Meet The Team

Joanne Hopkins is the Programme Director for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Criminal Justice and Violence Prevention at Public Health Wales. A former UK government Senior Civil Servant, Jo worked for the Home Office for twenty years with responsibilities in Violent Crime, Violence Against Women, Immigration and seven years as head of Wales and Devolution, before joining Public Health Wales. In 2018 Jo became Director of the ACE Hub Wales and then took on the PHW lead for the Police and Partners Early Action Together Programme, transforming systems to prevent and mitigate ACEs and promote Tauma and ACE (TrACE)-informed practice in Wales.  Her current role brings all these responsibilities together to develop a TrACE informed approach across public services, communities and society through the implementation of the Trauma-informed Wales Framework. Jo completed a PhD at Aberystwyth University on coercive control in conflict in 2023 and is a Visiting Professor at Wrexham University.

Natalie joined ACE Hub Wales in 2021 and is currently the Deputy Leader of ACE Hub Wales. Her role involves the strategic development and delivery of ACE Hub Wales priorities and is particularly passionate about supporting organisations to become trauma and ACE informed. Having spent 15 years in the third sector supporting women, children and young people who have experienced trauma and adversity, Natalie continues to ensure the voices of people with lived experience is prioritized and is equally passionate about challenging systemic issues that prevent lasting change.

Natalie is  currently studying part time for an MSc in Crime and Justice to strengthen her academic understanding of issues affecting the criminal justice system with a particular research interest in the prevention of serious violence and homicide of women exploited by the sex industry.

Joe joined WHO CC in 2018 supporting the Early Action Together Programme and has extensive experience working with policing and criminal justice in Wales.

Joe provided project management support to the Expert Reference Group who developed the Trauma-Informed Wales Framework and since 2023 has been project managing its implementation and managing the TrACE team.

Bronwyn has worked as an Occupational Therapist (OT) since qualifying in 2009. Originally from South Africa, she has been working in the NHS for 12 years, working directly with children, young people and families, and also progressed to senior leadership roles within children’s OT.  Her work showed her the importance of the right support at the right time for children, young people and families, and she is passionate about universal services that are designed by the people accessing them, and that are available to everyone.

Bronwyn is enjoying her new career path with ACE Hub Wales and firmly believes in the importance of Trauma and ACE (TrACE)-informed practice.

Samia manages the research team at ACE Hub Wales. Since joining in April 2021, Samia has worked on a number of research projects; these include exploring the impact of community projects on ACEs and adversity; a literature review to identify the key language and terminology relating to trauma-informed; and a comparative study of trauma-informed communities across Wales. Before joining ACE Hub Wales, Samia spent 15 years as a research associate at Cardiff University, within this time Samia completed a PhD which focussed on the uptake of free school meal entitlement by secondary school pupils in Wales

Since joining ACE Hub Wales in November 2021, Huw has worked on various research projects and evaluations linked to Trauma and ACEs. These include exploring communities and organisations that work in a Trauma-informed way to support the Trauma-informed Wales Framework; evaluations of Trauma-informed training within the Criminal Justice System; research linked to the TrACE toolkit within the YJS; and literature reviews linked to Gender Based Harassment (GBH).

Huw is looking forward to continuing research linked to GBH by exploring the experiences of women in crowds to support the VAWDASV Blueprint.

Laura is a researcher with the ACE Hub and has worked in the Social Care sector for over 20 years in policy development and community engagement. Laura has been studying psychology throughout her career, and having nearly completed a professional doctorate in Health Psychology, Laura has a specific research interest in ACEs, trauma and resilience.  Laura is looking forward to extending the outcomes of her research into the wider aims of the work of the ACE Hub. With a passion for wellbeing, Laura is keen to help people to reach their full potential through the right help and support.

In her spare time, Laura coaches young people in fitness, is a qualified running coach and teaches spin classes at the Vale of Glamorgan leisure centres. As an experienced workplace wellbeing champion, Laura is keen to continue this in her current role and help support the team in promoting health and wellbeing in the workplace.

Since the start of her career Zarqa has worked in statutory and non-statutory services and the common theme in all the roles has been, helping others.  She started her career as a Youth & Community Worker following her degree and worked in drugs services for young people and then adults.  She has spent the last 4 years of her career in Health and Wellbeing management roles in the Housing and Further Education sector.

Her role as Project Manager in the ACE Hub Wales is primarily focused on the Further Education Sector and supporting them to embed and sustain a trauma-informed approach with the way they work with learners and staff.   She is looking forward to having a wider input into the ACE Hub Wales team objectives, utilising her personal and professional experiences to help inform future working.

In her spare time Zarqa is a Cricket Coach and has various other roles within the cricket environment including Scoring.  She also loves being at her allotment where she can relax and potter about and attempt to grow some vegetables along the way.  She has a little dog who keeps her active and busy and brings her daily laughs!

Emma has worked in the substance misuse sector for the past 19 years initially as a front-line worker and then as a team leader covering the three counties of Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire for Barods Young Persons Service – Choices. She is passionate about harm reduction and recovery and has had the privilege to be part of so many young people’s journeys. Her career has predominantly centred around children and young people within the substance misuse field, and this has inspired her to join ACE Hub Wales to lead the way for the substance misuse sector to be TrACE informed. Emma believes in the importance of creating an environment that embraces kindness, gratitude and care with compassion. Her core values are trust, honesty, transparency, empathy and a positive can-do attitude

In addition to this Emma is a mother to Megan who is 25 and Rowan who is 18, she aspires to be a positive role model for them. Emma enjoys walking and spending time with her three beautiful dogs, she also enjoys yoga and swimming.

Jessica has joined ACE Hub Wales as a Project Manager, working with organisations across Wales to become Trauma and ACE informed via the implementation of the ‘TrACE’ toolkit. She is looking forward to working with a diverse range of sectors and creating the conditions and resources for a sustainable approach to being TrACE-informed. Jessica first joined Public Health Wales in 2021 working within quality improvement and assurance; in this role she was able to collaborate with teams from across PHW to drive improvements in their work. She has a master’s in public health from the University of Manchester, with her main interests being community development, public health policy, and health improvement and equity in seldom-heard communities. Outside of work, Jessica loves running on trails, travelling far and wide and spending her summers at music festivals.

Lauren has worked within ACE Hub Wales for almost two years and is settling into her new role as the Communication and Engagement Officer for the Virtual Hub.

Throughout her role, Lauren leads on developing the communication and engagement for Trauma-Informed Wales, to prioritise collaboration and accessibility during the implementation of the Trauma-informed Wales Framework.  Lauren is hopeful in creating new and enhanced ways to capture how our work has changed people’s lives and communities.

Whilst in university, Lauren was passionate about helping and hearing others. She facilitated training courses that were available to students, and secured a Wellbeing Officer role in the society that she was part of. This enabled her to advance skills in the area of supporting vulnerable people at a university that is now developing a trauma-informed approach. Following on from this, Lauren is now a wellbeing representative for the team. ACE Hub Wales demonstrates a message that along with the public, we can help make Wales a world lead in preventing, tackling, and mitigating the impacts of adverse childhood experiences and trauma, implying that wellbeing and communication is at the forefront of the teams’ objectives, not just professionally but also towards each other, as part of a team. This is something that Lauren is passionate about and will continue to pave throughout the post.

Lauren enjoys quiet evenings and visiting new places. She loves to read and try out new recipes.

Tom’s role within ACE Hub Wales is as a project support officer, Tom has been with Public Health Wales since 2021 and has previously worked within the Health Protection division an administration officer for the Operations team and the Substance misuse team. Tom also was a member of the National Admin Cell for PHW’s Covid response and is experienced in working in a highly pressurised role and working within tight deadlines. Tom’s previous experience has involved working within the retail sector and events industry and brings a wealth of experience to the ACE Hub Wales Team. Tom enjoys movies, paddle boarding, swimming and walking, but most of all loves food, cooking and exploring new places to eat.

Syed is Project Support Officer at ACE HUB WALES, with over 14 years of experience spanning software development, telecommunications, housing associations, and project management. He holds a Master’s in Project Management in addition to a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering.

Starting his career as a Software Engineer, Syed quickly advanced to Operations Head for an International Gateway Operator. He has also held senior roles such as Chief Operating Officer and Business Development Head for multiple engineering and development companies in Bangladesh. Additionally, he worked as a Rent and License Administration Officer at YMCA Cardiff Housing Association, further broadening his expertise.

Passionate about books, journals, and travel, Syed’s curiosity extends beyond his professional life, fuelling both his intellectual growth and cultural experiences.

Pramesh is a Project Support Officer at ACE Hub Wales with over a decade of diverse experience in sales, marketing, hospitality, and finance. He holds an MBA in Supply Chain Management from the University of South Wales and a BA (HONS) in Business Administration from Birmingham City University.

His career spans roles across industries, from managing inbound tours in Sri Lanka to streamlining service processes at Lloyds Banking Group. Pramesh’s adaptability and commitment to high standards have earned him recognition, including certificates in digital marketing, project management, and data protection.

Outside work, Pramesh enjoys working out, playing basketball, and spending time with friends.