Meet our team

Martin is an experienced systems strategist, majoring on place-based systems and AI Governance. Before joining BLC, he played a pivotal role in funding regional regeneration work as Program Director for Bioregional Communities at the NoVo Foundation, growing a still-precarious field of endeavour and one that we urgently need to resource if we are to tackle the challenges to humanity's future security. As co-founder and Director of Strategy at The Rules, Head of UK Campaigns at Oxfam and Head of Global Advocacy at Save the Children UK, Martin brings decades of experience writing about, advocating for and supporting communities to transition to new economic models.

Sean’s work as an educator has spanned teaching, research, advocacy, and programme development, mostly across the higher education sector. He has designed and delivered teaching in a range of university settings and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. His doctoral research focuses on education for sustainability, with a particular interest in developing critical and heterodox approaches to the field through the lens of curriculum design and pedagogy. His published work explores democratic approaches to curriculum design and the development of different critical pedagogic practices across disciplines. Before joining the Bioregional Learning Centre, Sean was a Senior Educator Developer at the University of Exeter, focusing on supporting educators to develop their teaching and learning practice in areas related to sustainability and social justice.

Paul is an experienced consultant, coach and systemic constellator with more than 20 years of work in organisational development and change across Europe and the US. Clients have included utilities, industrial engineering, biotech, banking, charities, and retail. His interest in complex systems drew him to Regenesis in the US with whom he trained in regenerative practice in 2018. He now draws on the long legacy of regenerative philosophy and its practical application, combining this with his understanding of organisational dynamics and change leadership, to work with clients to draw on their deep potential to create value offerings that contribute to both social and ecological renewal..

Paul lives with his wife in an empty nest in the city of Bath in the west of England. He’s particularly interested in how  a regenerative approach can be a resource to designing a new kind of economy that re-frames wealth, justice and well-being.

“The world is complex. We need to stop dumbing it down. The current state of our world requires us to work hard to fully understand the complexity of living systems and to design elegant approaches that honor and appreciate that complexity.” Pamela works with project development teams and community groups to build critical systems thinking skills and holistic planning processes and designs that can address complex systems problems and opportunities. She also works as a faculty member for The Regenerative Practitioner series.

“To do things differently, we need to see things differently.” John is a writer, curator, event producer–and visiting professor at Tongji University–with a focus on social, ecological and relational design and urban-rural reconnection. He curated the celebrated Doors of Perception conference for 20 years and was commissioner of the 2019 China exhibition Urban-Rural. John has curated biennials and place-based xskool workshops in 20 countries. He is and his most recent book, How To Thrive In the Next Economy: Designing Tomorrow’s World Today, was published in China in 2019.

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Glenn works across the boundaries of science/policy/practice with 30 years of experience building bioregional and ecosystem stewardship. Founder of SustainaMetrix in Portland, Maine, projects have taken him across the country and around the world working with government agencies, NGOs and universities. As the first Director of Conservation for the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland, Glenn was awarded the title of “Environmental Hero” by U.S. Vice President Al Gore in 2001. Glenn is a constant source of inspiration to BLC, and is particularly gifted at activating people’s potential for change.

Bridie joined BLC as Climate Adaptation Project Manager, bringing her experience working within the fields of community, sustainability, climate, conservation and science communication. She has delivered numerous community-focused environmental projects and communications within the South Devon bioregion; for Sustainable South Hams, as Communities co-lead for the Devon Local Nature Recovery Strategy and Wild About Devon, and as Communications Officer for Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Bridie’s work centres on connecting with people through education and outreach, having been a reporter, writer and podcast contributor, magazine sub editor and contributor and researcher. She is interested in the intersection of arts and ecology, particularly through performance, having worked in educational theatre with young people and now being part of local community theatre and music groups. She holds an MSc in Science Communication from Imperial College London, a BSc (Hons) in Marine Biology and a diploma in Community Arts Management.

Emilio Mula is a filmmaker, visual artist and animator. For over 20 years Emilio has communicated stories about the environment through social engagement and art projects using films, animations and visual installations. Emilio is currently experimenting with sensors in nature to create real time, interactive experiences, and working with climate data to convert it into more visceral audiovisual information in order to develop new ways of understanding the changes that are happening in and around us.

Dr Nick Paling is an environmental scientist and systems practitioner with a deep commitment to protecting and regenerating the natural world. His journey began in molecular biology and immunology before shifting towards wildlife conservation and understanding ecosystems at landscape scale. Over the last two decades, he has worked across academia, government, NGOs and utilities, leading teams and programmes that bridge science, policy and practice. Today, Nick co-leads the Bioregional Learning Centre, where he focuses on using data and governance to help our bioregion adapt and thrive. He believes in the power of collaborative approaches, bringing together civil society, policymakers and experts to co-create solutions that are grounded in place and community. Nick is passionate about mentoring others, supporting creativity and enabling learning at every level. Whether working on climate adaptation strategies or exploring river catchments, he is motivated by a desire to help build a future in which communities and ecosystems flourish together.

As a BLC co-founder, Jane brings design into the heart of BLC’s practices and projects as a way to try things out, get stuff done, give form to ideas, spark conversation and inspire action. Her understanding of ecological complexity and large-scale restoration projects comes from living alongside the redwoods and rivers of Northern California whilst working with environmental NGO California Trout. They have been actively advocating for, and improving freshwater ecosystems for over 50 years. Jane has led and inspired inter-disciplinary teams for global design and architecture firms in London, Ohio, Boston and San Francisco. Developing projects across multiple sectors and industries provided insight into how the commercial world works. She draws on her deep experience in visioning, branding, concept creation and design in order to create mission-led, place-based experiences and meaningful forms of communication, including the arts, that make sense for today.

Isabel is a communicator, educator and large-scale project organiser. Her experience in the London art world (where her work included writing as an art critic for The Times and curating exhibitions at the Royal Academy) led her to set up and direct the Festival of Muslim Cultures that took place across Britain throughout 2006. Over 120 events in almost every conceivable art form brought audiences into contact with the Muslim world in order to build bridges of understanding between cultures. Isabel moved to South Devon in 2010 and created and led learning programmes for children and young adults with Transition Network. Since 2012 she has trained in Regenerative Development and Design with Regenesis.