Our trustees

Chair of Trustees

Karin Woodley CBE

Karin is Chief Executive of Cambridge House, a London-based charity tackling poverty, social inequity and injustice. 

Karin has over 35 years’ leadership experience in social action charities, specialising in the development of social policy and the delivery of empowerment services.

Karin is currently a non-executive director and audit and risk committee member of the Ministry of Justice’s Office of the Public Guardian and a core member of the Better Way Network.

She was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s 2021 Birthday Honours for services to social justice, and the Lifetime Achiever Award at the 2016 Excellence in Diversity Awards, 

Previously, Karin held roles as the Chief Executive of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust (now Blueprint for all), the Tabernacle Centre for Arts and Learning, and the Minorities Arts Advisory Service. 

Past non-executive roles include parliamentary appointments to the Economic and Social Research Council and the Legal Services Board Consumer Panel. 

She was the UK representative on the Global Social Economy Forum, a member of the Wellcome Trust’s Understanding Patient Data Advisory Committee, the founding Chair of Kensington and Chelsea’s Race Equality Partnership and Chair of an MPS Independent Advisory Panel on Race.

Trustee

Amanda Pinto KC

Amanda is a barrister at www.3rblaw.com chambers. An expert in international financial wrongdoing, Amanda practices in some of the most high-profile cases in the field, including corporate crime, fraud, money laundering and corruption cases with an international dimension.

She was Chair of the Bar of England and Wales in 2020 and Chair of the International Committee of the Bar Council from 2015 to 2018. In 2021, she was appointed to the P.R.I.M.E. Finance expert panel as a global expert in complex financial products.

She has been a part-time Judge in the Crown Court for many years and a Bencher on the governing body of Middle Temple. She is a trustee of Paintings in Hospitals, the UK’s leading national arts in health charity, a Patron of the Next 100 Years organisation celebrating the successes of women in law, and an Honorary Member of the Slynn Foundation, promoting the rule of law internationally and working with many different judiciaries around the globe to improve the delivery of justice.

Trustee

Dr Jagbir Jhutti-Johal

Jagbir is a Reader in Sikh Studies in the School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion at the University of Birmingham. Her research focuses on contemporary societal issues in the Sikh community in Britain, such as representation, racialisation, mistaken identity, gender and health inequalities.

Jagbir began her funded research career on several Ministry of Justice projects at the University of Oxford, looking at the Children Act 1989 proceedings with a particular focus on race and ethnicity in the family justice system. 

She retains an interest in law, justice and equality issues in family jurisdiction having worked on guidance for judges on the anonymisation of children judgements.

Jagbir was a member of the Government’s Sikh Roundtable on coronavirus (COVID-19). 

She is a lay member of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Women’s Network, which allows her to address issues of discrimination and racial inequalities with policy makers. 

She is an advocate for change so that more inclusive learning opportunities are created to allow everyone to thrive and flourish because they are treated equally and with respect.

Trustee

Reena Anand

Reena is a lawyer and former ombudsman specialising in consumer vulnerability and the Equality Act. She founded her consultancy after her son was diagnosed with autism and she realised how little representation and bespoke support there was for Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) parents in similar situations.

Her work focuses on recognising cultural biases and misconceptions which can impact BAME autistic children getting a diagnosis and accessing support.

Reena spends her time writing about her parenting experience and lending her voice to discussions about the impact of health and social policy on BAME communities. She delivers talks to organisations seeking to support their employees with autistic children and workshops for parents and communities who want to support their members more inclusively.

Reena is also a Trustee at Aubilities, a social enterprise helping organisations use autistic neurodivergence to increase value, and Chair of the governing body at her local primary school.

Trustee

Dr Melvina Woode Owusu

Melvina has an academic background in medical anthropology, gaining a First Class degree from Durham University in 2006 and a PhD in Translational epidemiology from the University of Manchester in 2011. 

She is passionate about reducing health and social inequalities and creating more equitable opportunities for groups often left behind. 

Over the past 15 years, her experience has spanned national surveillance, health promotion and research management in international (WHO, ECDC, UNAIDS), national (PHE, HQIP, NHS England) and local (CNWL Trust) projects and organisations.

Melvina is a Senior Research Fellow at UCL’s Centre for Population Research in Sexual Health and HIV, where she is the Programme Manager and Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) lead on SEQUENCE Digital. She is pioneering a cross-study initiative to embed coproduction, and broaden and improve community experiences of research. 

In 2016, Melvina founded Purple Pen, through which she provides independent research and evaluation management services and equality, diversity and inclusion reviews to organisations seeking to embed inclusive working practices and increase community reach and impact.

Melvina has been part of the Race Equality Foundation since February 2020, has three children and enjoys yoga and interior design.

Trustee

Tricia Lawson FCIPD

Tricia has had a successful and extensive 35-year career in HR in financial services and is currently EMEA Region Head of HR with Wells Fargo.

Having juggled parenting and caring responsibilities with work priorities in a male-dominated environment, she advocates for policies and practices that increase inclusion and address bias and privilege. Through this, she seeks to break down barriers to enable women and other under-represented groups to achieve their potential and to progress to the most senior levels in organisations.

Tricia has a Modern Languages degree from Oxford University and has a Post Graduate diploma in HR from London Westminster University. She is a Fellow of Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development.Tricia is a Trustee of the Parallel Learning Trust, a multi-academy trust that provides special and alternative education to children excluded from mainstream schools. Tricia serves on a number of executive committees with Wells Fargo.

Trustee

Samia Benbrih

Samia Benbrih is currently the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) Manager at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) and has been since 2022. Samia led on the development of LSTM’s Race Equity Action Plan – a first in its 125-year history – and continues to drive the school’s understanding of its origins in the colonial era through her responsibility for the overarching ED&I portfolio. 
 
Samia’s previous roles include Commercial and Consultancy Programme Manager at the Anthony Walker Foundation, where she launched its Anti-Racism commercial service for public and private sector businesses, and Network Manager for Merseyside at The Girls’ Network, a charity which seeks to empower young women and girls through mentoring. 

Samia is also a Senior Fellow, specialising in anti-racism and organisational development, at Foundations. Foundations is a national ‘What Works Centre for Children & Families’ and provides answers and practical solutions to empower decision makers to improve policy and practice on family support for vulnerable children and families in care. 

Beyond work, Samia graduated from the University of Liverpool in French and was the Chair of the Liverpool City Combined Regional Authority’s (LCRCA) first Race Equality Panel. Samia is an active member of National Museum Liverpool’s RESPECT Group, which provides anti-racist and decolonial practice on legacies of slavery and colonialism to the museum group. Samia was also a longstanding and active member of the International Slavery Museum’s Community Champions group – a community group made up of Liverpool’s oldest Black community affected by legacies of slavery. The group works in co-production with the museum on the waterfront development project. This includes the redevelopment of the exhibition, public engagement programme and architectural redesign. 

Trustee

Vijay Patel

Vijay is a registered social worker ( 1991) and has a breadth of practice and policy experience having worked with children, young people, their families and adults in a range of operational and strategic services. He initially worked in Scotland in local authorities and then latterly supporting families affected by HIV/ AIDS. He worked for a while as the Black issues consultant for BAAF Scotland before working for Scottish government as part of the team that developed the GIRFEC.

More recently he has worked in England with the NSPCC as their policy advisor on child protection, as an academic at Warwick, Head of safeguarding for an NHS trust and as strategic manager safeguarding boards

He has worked in England and Scotland and has a long standing interest in race equality having successfully lobbied with SBWF to ensure a race equality amendment to the Children Scotland Act, undertaken various bits of research on BME children with disabilities as well as developed and chaired a range of black networks. He currently is Head of Safeguarding at Social Care Institute for Excellence.

He has been involved in learning and development for a number of years.

Out with work his passion is playing hockey, annoying his grown up children and hillwalking.

Trustee

Dunston Patterson

Dunstan is a retired teacher and Criminologist.

He has worked in Further Education colleges as a course leader in Numeracy and Personal Development, supporting 16-18 year olds who had struggled in school education.

Since 2008, he has worked with the Youth Justice board, at the Ministry of Justice, as the policy lead for Education and Parenting & Family support, advising on policy & legislation and advocating for the reduction of racial disparity in the Youth Justice system, particularly for Black and Gypsy/Roma/Traveller boys.

He has also advocated for reduced racial disparity in education exclusions and for improved support for children with SEND, to decrease the numbers disproportionately being drawn into the Youth Justice system.

He has delivered seminars and forums across the youth justice landscape to increase recognition of the importance of parenting and family work provided by Youth Justice services.

Dunstan achieved an MSc in Criminology in 2010 with London Metropolitan University. He is a survivor of Prostate Cancer and work closely with Prostate Cancer UK to raise awareness among Black communities of the increased likelihood of prostate cancer in black men, reduce racial inequity and improve the support they receive from the NHS.

He is also a trustee with Josephine Wolf trust who provide individual support for children in the Youth Justice system.

Dunstan has two adult sons, and enjoys mountain biking, swimming, amateur photography and beach holidays.