Meet the team

Kirsty McLaren

Community Chair

Kirsty hails from the North East of England and identifies as gay. Kirsty works in Widening Participation to empower underrepresented learners to access and succeed in higher education, which includes LGBTQ+ learners. The Proudly King’s Network has shaped Kirsty’s experience at King’s, so she’s looking forward to giving back and making us a more LGBTQ+ inclusive institution. Outside of King’s Kirsty is an alum of the Stonewall Young Leader Programme, enjoys playing rugby, cooking and binging documentaries on Netflix.

Dan Cornwell

Committee Member

Dan identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. They work as a Lecturer in Chemistry Education, where alongside the day-to-day delivery of lectures and labs, develops creative and innovative teaching methods to better engage our students. Dan joined the committee to help develop the LGBTQ+ community at King’s, particularly through planning social events, and also to increase awareness and action on issues faced by trans and non-binary members of staff.

India Jordan

Committee Member

India is a Diversity and Inclusion Consultant and they have been a committee member of Proudly King’s for two years. India's focus is on the strategic side of the network and project manages various streams of our strategy. Within D&I, India's focus is on disability inclusion, policy, training and communities and networks. Outside of work, India is a DJ and producer and has a great cat.

Chenée Psaros

Executive Chair

Being on the committee has been a fantastic experience for Chenée and she looks forward to contributing as Executive Chair this year. Chenée identifies as queer but has called herself bisexual and pansexual too. Chenée is passionate about inclusive education and thinks by contributing to an inclusive place for staff we create inclusive spaces for students. Chenée says she has been able to meet loads of amazing people who she wouldn't have known had she not been involved, and she look forward to meeting you this year.

Mark Tricklebank

Committee Member

Mark Tricklebank worked as a Psychopharmacologist in the drug industry before returning to academic research as a wonderful rebirth. Mark says he is "old enough to remember what LGBTQ+ life was like prior to the change in legislation" and feels he should do everything he can to cement and embed the revolution in attitude into all aspects of our lives until we get to the point when we no longer have to ask carefully whether we mind being publically associated with LGBTQ+ community.

Anna Laverty

Committee Member

Anna works at King’s as a Strategic Project and Change Manager. Anna initially found out about Proudly King’s when there was a call to organise KCL Pride 2 years ago. Being part of such a diverse and empowered group with a genuine belief in supporting the LGBTQ+ community at King’s allowed Anna to feel part of something outside of her day job. Anna says Proudly King’s allowed her to be more open and learn so much about the community and herself. It was then a no brainer that she join the committee last year, and supported the University’s Stonewall 100 action plan and the development of the Committees Strategic Plan.

Alex Theoklitou

Events Officer

Alex is the Events Officer for Proudly King’s. Alex will work on delivering a diverse and inclusive programme of events. Alex currently works at KCLSU as the Activities Engagement Coordinator and Inclusion Lead, which means he looks after all student-run societies and makes sure all the events we and they run are inclusive. A few words to describe Alex: dog lover, Cyprus-born, ex King’s student, plant dad, amateur baker, life of the dance party, king of organized fun, self-titled fashion icon, travel enthusiast.

Lisa Chung

Committee Member

LC works in the Library at King’s, having started as a student. Their job involves helping students, staff and NHS partner trust staff make the most of our fantastic Libraries & Collections! Lisa hopes to raise awareness of asexuality and intersectionality through their position on the committee, as well as keeping you up to date with the latest news via our social media channels. Outside of work, Lisa is a diehard Harry Potter fan, and enjoys ballet and rock climbing.

Ryan Benjamin

Strategy Chair

Ryan currently works in postgraduate admissions at King’s and identifies as very gay. His role in the network is founded on a passion for positively affecting the experiences of queer people within the university and the community more broadly. While his work focuses on the network's strategic operations, Ryan attends all of Proudly King’s exciting events and will see you there. Outside of work, he loves to cook and hates to wash up, enjoys a scented candle and likes to boogie.