside of work, Suzanne can be found listening to pop culture podcasts, making slow progress through her too-long TBR pile or trying not to sprain her fingers while playing korfball (look it up – it’s worth it).

Jody trained as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG, qualifying in 1997. Between 1998 and 2000, she worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in San Francisco across a range of clients from wineries to internet startups. Before setting up her own accountancy practice in 2012, she also worked on large finance change projects with Halifax and Aviva. Jody focuses her work on the charity sector, developing and setting up finance processes to follow best practice and providing meaningful financial reporting. Jody began working for Word Up North on a freelance basis in 2017 and has proved invaluable to the organisation ever since.