About Us

Trustees

Kerr Baillie (Treasurer)

Hello, I’m Kerr Baillie and I’ve been treasurer of STT since 1998.

I was born in 1939 and attended George Watson’s College, in Edinburgh. Later I trained as a Chartered Accountant and, after qualifying, got a job for Martin Currie, a small Edinburgh investment management company. Around this time I met my wife, Susan, and we’ve lived in Penicuik, a small town south of Edinburgh, ever since.

On my retiral in 1997 I was suddenly thrown into a situation of having an awful lot of time on my hands. So when Susan pointed out an ad. in the Big Issue by a small charity working in Africa, which was looking for someone to act as treasurer and administrator, I decided to apply and was appointed by the then chair of STT, Dilys Beaumont.

I had some interest in and knowledge of Africa already, having holidayed there a number of times, but becoming involved with STT got me into a whole new area of which I knew nothing, but found interesting and rewarding right from the start.

Helen Meikle (Administrator)

My name is Helen and I am the administrator for STT. I have been interested in social changes and the impacts that can be created for as long as I can remember. But with a social development professor for a mother and a quantity surveyor for a father there was little hope. I have recently completed an MSc Voluntary and Community Sector studies (merit). In October 2010 I arranged a team of 12 to take part in the Great South Run, raising a total of over £5,000 fro STT. In July 2011 I again arranged a team (7 including myself) in a sponsored run - The British 10k - raising over £2,000.

Supporting STT with its work on the UK side of the water has proven to be more rewarding than I ever imagined. While I am currently not able to spend as much time as I would like on the project, I am delighted to be able to help the web master with the ongoing updates to the web pages, now control an updated database for all our projects, and gradually hope to have a more hands on role within the organisation. I was honoured to be appointed as a trustee of STT in June 2010, alongside Kerr Bailie, treasurer of STT.

I was lucky enough to visit STT Dodoma in November 2007 and spent time meeting our Tanzanian staff and visiting some of the villages we have been working with. I was amazed by the colours and smells of Africa and enjoyed every moment of the trip. I would have liked to stay longer but as with all things it came to an end. I hope to return to Tanzania soon and take my young daughter to visit all the wonderful people who I was honoured to meet - hopefully we will stay for longer this time and have a chance to spend more time in the villages and surrounding areas.

As promised I did not bring any of the animals back with me - although I did see some lovely baboons and a stunning blue and orange lizard. I hope you are all enjoying the new sections of the web site and will continue to support STT in any way that you can - maybe even by sponsoring a trustee in a 10 mile run.....

Catherine Smith

I became a trustee for STT in 2009, having been an STT Project Development Officer in Dodoma in 2006-7 and keeping in regular contact with the trustees providing fundraising assistance. I hold a MSc in Poverty Reduction and Development Management from the University of Birmingham, and since working for STT I have held project management roles in the public/third sector in the UK: on sustainability initiatives with Constructing Excellence, and cultural development projects with the London Borough of Lambeth.

Linda Bruch

It is a privilege for me to be a relatively new Trustee of STT.  My first meeting was in December 2008, and I shall take some responsibility for human resources administration for the Trust.

My first exposure to Sunseed Tanzania Trust was through contact with my friend and retired work colleague, Sheilah Meikle. When she told me about the STT work she was engaged in, I was impressed with the approach and the success of the projects. After reading the newsletters and the web site, my interest grew. Sheilah felt that my background and skills built during my career as a university administrator might prove useful to STT.

Although I was born in the USA, most of my life has been spent in the UK. I became a British Citizen in 1983. My BA degree is in Psychology, and I have a professional postgraduate Diploma in Administrative Management. My career has been in the area of higher education administration and management. From 1985-1994, I worked at the Institute of Education (University of London), managing the Department of Policy Studies. From 1994 to the present, I have worked for University College London as the manager of the Development Planning Unit, which specialises in postgraduate teaching, research and consultancy in the field of urban and regional development, planning, and management. This is where my interest in and exposure to sustainable forms of development grew. My responsibilities have included management of administration systems and processes, student affairs, facilities and buildings, finances, contracts for research and consultancy, and human resources management.

While my career has involved me in supporting international students from many different countries, including Asia, Latin America and Africa, I have also lived for many years in a Lutheran postgraduate residence hall for international students in London. Over the years, I have been very fortunate to enjoy meeting many people from many different countries and I have travelled frequently for pleasure and for work, including to India, Indonesia, and Zimbabwe. I very much look forward to visiting Tanzania.  I have a husband, Tom, and two grown up children, Adam & Nicola.

Matt Easter

Matthew has been a trustee for STT since 2004 and has a particular interest in the tree production and participatory project management aspects of the Trusts work.  His role as a trustee encompasses fundraising and business planning drawing on both his qualifications and relevant experience.  He undertook a Masters degree in Rural Resource Management with the focus on the development of semi-arid areas and project management.  He undertook his thesis based at a research station in Kenya.  His first degree is in ecology and human geography.

Matthew was head of the bio dept at STT’s sister charity The Sunseed Trust’s base near Almeria in Southern Spain for just over two years, running the tree nursery and tree planting projects.  This was at a time when Sunseed Tanzania first came into existence in the mid 1990’s.  Prior to becoming a trustee with STT, Matthew was a trustee for The Sunseed Trust for a number of years.  He is now Sustainable Development Manager for Nottingham City Council having recently move back to the East Midlands from South Wales

Matthew is married to Debra whom he met when they were both staff members at Sunseed Desert Technology and has two children, Jacob and Hannah.