UKRAINIAN-BORN Zoryna O’Donnell has been appointed the IW Council’s new Head of Safer Neighbourhoods Partnership.
Zoryna joins the authority from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council where she has been community safety manager and before that community safety officer. During her work in Basingstoke, she also took a one-year secondment opportunity as a policy manager with the same employer. Zoryna has experience of working in the public, private and voluntary sectors in different countries.
Since moving to the UK in 2002, she gained a MSc in Community Safety from Leicester University and is currently working towards a Master of Business Administration post-graduate degree by distance learning at Warwick Business School.
She is married to David, who is now retired. They have four grown up children between them.
Zoryna loves to travel and has visited a lot of foreign countries. She also likes walking, gardening and reading.
Zoryna said she is looking forward to taking up her new role and building on the partnership working that maintains the Island as one of the UK’s safest places to live, work and visit.
She added: “I feel very privileged to have an opportunity to become a part of the Island’s diverse community and to have the chance to contribute my knowledge, skills and experience to its well-being and prosperity. So much good work already takes place on the Island but there is more to do. I am looking forward to working with all the partner agencies, businesses, communities and individuals to make this beautiful Island even safer.
“I strongly believe that together we will not only further reduce levels of crime and anti-social behaviour, but also free our communities from the fear of crime and build their confidence and pride.”
Zoryna takes over from Heather Lovell who has been interim head of service for safer neighbourhoods on secondment from the IW NHS Primary Care Trust to which she will return.
Stuart Love, IW Council director of environment and neighbourhoods, said that community safety is at the forefront of the IW Council’s One Island agenda.
“I know Zoryna will continue all the good work we have achieved in this hugely important area. She joins at an exciting time when One Island initiatives such as town centre managers will be beginning to bring about real public realm improvements across the Island.
