Our team

Chief Executive

Jabeer Butt OBE

Jabeer has an international reputation for his evidence-based work tackling discrimination and disadvantage. 

His studies have been used to inform government thinking, including interventions such as Sure Start, as well as the NSPCC’s Grove House Family Centre.

Jabeer provides leadership on the Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities (SFSC) parenting programme and is currently co-investigator on a £1.5 million NIHR-funded randomised control trial of the SFSC programme, being led by Professor Richard Watt at University College London. 

Jabeer has a key role in the Health and Wellbeing Alliance, which has helped create better conversations between the Black and minority ethnic-led voluntary sector and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England and Public Health England. 

He secured a £485,000 grant from the DHSC to support older people living with dementia as part of the emergency response to coronavirus (COVID-19).

Jabeer was on the Marmot Advisory Group, supporting Sir Michael Marmot to produce his report on the social causes of health inequalities. 

He is also co-investigator on the £1.3 million National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded extension of the VirusWatch study focusing on COVID-19 and the Black, Asian and minority ethnic and migrant communities, led by Professor Robert Aldridge of University College London.

Jabeer also sits on a number of other boards and committees. He was awarded an OBE in the 2013 Queen’s New Year Honours List for his services to health equality.

Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Programmes

Leandra Box

Leandra is Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Programmes at the Race Equality Foundation. Leandra leads on the Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities (SFSC) parenting programme and manages the SFSC team. She worked with Jabeer Butt in the development of the SFSC model and established the programme as a widely used parenting intervention. 

Leandra has led the team in developing SFSC materials for work on gang and knife crime, learning disabilities, and sexual and reproductive health. She also oversees the monitoring of quality assurance and programme fidelity.

Her publications include:

• Supportive services, effective strategies (1997, co-authored with Jabeer Butt)
• Family centred: A study of the use of family centres by black families (1998, co-authored with Jabeer Butt
• Respect: Learning materials for social care staff working with black and minority ethnic older people (1999, co-authored with Jabeer Butt and Suzanne Lyn-Cook)

Director of Policy and Engagement

Tracey Bignall

Tracey has undertaken research, policy and practice development work across a range of health and social care areas. 

Her previous work includes: 

• a community-based blood pressure pilot with Black African and Caribbean men
• a dementia programme to provide support to Black and minority ethnic people living with dementia and their carers
• the Race Equity Collaboratives project on the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19)

She has also looked at support for Black, Asian and minority ethnic autistic adults for a local authority.

She is co-author of a number of reports, including:

• Between ambition and achievement: The views of young Black disabled people on independent living 
• Something to do: The development of peer support groups for young black and minority ethnic disabled people 
• Race disparities in mental health

Tracey is a member of several advisory groups including the Maternity Transformation Programme Stakeholder Council, the Racial Justice Inquiry into Maternity Care and the National Black, Asian, Mixed Race and Ethnic Minority Transplant Alliance (NBTA).

Head of Training and Curriculum

Bernadette Rhoden

Bernadette is an experienced Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities (SFSC)  facilitator who has delivered the programme across a range of settings. She delivers the Foundation’s five day SFSC facilitator training to practitioners throughout the UK and has been instrumental in devising and delivering a number of our advanced skills courses. 

She is also responsible for fulfilling quality assurance contracts to a number of local authorities and provides ongoing support to SFSC facilitators.

Bernadette has worked in the voluntary sector for over 25 years and has developed various community projects including a support network for fathers in Croydon and the development and management of the Family Nurturing Project.

Senior Parent Programme Officer

Jade Briant

Jade assures the quality of Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities (SFSC) programme delivery and also runs and oversees contractual SFSC delivery. 

She facilitates SFSC peer support and bespoke sessions to ensure the professional development of already trained SFSC facilitators. She also works on relevant Race Equality Foundation projects as and when they arise. 

Jade began her career as a Peer Educator in secondary schools and is an accredited community mediator, employability coach, E-learning facilitator and Research Assistant for the Together Study (UCL study on the impact of SFSC). 

She has a Business Management Diploma and has previously held roles at SecondStep, Bristol City Council, Young Mothers Group Trust and Single Parent Action Network.

Admin and Finance Manager

Angela Azubuike

Angela operates and maintains the Foundation’s financial system and ensures the smooth running of our head office in London. Angela also supports the Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities (SFSC) and Policy and Practice teams by organising training, answering the order line, and ensuring that programmes are registered and receive the resources they need.

Parental Conflict Lead

Eleni Bloy

Eleni is an accredited Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities (SFSC) parenting programme facilitator who has worked for and with the Race Equality Foundation since 2013, delivering the programme to parents across Kent and London.

Eleni previously worked as a specialist family law solicitor in Greenwich and Lewisham, as a partner in her own firm and, subsequently creating a department for a new practice. 

She was one of the first solicitors in the UK to achieve accreditation by Resolution, the association of family solicitors. 

Following that, Eleni joined the national charity, Family Action, in 2012 with the intention of supporting families in conflict through delivery of the Separated Parents Information Programme.

She has also led on a Race Equality Foundation project for Public Health England, creating a toolkit for public health nurses to reduce the harm to children of non violent ‘frequent, intense and poorly resolved conflict’. 

Eleni continues to champion a better understanding of cultural influences on conflict between co-parents.

Parent Programme Officer - Stronger Relationships

Maryam Chowdhry

Maryam is a Programme Officer at the Race Equality Foundation, working on the Stronger Relationships programme which focuses on reducing parental conflict. She is an accredited and experienced Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities (SFSC) parenting programme facilitator, and has been delivering parenting programmes for over 12 years.  

Maryam has extensive experience of conducting face to face and on-line delivery, supporting families according to their needs. She has delivered a range of parenting programmes covering all age groups, and with a variety of positive strategies. Maryam recently graduated with a Psychology degree, specialising in child development, to further build on her knowledge base. 

Maryam has strong links in her local community, helping to support parents on a voluntary basis, tailoring parenting approaches to meet cultural differences. She is a strong believer in empowering parents with the knowledge to enhance their relationships by developing emotional intelligence skills.

Head of Research

Jahan Foster Zabit

Jahan is Head of Research at the Race Equality Foundation.

Jahan recently completed her PhD in Geography, Environment and Development Studies, a 4-year project which examined the migration strategies and settlement experiences of migrant Latin American families living in London, with a specific focus on the experiences of children and young people. Challenging the adult-centric focus of much research, and the conceptual separation of children into certain spheres of life, this research worked closely with a local community organisation, interviewing children and young people across London as well as professional stakeholders working to support migrant families.

Jahan’s research was situated within the wider context of austerity politics that has shaped social and economic policy for over ten years in the U.K. and the impact of these policies on migrant families and migrant children. Jahan’s broad research interests lie in geographies of children, gender studies and transnationalism, and she is committed to using participatory research methods to engage with children and young people. 

Prior to joining the Race Equality Foundation, Jahan worked at Healthwatch Greenwich as the team’s social research lead. Jahan led a diverse array of research projects exploring the social determinants of health and tackling health inequalities as experienced by Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities. Jahan was responsible for developing and leading the team’s co-production work , developing a peer research model which successfully engaged people and communities in research around contraceptive knowledge and awareness, barriers to maternity care access amongst migrant and asylum-seeking women, and the experiences of informal carers from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds.

Parenting Programme Officer

Chantel Antoine 

Chantel, is a Programme Officer at the Race Equality Foundation, working with parents of older children who are at risk of becoming involved in violence and crime. Her parenting programme aims to improve family relationships, boost parenting skills and competence, and support children to avoid risky behaviours.

Chantel has been dedicated to community work for 20 years, supporting families in various capacities, from facilitating stay-and-play sessions and parental coaching, to supporting parenting advocacy. Within her family support role, she acquired expertise in child development and child behaviour. 

Chantel has a degree in Psychosocial Studies, and a master’s degree in Clinical and Community Psychology. Both of which have advanced her understanding of systemic approaches to early interventions and therapeutic strategies for support. Chantel has also a trained Integrative Therapist, and offers one to one therapy, facilitates psychoeducational workshops to Black women, and offers support to those with various forms of mental health need, such as trauma, depression, and anxiety. 

Chantel originally encountered the Race Equality Foundation as a parent, having attended a Strengthening Families Strengthening Communities programme course. She was so impressed with its content and delivery that she trained to become a facilitator herself, primarily focusing on early years parenting, and then extending her capacity to support parents whose children are affected by gun and gang culture.  

In addition to Chantel’s role as a Programme Officer, she also coordinates and facilitates community groups and events for people who are directly and indirectly affected by serious youth violence and trauma, and those who are bereaved and working through grief and loss. 

Senior Researcher

Amanda Simon

Amanda is currently employed as a Senior Researcher within the policy team, working on anti-racism
projects involving a wide range of community based partners and individuals from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities. These projects are geared towards the recommendation and implementation of anti-racist strategies.

Prior to this role, Amanda has conducted a number of large scale research studies in education, health care and forced migration. Most of this research has been supported by major national funding bodies such as the NHS and the Esmée Fairburn foundation. Within her research Amanda has sought to highlight the lived experiences of minoritised communities and the negotiation of identities within these spaces. Amanda is passionate about creating platforms for the free expression of minoritised voices and aims to facilitate this through research.

In addition, Amanda is also an experienced Educator and has taught in Higher Education for over 10
years, delivering courses in education and social sciences.

Amanda’s publications include:

• Simon, A. and Behnjharachajarunandha, M. (2023) ‘Identity Negotiation amongst Pakistani Urban
  Refugees and Asylum Seekers Living in Bangkok’, Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, pp. 1–16.

• Simon, A. (2021) ‘We must name ourselves’: ERI construction within the supplementary schooling
  context. Pastoral Care in Education, 41(1), 105–124.

• Simon, A. (2018) Supplementary schools and ethnic minority communities: A social positioning
  perspective. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Relationships and Fundraising Officer

Anna Marx

Anna Marx is a Relationships and Fundraising Officer for the Race Equality Foundation. 

Previously, Anna managed Marketing and Communications for Rethink Capital Partners, a small impact investing firm in New York City. There, she supported the firm’s fundraising and investor relations efforts. Anna has also worked in communications and development at various charity-sector organisations in the US, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Open Society Foundations, College Access Research and Action, the Robin Hood Foundation, and others. 

Anna holds a Master of Science in Human Rights and Politics from the London School of Economics. Her dissertation focused on retributive carceral punishment, cycles of violence, and Transformative Justice. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Brown University, where she focused on race, slavery, and the carceral system. 

Peer Researcher

Srishti Pandey

Srishti is a young disabled researcher with a strong background in psychology. She deeply cares about disability rights and has been advocating for disability inclusion since a young age. So far, her work has revolved around community building, creating awareness, educating and training people about disability justice issues. Her advocacy work has been recognised by organisations like S4YE, World Bank Group, as a youth advisor and platforms like TEDx where she delivered a talk about navigating the numerous barriers as a disabled woman in India. She aspires to bridge the existing gaps to inclusion and work towards a world that is free of barriers and stigma.

Apart from that, she’s a writer, content creator and a clay artist who loves turning her favourite people and characters into tiny clay figurines!

Peer Researcher

Jonathan Bekantoy

Jonathan is a social justice researcher with an MSc in Development Studies from SOAS. His work focuses on empowering underrepresented communities and the injustice occurring within such groups. His project experience includes investigating workers’ rights in Global South garment factories, researching the treatment of religious groups in the UK, and supporting health initiatives in Africa. Rooted in his London upbringing, he actively engages in community projects that amplify the intersectional experiences of minoritized communities in the UK. In the future he intends to deepen his expertise in these areas through doctoral research focusing on Race, Ethnicity, and Post-Colonial Studies.

Policy Assistant

Halima Cooper-Stubbs

Halima Cooper-Stubbs is the Policy Assistant at the Race Equality Foundation. 

A recent graduate from Cambridge University, Halima studied Politics and Social Anthropology, focusing her dissertation on the impacts of cryptocurrency development on Antigua and Barbuda, through ethnographic research.

Halima has previously interned with Small Axe Campaigns, assisting on the development of national campaigns and has also worked with the Civil Society Engagement Mechanism and WACI Health to advocate for the concerns of global civil society organisations ahead of the UN-High Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage 2023. 

While at Cambridge, Halima ran a politics society, organising speaker events and debates, to discuss critical issues and current affairs with students, including the Iranian Women’s Right Movement, global health inequality and sexual violence against women, amongst others issues.

Community Engagement Officer

Lee Lockhart

Lee is passionate about uplifting and centering voices of marginalised groups in nature and climate conversations and solutions.

Previously, Lee worked on The RACE Report team at SOS-UK to increase equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the environmental charity sector. He has also worked on a placement with the NHS England’s Sustainable Estates team on social value policy guidance in the Net Zero team.

Lee has a postgraduate degree in Environment, Politics, and Development, in which he focused on the flood risks of communities with high rates of incarceration. He also holds an undergraduate degree in International Relations with a minor in Africana studies, focusing on environmental rights of afro-latino maroonage communities.

Outside of that, Lee is an amateur potter and loves to hike and be outdoors.

Programme Coordinator

Anya Lesforis

Anya is a Programme Coordinator at the Race Equality Foundation within the Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities (SFSC) team.

With a keen interest in intersectionality and inclusion practice, Anya is passionate about uplifting, centring and listening to the voices of those with lived experiences to drive real and transformative systemic change. Often leaning on her study of International Law at the University of Warwick, the concept of ‘justice’, underpins her desire to see a paradigm power shift in both the fundraising and programmes landscape.

Before starting at the Foundation, she was a Programme Officer for the social work charity Frontline where she worked to deliver the Pathways programme, a programme whose purpose was to educate different management levels of the Children Social Work Services in anti-racist practice. Here, she also delivered the Active Allyship training to staff and led and assisted on multiple projects. Anya also worked for the education charity Class 13 where she designed and maintained fundraising dashboards, identifying and evaluating potential funders.

Outside of work, Anya enjoys volunteering, previously having volunteered for Mind’s Youth Voice Network and for Coram Voice, reading, scoring and shortlisting entries for their writing competition.”

Communications and Public Affairs Manager

Lauren Golding

Lauren leads the Foundation’s communications and public affairs work, shaping narratives that advance racial equity through policy, practice, and public understanding. She brings over a decade of experience delivering strategic communications and stakeholder engagement for mission-led organisations, including the Scouts, Gatsby Charitable Foundation, Prostate Cancer UK and London & Partners.

A skilled storyteller and collaborator, Lauren has led national campaigns that have influenced education policy, strengthened community engagement, and supported digital transformation across the third sector. She is passionate about using communications to centre lived experience, build trust, and inspire action towards a fairer society.

Research Administrator

Mia Bhandari

Mia is a Research Administrator at the Race Equality Foundation.

With an MSc in Gender, Policy and Inequalities, Mia is passionate about intersectionality in policy and driving positive systemic transformation. Her dissertation explored the framing of clients and sex workers in sex work policy proposals in the UK, through an analysis of state and sex worker discourses. She also holds an undergraduate degree in Politics and Sociology, focused on issues of health and inequality. 

Previously, Mia interned at the charity StreetlightUK, where she provided administrative support to deliver programmes working to help women exit the sex industry in England. She assisted on scoping research projects and dedicated training programmes for male offenders.

Communications and Events Officer

Shreya Banerjee

Shreya Banerjee is the Communications and Events Officer at the Race Equality Foundation.

Shreya holds an MSc in Gender, Development and Globalisation from the LSE, where they specialised in global inequalities and feminist conceptions of justice. They also hold an undergraduate degree from the University of Oxford, specialising in post-colonial theory and feminist philosophy. They combine this theoretical foundation with professional experience in communications and events management to maximise the Foundation’s impact. 

Shreya is committed to intersectional practices, with a particular interest in queer understandings of racial and ethnic minority experiences. Outside of work, they are a multi-disciplinary creative, amateur birdwatcher and nature enthusiast.

Programme Officer

Sarah Layne

Sarah Layne is a Programme Officer at the Race Equality Foundation. Her work includes supporting parents, children and families experiencing relational and communication challenges, with a focus on strengthening parent–child relationships and improving family wellbeing.

Sarah has over 15 years of experience working with parents and communities in a range of roles, including parenting support, coaching and family-focused interventions. She also brings a background in women’s health and body-based practice, supporting clients with chronic pain and nervous system regulation. This combined experience informs her holistic understanding of stress, behaviour and family
dynamics.

Sarah’s contribution to the Foundation centres on improving outcomes for families through evidence-informed practice. She facilitates programmes that help parents build confidence, reduce stress at home and create more stable environments for their children, supporting the Foundation’s mission to promote
equity and strengthen family and community resilience.

Parent Programme Officer

Mina Syed

Mina is a Parent Programme Officer at the Race Equality Foundation, working on the SFSC: Safer Lives project, an evidence-informed parenting intervention funded by the Youth Endowment Fund and delivered as part of an ongoing evaluation study.

With over 15 years of experience across the NHS, voluntary, and education sectors, Mina’s background is rooted in specialist Learning Disability services and Community Mental Health Teams. Through various therapeutic roles, she specialised in supporting children, young people, and families facing complex mental health difficulties and safeguarding concerns, developing a strong commitment to preventative approaches.

Mina holds an MSc in Clinical Health Psychology and an MSc in Family Therapy, alongside advanced training in behaviour change and family systems. This academic foundation enables her to apply theory to practice, delivering structured, outcomes-focused programmes responsive to families’ diverse social and cultural contexts.

In her current role, Mina plays a key part in ensuring data fidelity for the project evaluation. She works closely with Peer Researchers to administer standardised measures and facilitate SFSC parenting groups in her cluster area. Mina is particularly interested in the role of culturally responsive, community-based interventions in reducing youth offending risks, and is dedicated to strengthening the evidence base for sustainable family change.

Parent Project Officer

Karen Fender

Karen Fender is a Parent Project Officer on the Safer Lives project at the Race Equality Foundation. She is a dedicated and compassionate parenting practitioner with over 15 years’ experience in child and family wellbeing, particularly in communities facing multiple and complex disadvantages. Karen has delivered evidence-based parenting programmes for several local authorities, including eight years in the Parent and Family Support Service in Tower Hamlets, and has coordinated and delivered parenting projects for charities such as Brilliant Parents and children’s mentoring charity Chance UK.

Before joining the Race Equality Foundation, Karen worked as an Engagement Lead for Kooth, a young people’s digital mental health service, where she focused on raising awareness of children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. She is especially passionate about early intervention, trauma-informed practice, and creating accessible, culturally sensitive support for parents who may feel marginalised or wary of services.

Outside of work, Karen volunteers at charity events promoting the mental health and well-being of people from Black and minoritised communities. She also enjoys teaching yoga and mindfulness to local community groups, reflecting her wider commitment to emotional wellbeing, resilience and safer, more equitable outcomes for children and families.

Peer Researcher

Lucas Da Costa

Lucas Da Costa is working on the Safer Lives project as a Peer Researcher. His job is to collaborate with the research team in order to develop and establish connections with today’s youth. He has extensive expertise working with young people. Previously, he has provided one-on-one mentoring in schools. Additionally, he worked as a youth worker at Stoke Newington Youth Club and is an ambassador for Rise.365, an organisation run by other young people. He has five years of boxing experience and as a level three personal trainer, loves the fitness industry.

Peer Researcher

Teyah Brathwaite

Teyah is currently employed as a Peer Researcher on the Safer Lives project.

Her role is to work alongside the research team to build and connect relationships with young people. She is a devoted young leader who has recently taken on the role of ambassador at Rise365, a youth directed organisation. With Rise365, Teyah has been encouraged to deliver campaigns on representation of young Black people and has spoken on national television about the importance of communities and the impact they have on young people. Driven by the impressions made throughout her voluntary work but also in her own personal relationships throughout her life, she is keen on continuing to make an impact in the lives of the young people she will be working with.  

Aside from that, Teyah is interested in travelling the world, adores animals and she has her own nail business as a nail technician.

Programme Coordinator

Sally-Ann Opoku-Donkor

Sally is a Programme Coordinator within the Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities (SFSC) team, specifically supporting the SFSC: Safer Lives research project.

Sally brings with her a background in Programme Support at a youth charity, The Diana Award, where she provided comprehensive administrative and operational support to the innovation team and the wider organisation’s programmes such as the young advisors and the anti-bullying programmes. She especially supported the full cycle of the mentoring programme, which delivered to young people at risk of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training). Prior to this, Sally worked as a Consultant in graduate recruitment, supporting clients and helping people launch their careers across a range of sectors.

Building on her Politics and International Studies degree from the University of Warwick, Sally is currently undertaking a Master’s degree at the LSE in International Social and Public Policy, with a focus on the intersection of education, social security, and policing policies for racialised communities in the UK as well as adopting a postcolonial lens when researching international global policies.

Outside of this, Sally is a Local Governor for a school in her London borough and is passionate about educational and social outcomes for young people from racialised communities like her own. She enjoys cooking, exercising, and attending concerts.

Project Administrator

Zahra Lemmie

Zahra is a Project Administrator at the Race Equality Foundation, supporting cross-organisational work across programmes, policy, and people and culture. She brings a strong interest in race equality, health equity, and inclusive policy design, with a particular focus on embedding intersectionality into practice rather than rhetoric.

Zahra holds a BA in Sociology and Social Policy, where her dissertation critically examined the gap between intersectionality in theory and its application in policy and practice. Her research explored how Black women are systematically unprotected and mistreated due to harmful media narratives, historical stereotypes, and structural racism, with a focus on healthcare and the criminal justice system. Drawing on key case studies, she analysed the over-policing of Black communities alongside the lack of protection afforded to Black women, and critiqued the limitations of siloed feminist and anti-racist movements that often fail to centre Black women’s experiences. Her work highlighted the consequences of policy frameworks that do not meaningfully address intersectionality or legislate against racism.

Zahra combines this academic foundation with professional experience in health equity and communications, having previously supported health equity programmes at NHS North West London and worked as a Communications Content Intern at The Law Society. She is particularly interested in directly influencing policy and combining creative direction with strategic delivery to broaden engagement and impact. Outside of work, she is a netball player, entrepreneur, and creative with interests in dance, drama, travel, and freedom of expression.

SFSC Facilitator

Chalice Richardson

Chalice has been an Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities (SFSC) facilitator for a number of years and has provided freelance facilitation for the Foundation on a number of projects, including working to support SFSC delivery in areas affected by gangs and knife crime and by radicalisation and extremism.

He was previously a Parent Programme Officer at the Race Equality Foundation leading on SFSC delivery across Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark as part of the RiSE consortium to provide preventative sexual health services to Black African and Caribbean communities.

Before that he worked extensively in community settings, providing services which directly support families with vulnerable children. 

Chalice’s practice is underpinned by a multi-disciplinary approach, which sees work in social care and youth services as well as the wider community.

SFSC Facilitator

Taquira Wilson

Taquira Wilson is an experienced freelance Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities (SFSC) facilitator working across both the SFSC parent programme and the SFSC children and Young People’s programme.

Taquira was most recently employed as a Programme Officer at the Race Equality Foundation, leading on SFSC delivery across Waltham Forest and on the delivery of the Young People’s Programme in a Youth Prison.

Prior to that, she worked for the largest YMCA in Europe, providing support to children and families, with a focus on supporting young people to thrive and communities to flourish. 

She has also worked closely with young people in supporting their transition from further to higher education, as well as working with ASD children and their wider families. She is a Women’s Aid ‘Ask Me’ Ambassador.