YCE is managed by a Board of Directors, who meet monthly to plan YCE’s activities. From time to time we also hold open planning meetings which are advertised via our mailing list. Board members are unpaid for their role, though some of the Board are also employees of YCE. The Directors are:
Jonathan Stokeld – Chair
Jonny is a low carbon energy enthusiast and has been a member of YCE since moving to York in 2017. He previously worked for a net zero consultancy and now works for YCE as an energy advisor and home energy assessor.
Kit Bennett – Vice-Chair
A founder member of YCE, Kit Bennett has a background of project management in the civil engineering sector and transport sectors. As well as being Vice-Chair, Kit does bat surveys for the Bat Conservation Trust. He also assisted the Railway2Greenway project in their successful bid for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, helping this educational and environmental project get off the ground.
Tom de Simone – Treasurer
Having joined YCE in 2016, Tom rose through the ranks to take the Chair in 2019. Tom is a web developer with a degree in Computer Science from the University of York. He is a lifelong technology obsessive and is keen on combining renewable energy generation with smart home technologies to reduce his carbon footprint. His home is slowly transforming into a green tech science lab, much to the dismay of his wife. Tom is also a keen vegetable gardener and stargazer.
Richard Lane – Secretary
Richard is a longstanding environmental campaigner and enthusiast for renewable energy. He has been an activist for decades, as a member of York and Ryedale Friends of the Earth, York Greenpeace, Frack-Free York and the York Environment Forum among other groups. He was the Media Officer for the York Fair Trade Forum for six years and for Fairtrade Yorkshire for three. He trained as an electronic engineer and subsequently completed an MSc in Renewable Energy Systems at the University of Strathclyde. He currently works for Shrewsbury-based community energy consultancy Sharenergy.
Kirsten Ayris – Communications Co-ordinator
Kirsten joined YCE in 2022, after moving back to York and starting to retrofit her own home. She has a background in sustainability, having worked for the Sustainable Earth Institute in Plymouth and studied for an MSc in Sustainable Development at the University of Sussex. She is now a PhD student studying community engagement for an ethical and sustainable future for our food systems, and is passionate about working on community-led solutions for the climate crisis.
Ivana Jakubková
Ivana was responsible for starting the ball rolling that eventually led to YCE, by arranging a meeting and conference as part of York in Transition. She has previously worked for an international activist network on sustainable transport and for St Nicks, York’s centre for nature and green living.
Jamie Sims
Jamie has been involved with YCE since 2017 and has been a member since February 2019. During that time he has supported a number of pieces of YCE work, in particular Warmer Homes York. Jamie has been a passionate environmental campaigner for around 40 years, and is particularly interested in the difference retrofitting can make to sustainable communities. He has a professional background in Human Resources as well as teaching, and is currently a Commissioner on the York Climate Commission.
Denise Craghill
Denise has been involved in campaigning for environmental and social justice for many years. As a former York Council Executive Member for Housing she was instrumental in laying down a groundbreaking Housing Development Programme to deliver low-carbon council housing, which won several national awards. She has also undertaken a deep retrofit of her own house.
