Black Country Mental Health
Meet the Team
We are a passionate team whose collective aim is to enable the provision of services designed to improve, promote and enhance a better quality of life for people living across the Black Country affected by poor mental health.
Meet the Team at Black Country Mental Health
As with any charity, we cannot run without a committed team which includes our Chair, Vice-Chair, Chief Executive and our trustees. Ours come from a wide variety of backgrounds and are here to ensure that Black Country Mental Health carries out its purpose for the benefit of the public across the Black Country.
Alderman Dave Tyler
Chair
Dave has a wealth of practical experience as a former Police Officer (30 years) and a local Councillor (21 years) to bring to Black Country Mental Health.
As Mayor of Dudley in 2017/18 Dave and his Mayoral team raised a total of £60k for 3 charities one of which was Black Country Mental Health.
Elected as Chair in 2018 Dave is confident that our recent change of name will bring new opportunities for support, finance and volunteering from all 4 corners of the Black Country. He is looking forward to exciting times ahead.
Sandra Vaughan
Chief Executive
Sandra has worked in the mental health field for the past 30 years having worked for Sandwell and Birmingham Mind in various capacities, managing a residential unit, 365 day service provision, training and business development. She graduated from Wolverhampton University in 2006 and has various qualifications including Operational Management, Information, Advice and Guidance and Community Mental Health.
She is a trained youth worker and worked in this area for over 20 years as well as serving as a Magistrate for 37 years.
With a background in training prior to joining BCMH she worked for five years delivering around 34 courses to staff in the Health and Social Care field in the UK.
Having been a Mental Health First Aid instructor since 2010 Sandra is passionate about dispelling the myths around mental health. In her current job role she delivers various training including the i-act programme.
Andrew Khoury
Vice-Chair
Andrew is founder and Managing Director of Khoury Architecture. He has been a company director since 2005 and led a number of award winning projects. His personal highlight being the two Royal Institute of British Architects Awards the practice achieved in 2016. That same year Andrew also won Royal Institute of British Architects Project Architect of the year Award.
His role in the practice not only encompasses architectural matters, but also business development, recruitment, financial planning and property management. His business success has led to a string of high profile clients uch as Hugo Boss, Oria Kiely PLC and Npower.
In 2022 Andrew decided to use his business experiences in a charitable capacity. After exploring roles with a number of local charities Andrew found that Black Country Mental Heath were looking for new trustees and instantly felt a natural fit. He has high hopes that his work with the charity will help the staff and those supported by their work secure a thriving future.
Lauren Penny
Trustee
Lauren works at a local university. In her role, she organises events and visits local schools to help young people develop their skills and apply for university.
In her spare time, she volunteers with the local Girl Guides. She is currently an Assistant Leader at the Ranger Unit locally.
Fiona Lucas
Trustee
Is a former Needlework and English teacher and has run her own weekly classes in dressmaking and craft business for over 35years around the United Kingdom and on cruise ships.
She is passionate about young people and has been involved in Girl Guiding from a young age, a leader for over 40 years, currently an International & National Trainer, Girlguiding Dudley Division Commissioner and County International Adviser.
Fiona is also an avid fundraiser locally, for Guiding and their International trips and for charities in our area. She was an ambassador to former Mayor Alderman Dave Tyler fundraising and organising events.
Fiona has been a trustee for four years; she delivers Mental Health awareness sessions and is chair of our fundraising sub-committee. She is looking forward to getting some big events off the ground soon.
Helen Harris
Trustee
Helen is Co-founder and Director of a marketing and PR business with an office in Stourbridge They focus on highways and transport which is an area that has had many challenges when it comes to mental health issues across the workforce at all levels.
Having experienced extreme anxiety several years ago, Helen understands the importance of looking after your mental health and wellbeing and when she hit a milestone birthday in 2022 decided it was time to do more in this area. The rest is history. Helen and her team have the skills to support the charity with marketing and communications and with the addition of running her own business since 2016 Helen hopes to add further value to the team.
Ken Parsons
Trustee
First became involved with Black Country Mental Health as a service user in 2013 when he started to experience mental ill health after leaving work. He is now a service user representative on the board and has attended many mental health forums to ensure he keeps up to date with services in the area.
Ken has good admin skills and with his own experience of mental health issues looks forward to being an asset to the charity in the years to come.
Andy Walsh
Trustee
Andy has been in the care of the local Mental Health system for over ten years.
He feels that Black Country Mental Health has opened a door for him. This has both improved his mental health and lessened the impact of his condition.
Andy has been a trustee for over four years and very much looks to the future of the charity.
Mohammed Bashir Kahn
Trustee
Mo is a married man with two grown up children. By trade he is a self-employed Motor Mechanic.
He has served 25 years as a Magistrate on the Dudey, Halesowen and Black Country Benches.
He has also served several years on the Management Committee of the Dudley Centre Mosque.
Mo has been a trustee since 2019.
