Meet The Team
Abena Akuffo-Kelly
I believe that to change the system it is crucial that schools and institutions are invested in diversity and inclusion that is intersectional and deliberate.
As a DEI freelance consultant I speak and deliver training on race, gender, misogynoir, neurodiversity, intersectionality and LGBT rights. I also work as an inclusion consultant with the Association for Science Education where I support schools by helping them develop action plans to improve inclusion regarding the provision for all of the protected characteristics plus careers. In this role I create resources and CPD sessions. I also co-lead on two different diversity networks that focus on LGBT and ethnicity. These networks act as a resource and forum for teachers to have access to specialist leaders and speakers but also to share best practice. I am part of a research group that seeks to identify, analyse and consolidate new thinking in DEI into our resources and our practice. I thoroughly enjoy and am invigorated by doing such work
I am proud of being a contributor to the Diverse Educators: A Manifesto book by Bennie Kara and Hannah Wilson. I am also proud of all of the work that I have done delivering training to teachers in NEU conferences and weekend residentials. People have been very receptive to my training sessions and I have lots of positive feedback. What I am most proud of is that by delivering to the NEU I have a wider scope of teachers in different schools and thus I have more impact.
Claire Stewart
I have been coaching senior leaders for the past six years and have previous leadership experience in education settings, such as schools, which means I have an attuned and specific understanding of both the context and doing the role.
This affects my wider systems knowledge and enables me to ask pertinent and reflexive questions, as well as offer understanding and empathy. Through my practice of coaching senior leaders, both in teams and individually, I have learned different ways of helping clients to regulate, gain new perspectives and align their values to the decisions they want to make. My Phd research, in which I study the behaviours in majoritised white senior teams and the conflicting complexities of group membership, has further deepened my ability to give words and language to behaviours in order to interrupt patterns of white, heteronormative, middle class cultural norms and their impact on people in them. For example, I have developed a language around hidden environments and can support clients to reframe their experiences in light of systemic influences taking place in the organisational habitus. I have developed skills in generating coaching climates in sessions for clients to become more cognisant of situations in which they find themselves which inspires them to rethink action. I have learned that coaching is an effective vehicle to deepen knowledge of dominant cultures and one's positioning of the self within them but solutions lie not only in head/brain work, but in embodied responses to stress and trauma which affects people's ability to enact roles. For this reason, I use a range of methods, including, puppets, walking, research, imagery and mindfulness as part of my coaching practice, depending on the client.
Danielle Corinne Chavrimootoo
I am an exceptional academic lead with inclusive, critical pedagogy and decolonial praxis specialism.
Committed to providing various consultancy services aimed at supporting a wide range of clients in Higher Education, Further Education Private and Third Sector. Skills in research development providing specialist and tailored training sessions, attending committee meetings.
I am proactively committed to raising awareness and ownership of EDI, conducting EDI reviews to enact cultural organisational change as well as embedding Inclusive Curriculum Frameworks. Provides expert advice, guidance, and support for programme/faculties in an attempt to develop innovative learning and teaching activities in line within strategic priorities.
As a highly inspirational and credible educator with strong communication, influencing change management skills. I consider myself expert at engaging with internal and external stakeholders to offer support, guidance and advice, while working with colleagues to deliver an effective and valued partnering service, as well as incorporating all aspects of equality, diversity, and inclusion into teaching and learning practices.
I equally possess a wealth of experience centered around providing consultancy in a variety of sectors, a proven track record of implementing solutions to complex diversity challenges. I particularly enjoy establishing and maintaining good relationships with senior leaders, students, and academic staffs while developing inclusive teaching and learning practices, policy, and curriculum frameworks.
Dr Enya Doyle
Enya’s collaborative, compassionate and creative approach to driving social change has been recognised on local and national levels for over 10 years.
Enya’s collaborative, compassionate and creative approach to driving social change has been recognised on local and national levels for over 10 years. She has a PhD on gender diversity and inclusion in music, which reflects her commitment to scrutinising the often subtle and underlying forms of exclusion embedded in organisational systems and culture. She is particularly excited by working within the arts and education sectors. Enya specialises in gender-based discrimination, sexism, and sexual misconduct and is passionate about enacting positive change with regards to the wellbeing of employees and other stakeholders who are minoritised.
Enya takes a pragmatic approach to leading what are often perceived to be difficult and uncomfortable conversations. She enjoys working at all levels and with a variety of people, be that one-to-one with senior leaders and board members, with small teams and committees, and on an organisation-wide level. Enya has worked with Durham University, the University of York, the Royal Musical Association, The National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, The Royal Irish Academy of Music, and Spitfire Audio. She has presented her research on gender diversity in the UK, Australia and the United States.
Enya brings valuable experience of taking companies through their inclusion journey from the very beginning by helping them to develop and deliver measurable, achievable goals through audits, training, and policy development. Enya has a track record of providing effective, well-received training and thoughtful, evidence-based guidance with regards to being an inclusive recruiter and retaining a diverse workforce through embedding a culture of belonging for all.
Emma Shepard
Emma Sheppard founded The Maternity Teacher Paternity Teacher (MTPT) Project, the UK's charity for parent-teachers, whilst on maternity leave with her son in 2016.
Having trained through Teach First as an English teacher in 2010, she continued to teach in the British International School, Ho Chi Minh, acting as Head of House, before returning to the UK as Lead Practitioner at an academy in South London. Here, she held responsibility for ITT provision, teaching and learning, and line managed the EAL department. In 2020, Emma began training as a coach with The Coaching Academy, and then relocated to the south of France with her family in 2021 to coach and run The MTPT Project full time.
The MTPT Project is the UK's charity for parent-teachers. From humble beginnings as a blog and a Twitter handle, inspiring, empowering and connecting teachers choosing to complete personal and professional development whilst on parental leave, The MTPT Project has grown into the voice of parent-teachers in the UK.
The charity runs training and networking events, provides 1:1 and group coaching to teachers on leave, and is the only organisation completing research into women aged 30-39 - the largest demographic to leave teaching every year. Since 2016, The MTPT Project has worked to tackle the motherhood penalty in education, to transform education into a sustainable and "life-friendly" career choice for all.
Isha Sadiq
Isha has been the Head of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at a Sport charity. This role enabled her to develop a rich insight into the barriers that exist for young people today as well as the multiple challenges faced by community sports groups.
She created and implemented an EDI strategy which focused on prioritising the experiences of members, staff, volunteers, and young people. This included increasing representation and participation of minoritised groups and encouraging groups to adopt inclusive practices.
Isha has led on the development of new policies and processes centred around recruitment and diversifying the workforce including Volunteers and The Board of Directors. This focus allowed her to identify gaps and to open opportunities for more individuals as well as developing initiatives such as Board apprenticeships.
Her previous work, leading an organisational wide Race Equity review at a national youth charity opened discussions around white privilege, anti-racism and Intersectionality. This inspired an integral conversation around how to develop equitable processes and led to training and resources being created. She also project managed key work streams including attracting more young Muslims to Scouts and developed great relationships with community leaders in helping them create inclusive spaces.
Isha’s strength is in having robust conversations as well as ensuring people stay on the journey with Diversity and Inclusion
Joshua Okunlola
Joshua is an educational facilitator, trainer and accredited interpersonal mediator, with over 15 years of experience working with young people, community and school leaders.
Having been a senior leader and led a provision in a SEMH school in Croydon, South London, Joshua is all too familiar with the external and internal demands of leadership and is now passionate about helping school leaders grow both in their Presence and their “Present-ness.”
He is currently undertaking advanced training in educational transactional analysis and completing an ILM accreditation in clean language coaching and mentoring.
Joshua is a father of 5 and in his spare time, he enjoys keeping fit, baking and having Nerf gunfights with his children.
Philip Wharton
Phillip’s personal mission as Headteacher, and now as an educational consultant, is to embrace diversity and articulate to those he work’s with how important it is to celebrate differences.
He greatly enjoys belonging to the LGBTQ+ affinity group and attending monthly meetings with this global group of teachers and leaders. He led a session recently on how we as educators can support young people in schools who identify as LGBTQ+.
As so often happens when he leads sessions online or in person, he felt on this occasion again that I learned more than I "taught", simply by listening and talking to those individuals in the group about their experiences
He passionately believes it is so very important to bring DEI topics into schools and to the senior leadership table, as the young people in our care have to be the centre of our consideration, no matter how they identify.
Sherine El-Menshawy
Mixed heritage, bilingual and with over 20 years cross-cultural, international professional experience working in international development organisations, NGO’s, and global networks, managing a variety of programmes including resettlement and repatriation of refugees; as well as extensive experience managing communications and dissemination development research projects.
My academic studies in Cultural Studies and Psychology, provide me with an in-depth understanding of cultural theory, post-colonial theory, identity, inequality, migration, power, citizenship, mental health and well-being, sociology and economics; as well as a multi-disciplinary, in-depth analytical understanding of complex concepts and development research issues. I am passionate about the value of evidence-based research, knowledge, education and effective, sensitive communication in making a difference to our global future and lives of young people. Committed to pursuit of my own life-long learning path, actively broadening my own thinking, experiences and understanding of the world through reading, learning, engaging, connecting and networking with others.
Throughout my professional experience, with varying levels of resources, I have consistently been able to adopt an entrepreneurial, creative and innovative approach to achieve goals, through my drive for continuous learning and personal development, by galvanising available resources, using outreach to enrich resources when necessary and by actively developing networks for collaboration. I have successfully been able to adapt and respond to the challenges presented and apply a resourceful, progressive result-oriented approach using knowledge-based decision making to achieve objectives.
Passionate about social-emotional learning and cultivating a culture of belonging and connectedness as part of our responsibility as educators to support children’s development, broaden their horizons, enable their voices and promote a sense of global citizenship. Building awareness and capacity through knowledge sharing, professional development, networking and communication; my focus is on the importance of encouraging compassion and empathy in this endeavour, to harness the beauty and power of diverse voices for a more equitable, inclusive world.
