Who We Are - Open Folk

Dr Linda Jane Thomas brings over 15 years of experience designing, delivering and evaluating community-facing programmes across Scotland, working with diverse and under-represented populations including justice-involved people, veterans, ethnic-minority communities and women. She holds a PhD in Alcohol & Drug Studies from the University of the West of Scotland and is currently a Research Fellow at the University of Stirling.

Linda's career combines rigorous, evidence-led partnership work with statutory and third-sector bodies including the Scottish Government, Scottish Prison Service, Ministry of Defence, Police Scotland, NHS Scotland and Poppy Scotland with board-level governance experience gained across higher education and the third sector. She has chaired national working groups, led multi-partner research programmes, and managed reporting to funders and advisory boards on large-scale evaluations reaching thousands of participants.

Contributes board-level operational leadership, drawing on her track record in strategic decision-making, budget oversight and organisational governance to support the organisation's growth and impact.

Key strengths: governance and board leadership; community engagement with under-represented groups; evidence-based programme design and evaluation; funding, partnership and reporting; equality, diversity and inclusion.

Reshma Roshan is a dedicated educator with extensive expertise in Biology, Biotechnology and Zoology, bringing strong skills in lesson planning, classroom management and curriculum development to her work. She holds an MSc in Biotechnology, an MSc in Zoology, a Master of Education (Science Specialisation) and a Master of Business Administration from the University of the West of Scotland, giving her a rounded academic and professional grounding across science, education and organisational leadership.

Teaching career spans senior secondary and post-graduate level instruction, including several years as a Post Graduate Teacher of Biology where she taught the CBSE curriculum, supervised student research projects, and led cross-curricular initiatives. Also worked as an Online Educator adapting lessons for virtual platforms, and as a Science Teacher supporting students through practical, hands-on learning. Alongside her teaching, Reshma has laboratory experience in techniques including PCR, DNA/RNA isolation, electrophoresis and spectrophotometry.

As an Indian-born professional who has built a career across both India and Scotland, brings first-hand understanding of the challenges facing ethnic-minority individuals and families navigating education, employment and settlement in a new country. This lived experience, combined with her background supporting students with additional needs and fostering inclusive classrooms, positions her well to contribute to engaging under-represented and minority communities helping bridge cultural and educational gaps and championing accessible, supportive learning environments for all backgrounds.

Effective communication differentiated instruction and commitment to inclusive learning. Combines subject expertise with a practical, technology-enabled approach to teaching, and is committed to fostering positive, engaging learning environments.

Key strengths: Science education (Biology, Biotechnology, Zoology), curriculum development and lesson planning, inclusive and differentiated teaching, cross-cultural understanding and community engagement, educational technology integration.

Reshma Pulappallil Renadevan is a finance and accounts professional with an MBA from the University of the West of Scotland and an earlier MBA specialising in Finance & HR from the Institute of Management in Kerala, University of Kerala. She brings a strong grounding in financial analysis, invoice processing and vendor management, built through several years of hands-on experience in corporate finance operations.

She spent four years as a Finance and Accounts Associate at EXL Private Ltd in India, followed by a role as Finance Associate at Cargill Business Services India in Bangalore. Her professional background includes procure-to-pay (P2P) processes, validating and processing vendor invoices, three-way invoice matching, and working across multiple finance systems (SAP, JDE and others) while consistently meeting service-level and accuracy targets. She is known for a positive, adaptable attitude and a willingness to take on additional responsibility.

As an Indian-born professional who has relocated to Scotland, brings direct personal experience of settling into a new country, adapting to a different working culture, and navigating life as part of an ethnic-minority community. This lived experience gives genuine insight into the practical and cultural challenges facing minority families and newcomers insight that can support Open Folk CIC's work engaging under-represented communities, alongside her professional strengths in organisation, financial literacy and process management.

Key strengths: Finance and accounts operations vendor and invoice management, process accuracy and compliance, cross-cultural and community understanding, adaptability across organisational systems.