Staff

Jane Stanford-Beale MBE

is the Chief Executive Officer and has led the charity since 2015. She works with the finance manager and board of trustees to develop the charity’s long-term strategy, budget plans and ensure compliance with legal regulations. Jane is also a licensed trainer for National Autistic Society EarlyBird Plus and Teen Life courses for parents and carers.
She has extensive experience in management and governance roles and is a director of Reading Buses. She was a software development project manager for Reuters, a governor and chairman of governors at New Bridge Nursery School in Caversham for 16 years and a non-executive director of Reading NHS Primary Care Trust. She served as an elected member of Reading Borough Council until May 2022, and deputy leader of the opposition and opposition spokesman for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport. In connection with her role as a councillor, she served as a member of the Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Authority.
Jane was made an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours list in June 2023 for services to autistic young people and their families and was one of just 22 people in England and Wales honoured as a Census 2021 Community Heroes Purple Plaque award winner, in recognition of her exceptional contribution to the community. She received a Prime Minister’s Point of Light award for services to the voluntary sector in 2016.

Tony Walker

is the Finance Manager. He is a qualified accountant with more than 40 years of experience in finance, in both the retail sector at senior levels with Sainsbury’s supermarkets and in local government, as finance manager for adult social services and NHS partnerships at Reading Borough Council.

Helen Harris

is a Development Worker, running the Bear With Me adult social group in Maidenhead and the Walk & Talk group, and delivering training on independent living and social skills.

Kevin Jackson

has more than 20 years’ experience working with autistic people and their families. He is the co-ordinator of the 197 Club adult social group in Reading.

Julia Cox

is our Training and Family Support Lead, carrying out home visits and leading autism advice courses and workshops. She has family experience of autism and is an early years specialist, with qualified teacher status. She previously worked for Bracknell Forest Council working with SEND children under 5, and as a manager at the council’s Child Development Centre and for Berkshire early years support charity Dingley’s Promise.

Amanda Walker

is a family support worker for the west of Berkshire, carrying out home visits, leading autism advice workshops and handling Helpline enquiries. Before joining Autism Berkshire, she worked as deputy manager at a nursery, as an NVQ assessor in childcare and education and as a teaching assistant at Brookfields SEN School in Reading.
Amanda holds the NNEB diploma and advanced diploma in childcare & education.
She is parent to a son with Rubinstein Taybi syndrome, autistic behaviour being a part of his diagnosis.

Michelle Errington

is our senior adult autism support mentor. She has lived experience of autism and ADHD, and extensive experience working with autistic clients. Michelle is also the lead coach for Autism Berkshire's trampolining sessions for children and young people and the additional needs section leader at Bracknell Trampoline Centre.

Helen Brookes

is the assistant leader of the Walk & Talk group. She worked as a speech and Language Therapist in the NHS in London and then East Berkshire until she retired in 2017. She has extensive experience of working with autistic people and their families, mainly in mainstream schools settings.

William Crossley

is the Communications and Grants & Trusts Officer, managing the website and social media, distributing information about our services, liaising with the media and handling funding applications. He has more than 30 years’ experience as a media professional. As well as by email, he can be contacted on 07908 610085.