2004 - ... : The development of "The Neighbourhood of your Life", a project for housing, welfare and care. It involves relocating sports accommodation, restructuring and grouping, renovating and reorganising facilities in a PPI framework. I run the spatial, cultural and social project and process from the very beginning through to execution and implementation. The innovative, developing approach based on the principles of civic steering generates unexpected openings and partnerships.
2004 - 2008: The development of accommodation policy, providing training for municipal authorities and interim management, for example for a water board. I'm happy with what I'm doing.
2004: Stipo continues to be a challenge and I take the step of becoming a Stipo partner.
2001: Life's not just a bed of roses. My marriage comes to an end after almost 25 years.
1999 - 2001: I am a guest lecturer at the University of Amsterdam and the contacts with Stipo intensify.
1997 - 2003: International project in Aluksne (Latvia). Together with Rob Groen, I help the municipal authorities to build up a new organisation and to develop a vision for the future. It's fantastic to see how quickly new knowledge and insights are picked up and moulded to fit the local situation.
1996 - 1999: The municipal authorities reorganise. I am trained as a coach for the organisation development process and for the related training. I acquire an understanding of how people operate at work and the opportunities to help them develop. It is great to see how people become more enterprising, acquire more confidence in their own qualities, or realise that they aren't in the right place.
1994 - 1997: The Hoeksche Waard is in the picture for new developments and the Spatial Design for the Hoeksche Waard (RIHW) project is on the horizon. A new, innovative approach is introduced and I'm like a fish in the water. I get to know Stipo for the first time and the inspiring, enthusiastic approach becomes a part of me.
1988 - 2004: A new municipal authority and a new job as the head of Welfare, later as the head of General Affairs, the Space and Green Spaces sector director and the last four years as the municipal secretary for the Binnenmaas municipality. New prospects for development open up one after the other. There are still challenges.
1984: Qualified as civil servant and senior civil servant, added welfare and social affairs to my portfolio and the Specific Welfare Framework Act gets binned. Appointment as deputy head of the welfare department.
1978: Change of job description, appointment as policy officer for education and culture. Welfare is really in the picture and many people believe that spatial planning has a subordinate role.
1977: Married and father to two children, Sasja and Sander. Great kids.
1975: A new job with the municipality of Nieuw-Lekkerland as personnel officer.
1970: A job with NKF Staal N.V. and evening study.
1968 - 1994: A passion for football: learning to struggle, learning to get better and to accept that you can't do everything, but should never give up. The feeling that playing a match is the most important thing, and that winning and losing are part of the game. Debut in 1968 in the first team of v.v. Nieuw-Lekkerland, staying there until 1989. The football career continued at GOZ in Mijnsheerenland. Selected for youth teams, district team and Dutch amateur team. Control and technique made it possible to keep the ball in the air by touching it 6,810 times with feet, knees and head.
1966: Secondary education in Alblasserdam. After 4 years, ready to carry on studying. Unfortunately, the funds were lacking. So time to look for a job and study in the evening.
1954: Born in Kinderdijk, close to the wonderful windmill area in the Province of South Holland, as the third in a family of four children.