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I am Sandra Velthuis and I own and manage Whitebarn Consulting.

I am originally from the Netherlands, but have also lived in Wales, England and Ireland, with shorter stints in France, Australia and the USA.  I am based in Dublin, where I live with my husband and two sons.

I qualified with a BA First Class Honours in Geography from the University of Birmingham and a MA in Town and Regional Planning from the University of Sheffield.  I undertake shorter courses and attend conferences and seminars on a regular basis to assure my ongoing professional and personal development.

I have some 25 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector, as a paid employee, director, trustee, on-the-ground volunteer and freelance consultant with a wide variety of organisations.  In that time I have done everything from research and lobbying to human resource development and project management, with much in between.  Some achievements that stand out:

• As Membership and Office Services Worker of  London Cycling Campaign (1994 - 1997), I coordinated a major premises move and increased the organisation's membership by 37% to over 8000.
• As Chief Executive Officer, I established and nurtured the growth of Ireland's first volunteer centre (1997 - 2004), which became the national volunteer development agency Volunteer Ireland.
• As a freelance consultant (2005 onwards), I am proud to have a client list that numbers 33, from tiny community groups to large multinational not-for-profits. To date, a third of these have offered repeat business.
• As a member of the Board of Management of Rathfarnham Educate Together National School (2007 onwards), I have drawn up numerous policies that have subsequently been adopted by primary schools throughout Ireland.

I work on occasion with a number of talented associates. Meet them here.