Our trustees are a small group of passionate people who care deeply about what we do and why it matters. They support the charity by offering guidance, sharing their experience, and helping us make strategic decisions about our future.
Our trustees are volunteers. They work behind the scenes to keep the charity running well, making sure we stay true to our values and focused on supporting people with DS and their families in Oxfordshire.
Katharine Horrocks
Katharine was a Trustee of DSO for 18 years before becoming a founder Trustee of Down Syndrome Oxfordshire. Katharine has experience of working in training and education, marketing, hospitality and as a Lay Representative for Health Education England. She is a former school governor, and outside volunteering, enjoys reading, singing and keeping fit.
Marion Simon
Before becoming a Founding Trustee of Down Syndrome Oxfordshire, Marion was a Trustee for Down’s Syndrome Oxford for 10 years. She was also Secretary for two years until 2015 when she became Chair of DSO until 2019. Marion set up DSO’s primary development sessions in 2014 and has coordinated them for the last 12 years.
She is mother of a son and twin girls, one of whom has Down syndrome. She has a background in secondary education and has been an editor and author in educational publishing for over 30 years. In her spare time, she loves dog walking, cooking, listening to podcasts and exercising.
Jos Smith
Jos is a Founding Trustee and Chair of Down Syndrome Oxfordshire. Prior to this, she served as a Trustee and Chair of Down’s Syndrome Oxford from July 2019.
She is the parent of a son with Down syndrome and lives in West Oxfordshire. With a background in FTSE 100 corporate and digital communications, Jos brings valuable commercial experience to the team.
In addition, Jos represents DSO as a parent carer with the Oxford Parent Carers Forum. In this role, she helps ensure that the perspectives of the Down syndrome community are considered by local area partners, including Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford University Hospitals, and the Thames Valley Integrated Care Board.
