PSN Staff Team

PSN is coordinated by Karen Newman, Network Coordinator, supported by Catherine Budgett-Meakin, PSN Senior Advisor, and the rest of the staff team.

The staff team works closely with the PSN Board, in addition to drawing on the expertise of the PSN Advisory Group.

Core staff

Karen Newman
Network Coordinator

 Karen worked for IPPF between 1982 and 2003, focusing in the later part of that time on policy and governance issues, with a special responsibility for sexual and reproductive health and rights.  She was one of the main architects of the IPPF Charter on Sexual and Reproductive Rights. 

Since 2003 she has carried out a range of consultancy work, including assignments for DFID, WHO, UNFPA, Interact Worldwide, Amnesty International and IPPF Arab World, East and South East Asia and Western Hemisphere Regions. Karen was a member of the WHO Gender and Rights advisory panel between 2003 and 2010, which she co-chaired from 2007.

Catherine Budgett-Meakin
Senior Advisor 

From 1983 to 1998 Catherine worked for ITDG (now Practical Action), setting up their UK education programme and later leading their communications department.
Since 1998 she has worked as a freelance consultant for a number of international NGOs including Save the Children, ActionAid and Oxfam, and has carried out evaluations for the UK Department for International Development and the Commonwealth Institute. Since 2001 she has worked on population and reproductive health issues, and attended WSSD 2002 in Johannesburg.

In 2003 Catherine and colleagues set up the Population and Sustainability Network.

Sarah Fisher
Research & Communications Officer

Sarah holds a BA in Development Studies and MA in International Relations from the University of Leeds. Joining PSN in September 2010, Sarah brought five years experience of working in the charity sector on reproductive health, women's rights and development issues. She has  undertaken short-term work with the Sri Lankan Human Rights Commission and a HIV community project in Guatemala.

Sarah has authored publications on gender and disaster. She currently chairs the Communications Committee of Abortion Support Network.

Sue Trenhaile
Administrative Support

 Sue has a BA in Political Theory and Government. An early career in tourism with senior posts in information and communications management was followed by freelance work on a number of information and promotional publishing projects. Several years were also spent working with special needs children and the elderly. From 1998 to 2010 Sue worked for The Market Research Society, in a variety of roles including network development, events organisation and membership communicatons, and most recently as Networking Manager. She is a Fellow of the Tourism Society.

Recently retired from full-time work she now has the time to be involved with issues which interest her and provides support for the PSN team on a free-lance consultancy basis.