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Introducing Sarah Hartley as NCJAA Co-Chair as Simon Ruding steps down

Introducing Sarah Hartley as NCJAA Co-Chair as Simon Ruding steps down

Introducing Sarah Hartley as NCJAA Co-Chair as Simon Ruding steps down



The National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance is thrilled to introduce Sarah Hartley as the newly appointed Co-Chair of the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance, commencing January 2023.

Sarah has worked in prison education for over 16 years and has been actively involved with the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance (NCJAA) since 2020. Her current role as National Lead for Creative Strategies at Novus spans prison education, the arts (in the broadest sense, music, drama, photography, visual arts, creative writing etc.) and the Criminal Justice Sector (CJS), aligning all three to create opportunities to support a rehabilitative culture in the CJS. Sarah also has a personal passion for the arts, having recently completed an MA in socially engaged art

“I am delighted to have been appointed as Co-chair of the NCJAA and I’m very much looking forward to working with Brenda Birungi in this role. I am passionate about the work that the NCJAA does and the opportunity to co-chair will allow me to further champion the sector. Through my own experiences over the last 16 years, I truly believe in the power of the arts, it works as a platform to inspire and enable individuals to discover new and creative directions, resulting in positive changes”

Sarah Hartley, NCJAA Co-Chair

I am delighted to see Sarah begin her journey as co chair of the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance advisory board, she is a wonderful advocate for Arts in Criminal Justice and I very much look forward to working alongside her.  Her commitment, experience and dedication to the sector alongside her passion, enthusiasm and talent as an artist speaks for itself. Sarah’s knowledge, will be invaluable in guiding the next phase of our work.”

Lorraine Maher, NCJAA Manager

Simon Ruding has been Interim NCJAA Co-Chair since 2020. Simon steps down from Co-Chair in January and will continue his term on the advisory board as a member. 

The NCJAA has navigated all kinds of opportunities and challenges over the last couple of years, not least Covid19 and an organisational restructure, under the stewardship of Simon and co-chair Anna Herrmann and more recently Lady Unchained.  Everyone at the NCJAA thanks Simon for his hard work and dedication through his term as co-chair. 

The NCJAA adopted a Co-Chair model in 2020 with the appointment of interim Co-Chairs, testing the practicalities over the last 2 years. Being able to share the role and responsibilities across two Co-Chairs has been beneficial in all ways. For information about the NCJAA Advisory Board and how to get involved, please contact artsalliance@clinks.org