Our People

Prior to stepping up to this role, Jodie was the Director of Programmes and Partnerships at Khulisa for 2.5 years, where she built the delivery team and quadrupled our partnerships with schools. Before joining Khulisa, she held senior leadership positions in organisations offering a variety of therapeutic services to young people in care. Most notably, pioneering the development of a therapeutic unit for young women. The unit, the first of its kind in the UK, advocated for choice-based approaches in managing psychiatric and complex risks. (Yvonne House).

Importantly for Khulisa, Jodie also has lived experience of exclusion from school, has worked in Alternative Provision and has delivered therapeutic services as a frontline practitioner for over 10 years.

Jodie has trained as a Youth Worker and Criminologist and has a Masters from the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust in Psychodynamic and Systemic Leadership and Consultancy. She is passionate about taking a relational approach to both individual and systemic change and creating platforms and spaces that are inclusive and where those with lived experiences can have their voice heard (and feel comfortable whilst sharing it).

Jodie chairs Khulisa’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee. She
is a passionate advocate for neurodiversity and LGBTQ+ inclusion and sits on the Management Committee at Haringey Learning Partnership ( a multi-site alternative provision for young people with complex needs).

Jodie spends her free time weightlifting, playing AFL (badly) and walking her dog.

Tony joined Khulisa in August 2022 as an experienced charity accountant, having spent 14 years working in two large charities. These were Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity or GOSHCC (where he qualified with ACCA) and Wateraid where he led the UK finance operations team.

Tony enjoys working in teams to deliver high quality management information and his career objectives are to develop himself, colleagues and the organisations he works for. A significant career highlight was acting as finance lead for the implementation of Salesforce at GOSHCC. On this he worked with agile project teams from Deloitte and Qbase to update and digitalise finance processes, build strong system integrations and develop new reporting tools for staff.

Away from work he is a keen (fantasy) footballer and enjoys reading and long country walks. He also loves spending time with his wife and three children.

Karen (she/her) brings 15+ years' experience as a senior leader in the charity sector with a strong focus on children & young people who are marginalised or significantly at risk from the people and systems around them. She's led on bids worth £5k-£5 million and led teams of 27+ staff who know her as a human and tenacious leader who loves to nurture others' professional development.

As Director of Development and Partnerships at the charity Missing People, Karen led some of the UK's most significant developments in missing persons, child abduction and criminal-exploitation policy change. She became famous for holding professionals (such as law enforcement, government and children's services) to account for improving their practice while also persuading them to trust (and fund!) innovative pilots which brought missing person responses into the modern, digital era. Her experience also spans radical workplace culture & equity consulting, small + large charity innovation and team development & coaching. Karen brings a creative approach to complex issues, backed by professional studies in Human Systems Dynamics and Group Facilitation.
Karen is a loving dog-parent and a sport fanatic! She captained a women's basketball team in London for five years and has played cricket, touch rugby and football at varying levels. A BRIT school graduate, where she studied Theatre and Media production for four years, she's dabbled with playwriting and standup comedy and continues to support the BRIT school students through business skills sessions as the young artists prepare to enter the world as freelance writers, actors and producers.
You can find Karen on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenrobinson165/

Porsha's love for working with children and young people blossomed at a young age, inspired by her mother's dedication to supporting youth in their community.

With over 15 years of experience in Education, Youth Work, Social Care, and Substance Misuse sectors, Porsha has passionately served children, young people, and families.

Porsha's hard work has been widely recognised through numerous award nominations, including prestigious accolades such as the Golden Lion, ANV Coram, Croydon Business Excellence Award, and Children & Young People Now.

She is deeply committed to amplifying youth voices, having led initiatives such as the British Youth Council and the Children in Care Council for the borough with the largest population of care-experienced youth in London.

Motivated by this dedication, Porsha has founded her own Supported Living Accommodation for young people in care.

Outside of her professional endeavors, Porsha finds joy in hosting events for friends, cooking, traveling and vlogging.

Nora is passionate about connecting people with the causes they care about and driving funds towards programmes that create real change in the world. Having worked in fundraising for over 15 years, for a variety of causes, including Charities Aid Foundation, ICYE UK, Plan UK, Women for Women International and Scope she has developed a wide range of skills and approaches to engaging supporters. Nora specialises in high net worth relationship building, major donor, corporate, trusts and foundation and joint ventures between private and public funding.

Her communications experience includes, brand identity, cause related marketing, and audience insight.

She has a MSc in Development Studies from SOAS, a BA in History and enjoys regular personal development opportunities through networks such as the Lucidity Network. She sits on the fundraising committee and is an active PTA member for her children’s primary school.

Nora joined Khulisa in September 2020 after a year abroad travelling with her family in Central and South America. She enjoys time with her family, reading, swimming and travelling.

Derellanne is from Dublin, Ireland and has lived in the UK since January 2011. Her therapeutic background is in Humanistic counselling and over the past decade she has worked with Young People in Schools, PRU’s, residentials, and psychiatric inpatient units. Derellanne’s previous role was managing a team working with care leavers in semi-independent residential and community placements. She is passionate about working with Young People and being creative to ignite change.

Outside of work Derellanne plays for an AFL team (Australian Football), loves to cook new cuisines and listen to music.

Tasha joined Khulisa in April 2021 and has over 10 years experience working with young people across the country from all different walks of life, from Prisons to schools, to the community and residentials. Most recently Tasha has worked closely supporting Children in care and young care leavers to improve their well-being, helping them to achieve their full potential, through 1:1 young person-centered coaching and support, group workshops or training of professionals.

Tasha has a degree in Psychology and a masters in youth and community work and is passionate about helping to solicit change in our most vulnerable young people, always using trauma informed, person centered, strength-based models.

When she's not working, you will find Tasha eating something, in her studio creating resin pieces, on an airplane somewhere or researching where next to go!

Briony joined Khulisa in late 2021 as an Associate Facilitator and became a Programme Manager in July 2022. Briony has an Undergraduate degree in Drama and Theatre Studies and is also a qualified Dramatherapist, having graduated from Derby University in 2021. During her MA studies, Briony spent time researching the impact of trauma on an individual’s sense of self during adolescence, and how the use of story and metaphor can support the possibility of rediscovery and healing where biological disruption has been present.

Prior to her studies, Briony worked within residential settings with children, young people and adults. Briony has also worked within schools and refuges as part of her University placements and most recently has provided 1-1 and group interventions for children and young people who have been affected by cancer, bereavement and life limiting conditions.

Outside of work, Briony loves going to the theatre, musicals being a firm favourite. She also enjoys meeting with friends, weekends away and any excuse to go to the beach!

Sheila has worked with young people for over 15 years, designing and delivering drama based Personal Health and Social Education (PHSE) workshops from mainstream schools to referral units throughout London, tackling subject matters such as, sex education, anti-bullying, knife crime, drugs and alcohol abuse and much more.

As a therapist, Sheila has worked within the NHS; forensic mental health and Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit, providing one-to-one and group therapy to patients with a variety of psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar and dissociative order, self-harm, suicidal ideations, and psychosis.

Since the beginning of the year, she has been a therapist and continues to work with ‘Just For Kids Law’, a UK charity that work with children and young people to ensure their legal rights are respected and promoted.

Sheila runs a befriending group four times a year for families who have lost their babies through stillbirth and neonatal death. This group has been running for 10 years, for families to come together to share their experiences, and support one another through loss and
grief.

Trained at the University of Roehampton as a dramatherapist, Sheila works creatively with story-making, music, movement, and art, which enables her clients to explore and work through their issues if words are too difficult.

Sheila is a member of The British Association of Dramatherapists, (BADth) and is registered and regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

When Sheila is not working, you will find her either reading a book or watching a film and relaxing with her family.

Karl is a fully qualified youth worker (level 3) with 6 years experience working with young people, with 4 of those five years working with young people who are on youth offending orders.

He is skilled in the areas of conflict resolution, restorative justice and has recently trained in A.R.T (Aggression Replacement Training®) He has also developed numerous arts-based interventions of his own which have been used in a variety of youth offending services. with his latest group of young people having won a Koestler award for their identity project. With a background in the arts, Karl is also a noted published photographer.

Andrea-May has a degree in Drama and a MA in Dramatherapy and is currently undertaking a PhD researching the attitudes and access to creative therapies for post Windrush populations. Her research investigates themes of racism, post traumatic slave syndrome and transgenerational trauma.

Before joining Khulisa, Andrea-May was a self-employed dramatherapist delivering therapy within schools to vulnerable young people running individual and group sessions. She has over 10 years’ experience working with young people and their families across the northwest of England.

She maintains a small private practice and is passionate that all children and young people have access to appropriate therapies for maintaining good mental health.

In her free time Andrea-May loves spending quality time with her daughters, partner, family
and friends, playing the sims, going to the gym and traveling. Her latest hobby is paddle boarding, so you may now find her on the water when the sun is out.

Tiah has an Undergraduate degree from in Psychology and Education Studies and has an MSc in Psychology of Education. Between her studies, Tiah moved to Sevilla for 9 months where she worked as a Language Assistant and developed her interest in working with a young people with various needs and using creative ways to bring language learning to life!

Before joining Khulisa, Tiah worked at a various language summer schools as an activities manager and worked as a tutor. Most recently, Tiah worked with a widening participation charity based in South East London. Programmes with the young people aimed to introduce young people to the different routes into and opportunities related to further education and careers, in the hope of helping them to develop the
skills and confidence to achieve their different aspirations. In addition to enjoying supporting young people with their academic attainment, Tiah became drawn to exploring the ways in which, social, behavioural and emotional factors rooted outside of the classroom impacted students’ performance and presence in their classrooms.

Outside of work, Tiah enjoys spending time with friends and family, cooking as much as she can for anyone who is willing to taste her creations and exploring different hobbies to tap into her creativity.

Zaynab is a morally motivated impact professional with a strong technical foundation working in sport for development and corporate social impact for over six years. As one of 100 young people in the UK selected for the London 2012 Young Leaders Programme, a two-year personal development programme in the build-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Zaynab has gained first-hand experience of how lives can be transformed if you equip young people with the skills and environments they need to thrive.

After graduating from university with a first class honours degree in International Development, Zaynab gained experience in the charity sector across a range of roles and it was in the monitoring and evaluation space that she found her niche.

Zaynab has a curiosity to improve systems and processes, is a resourceful problem solver, and enjoys communicating complex information to people in simpler ways to inspire them to take action.

As a football fan, Zaynab has lived the dream by working for two premier league clubs and The Football Association. Highlights include being part of the UEFA Women's EURO 2022 legacy team, playing on the pitch at Wembley Stadium, and writing a feature on impact in the matchday programme for Arsenal FC.

As Khulisa's Trusts Fundraising Manager, Isabel works across our grants and corporate partnerships. Before joining Khulisa, Isabel worked in development in social care and education charities with a particular focus on access, engagement and participation. Isabel has also worked as a prison and mental health law paralegal, working directly with young and vulnerable people often excluded from accessing education and struggling to re-integrate.

She specialises in grant-based fundraising, and is particularly passionate about building partnerships with funders and public sector institutions to ensure brilliant, comprehensive services for young and vulnerable people.

Isabel holds a GDL in Law from the University of Law, prior to which she studied Ancient and Modern History (BA) at the University of Oxford and Russian Studies (MA) at the School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies.

When not working, Isabel enjoys open air swimming and attempting to make passable piroshki dumplings - usually unsuccessfully.

Rina is a Therapeutic Practitioner specialising in working with young people. Previous to joining Khulisa, she has worked as a School Counsellor, a Wellbeing Coach in a GP Service and as a Therapist in a youth wellbeing hub. Earlier in her career, she has also worked in a Youth Offending team as well as an Adult Forensic Service.

She has a Masters in Forensic Psychology from Middlesex University, a degree in Psychology from UCL as well as a coaching qualification (Accredited by ACCPH - Accredited Counsellors, Coaches, Psychotherapists and Hypnotherapists) . She has also worked on the business side of various youth charities and social enterprises in programme management and fundraising.

She believes in working with the whole person, inviting and welcoming parts that are not often acceptable within the systems they live in. Committed to activism and contributing to systemic change, Rina has managed youth activism programmes as well as being part of various activist organisations herself.

In her free time Rina likes to travel, spend time with her family, be in nature or be engaged in any form of movement - dance and yoga being firm favourites. She is also a current Trainee Psychotherapist with Metanoia Institute

With a BA Hons in Politics and International Relations and an MSc in Global Politics, I have always been driven by a deep understanding of complex global systems and the desire to create impactful solutions. Over the past decade, I have successfully navigated the entrepreneurial landscape, founding and managing two businesses that have forged partnerships with prestigious brands such as Selfridges, Holland & Barrett, Adidas, and Soho House.

My entrepreneurial journey has equipped me with a robust background in operations, honed through years of hands-on experience in managing diverse projects and teams. I thrive on the challenges that come with optimising processes, enhancing efficiency, and driving business growth. My passion for operations is rooted in a commitment to excellence and a strategic mindset that seeks continuous improvement.

As the Operations Manager at Khulisa, I bring a wealth of experience and a proven track record of successfully managing complex operational frameworks. In this role, I have developed a keen eye for detail and a strategic approach to problem-solving, ensuring that all processes run smoothly and efficiently.

Varangi Jobanputra is a highly experienced Finance Officer and Accounts Assistant. She has a
proven track record in accounting and finance procedures and policies, demonstrating her ability
to plan and prioritize workloads effectively.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Varangi is a dedicated homemaker, responsible
mother of two children, and a supportive wife. She excels in balancing her career and family life,
demonstrating her commitment to both her professional and personal responsibilities.
Varangi holds a Master Degree in Accounting and Finance and a Diploma in Business
Management with an e-commerce focus. Her educational foundation complements her practical
experience, making her a well-rounded professional.

Flora joined Khulisa in September 2024 following the completion of her MSc in Clinical Psychology at Newcastle University. Whilst completing her Master's, she worked within the Support and Advice Hub at the University on an outreach campaign to promote student wellbeing services.

Throughout her time as a student she also partook in many voluntary roles, including working for a crisis hotline, arranging large-scale fundraising events and running a student-staff committee. Flora also has experience in digital marketing and spent her penultimate year running the Instagram account for Newcastle University’s Psychology Society. As well of this, she has created video content for the likes of Pot Noodle and German Donner Kebab!

Flora is passionate about combining her mental health expertise with her enthusiasm for social media and communications. She likes to find creative ways to communicate with others digitally and can happily spend hours on end designing posts and print materials on Canva.

In her spare time, Flora loves to travel, cook and spend time with her friends. Originally from the Lake District, she also loves walking, swimming, and paddleboarding, so long as it isn’t raining (which unfortunately is rare up north). Finally, and most importantly, Flora regularly enjoys playing with her boyfriend’s 4 amazing (and very very cute) dogs – 3 chihuahuas and a golden labrador.

Laurie worked for an education non-profit and as a child protection social worker, before joining the civil service. He has held a variety of policy and strategy roles in central government in the Cabinet Office and Department for Education - including as Head of Strategic Policy, where he advised Ministers and Secretaries of State on shaping and delivering their strategic priorities across schools, skills and families policy.

After a decade in the public and third sector, Laurie moved into management consultancy, advising senior executives on improving public services, across central and local government, and the health system. The national scale of rising social and emotional needs was underscored for him during a project he led with local authorities to identify opportunities to improve outcomes in special educational needs systems.

He brings a valuable blend of frontline experience, social policy expertise, and a track record of translating strategy into delivery. This is particularly important for us in this strategic cycle as we look to increase our impact and influence. He steps in with the full support of the board of Trustees and of our experienced Deputy Chair, Dami Solebo who offers continuity having been with us for nearly 4 years.

Rob Dickinson heads the Philanthropy and Partnerships team within The Children’s Society. Rob leads the organisation's strategic relationships with high value funders, individuals and corporate partners. He has a broad experience of the Charity sector, having previously led Business Development teams across the North of England, and managed service delivery across family support, young carers, and therapeutic teems in Lancashire and Greater Manchester. Rob spent 4 years as a trustee of Child Action Northwest, a regional foster care and early intervention service provider.

Rob is an associate consultant for Warren Larkin Associates and advises on system change within trauma focused service design, delivery and training.

Rob is a keen Blackburn Rovers supporter and father of 3.

Sharon joined Khulisa as a Trustee in March 2019 and will bring with her a wealth of experience in Clinical Governance, organisational and people development. Having worked in the field of psychology for 25 years, she is committed to supporting people and organisations to develop their full potential in their pursuit of excellence and social justice.

Prior to joining Khulisa, Sharon worked a clinician in the NHS, in the prison service and in low, medium and maximum security forensic hospitals, focussing her interests on the management of trauma caused by profound neurological difficulties, severe and enduring mental health conditions, sexual abuse, combat/war/civil unrest and chronic illness. Passionate about employment and civil rights, and social justice, Sharon worked for many years as a Union Representative and went on to become Vice Chair of a national committee at UNITE the Union which aimed to uphold employment rights and standards of professional practice for the psychological professions.

After many years of being a clinician, Sharon went on to work in executive management, leading two national charities through complex transformational change and also worked as a business consultant in multinational industries within the corporate sector, working with executive teams to respond effectively to regulatory and customer requirements, and supporting the agencies many of which worked in safety critical environments, to recover in the aftermath of industrial action or critical incidents. A licensed and registered Clinical Psychologist, Sharon now runs her own company, providing business consultancy, executive coaching and mentoring and training, trauma-focussed psychological therapy and medico-legal assessments to the statutory, charity and corporate sectors. She also works with professional regulators to ensure standards of practice are maintained, and mentors and advises a number of charity boards.

When Sharon is not working she loves to cook and entertain family and friends, paint portraits and sculpt. A keen traveller, she is determined to get New Orleans, Cuba and India under her belt in 2019 as well some exploring around the UK!

Adrienne Sanders MSc, MSc, MBPsS is an experienced leader, facilitator, and learning and development professional with 8+ years experience working across the not-for-profit, public, and private sector. Adrienne works as a Learning & Development Consultant, having previously held leadership positions in organisations such as Mind, the mental health charity and Pricewaterhouse Cooper (PwC).

Adrienne is member of the British Psychological Society (BPS) and holds a Level 3 in Charity Leadership & Management from the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM). Adrienne holds two Masters degrees: an MSc in Psychology with a research specialism in organisational psychology, wellbeing and mental health at work; and an MSc in Environmental Politics & International Development. Areas of specialism include leadership development, workplace wellbeing & mental health, organisational psychology, learning design, mentoring, and team development. Adrienne is passionate about working with people, developing leaders, and supporting organisations to develop effective mental health strategies.

Adrienne is originally from west coast Canada and is an avid rock climber and outdoor adventurist who can often be found scaling mountains and camping outside in her free time.

Dami is the CEO of The Clement James Centre, a community organisation in West London supporting young people and adults through education, employment and wellbeing programmes. Dami was previously a director of Finding Rhythms, a charity delivering creative interventions in prisons and community settings and worked with Voyage Youth, an organisation providing mentoring and education support to young BAME people at risk of social exclusion. Dami is involved with a number of educational and social enterprises and has worked in an advisory capacity with Comic Relief and the Youth Endowment Fund. He also brings skills and experience from his career in the financial sector to the governance and finance of the charity.

Darlene brings crucial marketing, fundraising and strategic leadership skills to the Khulisa Board. She has worked with a number of charities such as Shelter, UNICEF and Mind, gaining further appreciation of the benefits that therapeutic methodologies and trauma-informed environments provide to a rising number of young people.

In her current role at EFG Private Bank, Darlene has gained crucial insights into effective leadership and
strategic planning. There Darlene supported thier employee wellbeing initiatives and launched the ‘EFG Purpose’, providing further experience in leadership, communication and strengthening culture. Darlene's upbringing in West London provided her with a deep understanding of the challenges that face young
people and the importance of providing focused resources and solutions.

Bernadette has worked in the voluntary sector for over 30 years, all in organisations focused on achieving social justice, in roles from volunteer to CEO and trustee. Bernadette has particular experience in delivering and leading services for young people, with an expertise in safeguarding. In addition to leading service delivery, Bernadette has strong knowledge of charity governance, business development and people and culture processes.

Amy is a Managing Consultant at inlumi, a digital transformation boutique consultancy for the Finance function. Prior to joining inlumi, she joined the Financial Services audit practice at KPMG at the age of 18, where she qualified as an ICAEW ACA accountant.

She has more than a decade of experience specialising Finance and Finance strategy, helping clients transform their Finance function to achieve their strategic objectives.

Amy spends her time outside of working trying to master a new yoga pose, (trying to) learn Spanish and Dutch or reading another Gabor Mate book.

Joely joined Khulisa part time in December 2018 as Khulisa's Youth Engagement Advisor. As part of her role Joely ensures young people's voices are being heard and to encourage participants to engage and get the most out of Khulisa's programmes. She believes that many young people are being failed and not taken seriously by the education system and that all young people should be able to express themselves.

Joely first got involved with Khulisa as a student at Wac Arts College in 2017 when she attended a Khulisa taster day. Seeing how Khulisa breaks down people's resistance to life made Joely want to be more involved. Following this she helped design and develop the #lookbeyondthelabel campaign and has been an advocate for Khulisa's work ever since.

Joely is passionate about photography, sports, travelling and socialising and hopes to use her experience and skills to work with children who have been in similar situations to her (both education-wise and life-wise) to help them achieve their goals.