CEO
Rev. TRACY
Tracy has worked as a Free Church Chaplain in prison ministry since 2010 and currently works in three women’s prisons; offering Bible studies, pastoral support and prayer, and delivers all our various courses as well as some Sunday services and worship nights.
Tracy has a passion to see women from all walks of life, learn their true identity and live out their unique purpose. She feels most fulfilled when she sees a woman in prison experience a ‘penny-drop’ moment!
She attends her local Church. She is married, has twin daughters and five gorgeous grandsons. In her spare time she likes to travel, enjoys walking, paddle boarding, kayaking, reading, cinema and spending time with friends and family.
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TRUSTEES
Imago Dei is blessed to have a great Board of Trustees who all bring different skills and experience to the table. The Board currently consists of 6 Trustees, each person bringing valuable skills and insights.
GERALDINE
Geraldine is proud to be a Trustee for ID, and has been working with them since 2022. Geraldine’s background is in education where she is utilises coaching to support improvement. She is a safeguarding lead and believes everyone has a right to be safe and learn.
Whilst Geraldine is a member of her local church, her work life means she visits many churches which enables her to enjoy a variety of worship styles and meet new people. She is married and has one son, she enjoys baking (and eating the goodies) and loves listening to peoples life stories.
WENDY
Following a career in student residential and facilities management, Wendy is now part of a volunteer mentor program with a women's charity in Gloucester. This inspired her to re-engage as an Imago Dei trustee following a couple of years involved in other interests.
Wendy is married to a COE vicar, have two adult children and three beautiful grandchildren. She enjoys her rural life in the beautiful cotswold countryside.
OLIVIER
Olivier has been married to his wife Anne-Marie for 18 years. Together they have led a mission-based outreach and prison ministry for over 10 years. Olivier has a passion for sharing the redemptive message of Christ and for seeing individuals being rehabilitated to purposeful meaningful life. Olivier brings the resourcefulness that he has acquired through a portfolio career of up to 20 years across the financial industry to the Board of Trustees.
DEBS
After working in the homeless sector for a number of years, Debs brings her experience in homelessness matters and was excited to be enrolled as a Trustee in Summer 2023. Her hope is to support the brilliant work that ID has established, supporting women as they transition back into the rhythm of life after prison and build confidence to live their wildest dreams.
Debs is passionate about supporting others and bringing light to marginalised communities. Debs attends church regularly and enjoys live music, spending time with her nephews, keeping active and upcycling in her spare time.
JOY
For over a decade Joy has volunteered with a community that regularly visits prisons. In almost every visit, she saw people that looked like her, her mother, her son.
Witnessing this, Joy recognises the profound impact that Imago Dei does in imparting grace, mercy, and hope to those who have felt forgotten. The work is not glamourous and often goes unnoticed, even misunderstood at times. But Joy is moved by Tracy’s vision.
The vision acknowledges a need, listens to cries for help, and compels action. Imago Dei has grabbed the mantle and is leaning toward the huge positive impact and a legacy of restoration for many.
Joy admires the audacity of Imago Dei’s projects and the unwavering commitment in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. As someone who explores strategy in her professional life, and who is passionate about leaving a positive mark, Joy is eager to see what the future holds for this impactful organisation.
BERNIE
Bernie has extensive experience of the Criminal Justice System, after working as a police officer for almost 30 years and spending his last 2 years of service as a crime consultant with HMPPS. He is now retired from policing and works with his local council and also as a management consultant.
Bernie has a passion for helping and supporting people to get through a ‘prison experience’ and recognises that women are among the most vulnerable in society when it comes to crime and justice. Bernie believes that women can break free of the shackles that have led them to prison and can transition their lives to happiness and fulfilment. He hopes to support the wonderful work of ID as a Trustee by making a positive difference in women's lives.
Bernie is married with 2 grown up daughters. He attends his local church and spends much of his time involved in family life, walking his dogs, sport, cars and recycling.
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staff
ID ESSENCE PROJECT MANAGER
JO
Jo is one of the founders and Project Manager for ID:Essence (formerly known as Kahaila-Essence), working in women’s prisons in London and the South East since 2012. Jo has been involved in prison work for just under 12 years and has a background in Theology, Criminology & Criminal Justice, and youth work.
ID Prison Ministry lead
ALI
Ali is excited to have joined the ID team and is looking forward to getting to know and encourage women in prison to see the gold in themselves. She believes everyone has been created with unique value and purpose and loves inspiring people to see themselves as God sees them, as treasured and loved.
Ali has been working with young people and women through various churches and charities for thirty years and is currently raising three of her own teenagers! She is married and loves anything outdoors, especially walking, travelling, and eating with family and friends.
ID ESSENCE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WORKER
TENNIKA
Tennika works closely with the women who are leaving prison building relationships to better support them in the community. She believes having a stable relationship with the women enables them to seek for help and reassurance, allowing Tennika to help them with their needs such as looking for jobs, advocating for them for housing, applying for grants and being there for them emotionally(pastoral support). Tennika is a Christian and attends church, she believes being graceful towards those who have had similar past experiences is important because having grace allows the women to feel cared for, believed in and supported.
Tennika holds a degree in Criminology, policing and forensic. Tennika is a lone parent to a little girl, she enjoys spending her time volunteering, cooking and doing various activities with her daughter.
ID ESSENCE Prison and community WORKER
KEZIAH
Keziah first joined Essence in April 2019 as a volunteer, before joining the team part-time in September 2019.
Kez has a background in coffee and barista training within different criminal justice settings. She is motivated to work in this sector by her desire to see change in the way society views and treats those whose lives have been affected by crime and the criminal justice system:
“I think the world needs more people who are willing to view others in light of their broader context. The more able we are to recognise how much our experiences and privilege dictate our decisions and choices, the more likely we are to treat other people with kindness rather than judgement. I really believe that’s how compassion and understanding grows, which are qualities the world definitely needs more of.”
ID ESSENCE PRISON AND COMMUNITY WORKER
TAYO
Tayo has a background in Youth and Schools work, having worked as a gangs and early intervention worker. She currently works as part of a knife crime early intervention project that she developed in conjunction with her husband and mum. Tayo is taking on the role as Prison and Community Worker as she has a passion for working with young women who have been overlooked. She enjoys helping and supporting others to fulfil their God given potential regardless of their background.
Tayo is a mother of 4, who loves spending time with her family, both immediate and extended. On the rare occasion she has some spare time, Tayo also likes to read crime fiction novels and watch British Crime dramas.
ID ESSENCE PRISON AND COMMUNITY WORKER
SUNNIE
Sunnie was released in 2021 September and completed her degree in criminology and psychology in 2023. She has always had a passion for supporting young people in the Criminal Justice System. As someone with lived experience, Sunnie has a great set of skills in addition to her qualifications that make her relatable and very understanding. She knows firsthand what women in prisons experience and can effectively contribute to the development of the young women we support.
Sunnie loves cheese.
head of FUNDRAISing
CLEA
Clea has recently joined the team at ID Prison Ministry as a Fundraiser, she is looking forward to working with the wonderful ID team to support the work that they do in the prisons and with the Grace house project.
She has recently completed her MA and was looking to make a difference in the world, and drive change. Working with ID offers her the opportunity to pursue this and make a difference to women’s lives.
Clea loves to read and learn and is often found with her head in a book, sometimes it’s a frivolous novel and other times it can be a textbook.
FINANCE OFFICER
KATE
Kate has recently joined the team at Imago Dei as the Finance Officer, with a background working in finance. As a single mother, she is very passionate about the rights of women and children, mental health, and poverty. She is really passionate about working for Imago Dei, to help make a difference for women, their families and give to a worthy cause.
Kate enjoys being creative making things, being outdoors, baking and doing activities with her children.
OPERATIONS MANAGER
ANOUSKA
With firsthand experience of the Criminal Justice system, Anouska has seen the positive impact ID Prison Ministry has made to women in prison.
Anouska has experience of IAG (Information, Advice and Guidance), along with Human Resources and Business Administration skills. She enjoys reading and painting using medias of acrylic and watercolours, and also likes spending time with family and friends.
#SheMatters Shop Manager
TINA
Tina has recently joined the team, with a background in managing an upcycling centre and mentoring young people in the art of upcycling and upholstery, she is dedicated to transforming lives and promoting sustainability. She enjoys empowering people with knowledge and skills that not only benefit them but also the environment. She is looking forward to being more involved with and getting to know the women who come to the shop for work experience.
Tina finds joy in all things creative, enjoying soap making, knitting, and painting in her spare time and is always looking for her next creative project.
#SheMatters Shop Manager
MAGDA
Magda has been involved with ID since 2021. She recently joined our #SheMatters charity Shop Project as one of the Managers.
Magda is a Christian and has a heart for worship. She is single parent who enjoys spending time with her little girl, doing art crafts.
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COUNCIL OF REFERENCE
AUXY, JOHN, WENDY & SHARON
In addition to a Board of Trustees Imago Dei benefits from having a group of people overseeing the Grace House project. They are responsible for progressing the initiative and are committed to seeing it become a reality. They also bring different skillsets and experience to the team.
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VOLUNTEERS
Imago Dei has a growing team of trained volunteers who give their time to facilitate courses throughout the week and visit the prisons on Sundays to take part in the services, preach or share in prayer ministry.
If you are interested in volunteering for us please complete our Volunteering Form HERE.