Meet the Trustees
Sharon De Leonardis - CEO
Throughout her career to date, Sharon DeLeonardis has been successful in working for a number of branded retail businesses and managed all aspects of their functionality from business development and branding, budget management, people management and promotional event management.
With a passion for the Arts, and having a focus on supporting the local community, Sharon successfully set up the 2step Dance Company in 2006. Her energy, enthusiasm and support for young people has paid dividends - a number of her dancers have gone on to have very successful international dance careers.
Katrina Hayden-Morrison
Katrina is a local business owner and engagement specialist and has been working with SpectaculArts to carry out research into the hidden and lasting effects of the Atlantic Slave Trade, the contributions of enslaved people and to highlight the importance of the black historical approach in rebalancing our national stories.
Her passion is connecting people to the meaning behind history, helping people to understand ‘why things are as they are’. Her interests are the impact of economic and technological factors that created our idea of modernity and, in particular, how history came to be written, and where challenges to narratives are needed.
Ann Louis-Stephenson Facilitator/Event Co-ordinator
Ann Louis–Stephenson (known as Vicky), is a former Anti-Social Behaviour Officer for both Bedfordshire Police and Westminster City Council, Victim Support Project Lead for Bedford Magistrates Court and Advocate for the National Remand Review Initiative at Feltham Young Offenders Institution, to name a few of her previous roles. Her career first started in the 80s working as an Appropriate Adult with Bedford Youth Justice Service and she quickly decided the legal sector was where she wished to grow her career. She studied locally, completing her Law Degree at the University of Bedfordshire in 1992. Since then, she has undertaken many roles in many different posts in both legal and governmental organisations and institutions.
Throughout her working life, she has enjoyed working with the community in both a professional and voluntary capacity, specifically enjoying work with young people, encouraging community cohesion and a sense of belonging. More recently, she has enjoyed working with the Retired Caribbean Nurses Association and SpectaculArts, an organisation that ‘engages, challenges and inspires,’ the communities in Bedford to come together.
Bernie Pickering
Having worked as a Human Resources professional for over 25 years across various business sectors, Bernie heads up our People and Culture team at SpectacularArts, providing the team with appropriate guidance and support in all people-related matters.
Bernie is passionate about helping our communities and enjoys bringing people together through supporting all our events in any way she can; she even enjoys sharing her love of music on occasion by doing a bit of DJing!
Nairobi Thompson
Nairobi Thompson is a Department of Social Sciences full time PhD student at University of Bedfordshire. She is a long established and well qualified learning and development specialist and anti-racism educator. Nairobi is also an academic reference book editor, scriptwriter and filmmaker. She is the author of ‘Almost British Revisited’, an autobiographical account of racism encountered and challenged in the UK Ministry of Justice. Nairobi is an established and animated performance poet; she is versatile performing different styles from traditional rhyme to colourful patois. Projects include performances for Baroness Lawrence, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Carmen Munroe MBE. She is the poet in residence for the Windrush Foundation, The Equiano Society and is the BBC East Regional Poet.
Visit her website for more information: nairobithompson.co.uk
Jemma Edie - Marketing
Jemma is a qualified project manager and marketing specialist with over 15 years’ experience.
For her, SpectaculArts is a fantastic way to give back to the community by shining a light on all that makes Bedford great.
Theo St. Claire - Director Rise of the Empress
Theo is a multi-disciplinary artist born in London, raised in Bedford, Afropean at heart and Afropunk through and through.
After attaining a Drama Scholarship at Bedford School (01-10), he trained at Drama Centre London on the BA Acting Course (graduating in 2014). He was awarded Best Male Performer at Suceava International Theatre Festival 2014 for his performance in CRIME by BÉZNĂ Theatre, who would go on to become frequent collaborators.
On Stage, he has since gone on to work for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare’s Globe and on London’s West End, alongside continued political theatre work with BÉZNĂ (ILLEGALISED, How To Break Out Of A Detention Centre, A Politikal Kabaret). He was most recently seen on stage in The Big Life (The Ska Musical) at Theatre Royal Stratford East.