Bernadette is the Deputy Director for Inclusion, Wellbeing and Employee Engagement in the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

She joined the Civil Service in 1998, starting as a Caseworker in the Legal Aid Board, and she has held a range of roles within the Civil Service across many Government departments, including, Ministry of Justice, Home Office, Treasury and Cabinet Office.

She is a notable diversity advocate and public speaker, working with leaders across government and the public sector to drive a culture of inclusion and increase the pace on representation of Black and Minority Ethnic employees particularly at more senior grades. In 2019, she won one of the Civil Service Charity’s Community awards and in 2020 she won the Workplace Hero category in the Investing in Ethnicity Awards for championing and driving race equality and inclusion across the Civil Service.

For over four years, Bernadette has co-chaired the multi award-winning Race to the Top G6/7 network, a community of interest network group of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) G6/7 employees across all Government departments and agencies. The Network actively supports members by helping to increase preparedness for leadership at the next level, and the overarching intention is to help the Civil Service address BAME underrepresentation in the Senior Civil Service (SCS). She is also a Different Woman Ambassador where she campaigns for a more inclusive gender agenda, amplifying the voices of women of colour.

Bernadette has also been a Community Governor at a local infant school for over 18 years and volunteers at athletics/sports events such as 2012 Olympics, 2017 World Athletics and she is really looking forward to being a part of the 2022 Commonwealth Gamers. Bernadette’s most important job, however, is being a mother to her two children.