Jo was chair of Knowledge Exchange for University Alliance for two years, shaping place making and innovation and informing policy and practice to ensure the Post 92 sector was recognised for its catalytic role in local innovation ecosystems.

She was the founder and co-creator of STEAMhouse the multi Award winning collaborative centre for innovation based on cooperation, collaboration, experimentation and radical openness.

Jo is a Non Executive Director for Tech West Midlands and has been advisor to a number of boards including the Greater Birmingham Institute of Technology, West Midlands Innovation Board and Creativity City Partnership.

She has travelled extensively reviewing, benchmarking and speaking about innovation models in Europe, Canada and the USA.

Jo has led on skills strategy and employability, developing policy, leading interventions and  working with employers to respond to talent needs and supporting regionally on responding to skills policy and programmes and initiatives to address gaps, through innovative solutions.

Jo has been active in informing and shaping regional agendas and has worked extensively across the creative industries over the past ten years, building the case for reinvestment back into Birmingham.

More recently Jo has been engaging across tech and life sciences catalysing infrastructure to support growth.  She has also been reimagining public and community  engagement and creating models around empowering local communities for change.