Who we are
We each bring different forms of expertise, but share the same conviction: that lasting change starts with people who care, connect, and act. Our work depends on curiosity, trust, and collaboration, and we’re proud to learn alongside the leaders and places we serve.
If you’re interested in joining us, head here to explore our open roles.
Our executive team
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Ed Vainker
Managing Director
I believe in the power of education as a tool for social justice—that schools can catalyse positive change in communities, and that great leaders and teachers can transform young people’s lives. That belief sits at the heart of everything we do at The Reach Foundation.
I lead the Foundation’s work nationally, building partnerships, supporting leaders, and helping schools and communities work together to create coherent, consistent systems of support for children.
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James Townsend
Executive Director
Since starting my career as a teacher in East London, I’ve believed that for all children to thrive, we need to focus on the factors beyond the classroom that enable it. That belief continues to motivate me every day. Seeing our partners build connections and relationships that create better opportunities for children is hugely inspiring, and I learn constantly from their work.
I support groups of school leaders and local partners to reshape their local systems around the realities of children’s and families’ lives—helping them build trust, align their efforts, and create coherent systems of support that last.
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Mei Lim
Executive Director
I lead the Foundation's place-based initiatives in Feltham, which includes the direct delivery of interventions for babies, children, young people and their families.
I also oversee our collective impact initiative 'The Feltham Convening Partnership', which brings together over 100 cross-sector stakeholders to improve long-term outcomes through systems change.
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Shelley Gonsalves
Executive Director
I believe deeply in the power of education to transform lives. I often think about the students and families I worked with early in my career, and the opportunities they’ve since created for themselves. Remembering their stories keeps me grounded and connected to why this work matters. I’m also continually inspired by the potential I see in others—the leaders, colleagues, and partners I get to work alongside every day. Being part of a community of people who care so deeply about children and their futures is both humbling and energising. It keeps me learning and hopeful.
I lead our programmes that support and connect school and system leaders—from our 'x100' regional leadership programmes for aspiring headteachers to LeadingTrusts, our programme for future trust CEOs. I also oversee coaching and personal development across our leadership work. Day-to-day, I focus on how we grow as an organisation and deepen our impact—building the capacity, confidence, and culture needed to make long-term change possible—while staying true to our values.
Our local team
Our work began—and remains rooted—in Feltham, West London. Our local team leads the day-to-day work with families, schools, and community partners there, developing practical models of cradle-to-career support that inform everything we do nationally. Their insight keeps our work grounded in the lived realities of children and families.
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Clare McKenzie
Director
I coordinate the Foundation’s work in and around Feltham—directing our Communities Team and Social Prescriber initiatives while overseeing our Family Hub programmes and support for the Feltham Convening Partnership.
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Helen Francis
Early Years Associate Lecturer
I work within the Early Years team developing our Early Years Workforce pipeline. My main roles include teaching on the Early Years Foundation Degree and leading the Level Diploma for the Early Years educator.
Helen is currently on maternity leave.
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Jade Barham
Early Years Workforce Lead Tutor
I support our Level 1 EYWD learners to discover the importance and magic that early childhood education holds. The most exciting part of my role is working closely with learners to develop their knowledge of early childhood development while emphasising the importance of play. I enjoy watching people grow in confidence as they begin to understand the difference they make to children’s lives.
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Jennie Tweedy
Communities Lead
My main role is fostering community cohesion and enabling families to feel a sense of belonging within Feltham.
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Jess Rennie
Communities Officer
I work within the Foundation’s communities team supporting a variety of projects. My main piece of work is working alongside the young people within Feltham, promoting leadership skills and working on campaigns important to them.
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Michelle Coyte
Community Engagement Officer
I live in Hounslow with my husband and four children who all attended Reach Academy Feltham. I really enjoy working with children and families and building great relationships throughout our community.
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Nkeiruka Samuel
Feltham Convening Partnership Associate
I work with members of our community to strengthen and establish new relationships with individuals and to signpost people to the relevant working groups within the FCP.
Our national team
Our national team works across England and Wales, supporting leaders, partnerships, and programmes that strengthen the systems surrounding children. We connect ideas, nurture leadership, and help build alignment across regions—translating what we learn locally into insights that can shape practice and policy nationally.
Our Regional Directors
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Claudia D'Agostino
Regional Director (Midlands)
I believe every child deserves to live a life of choice and opportunity but, right now, that’s not the reality for many.
That belief sits at the heart of everything I do. I’m driven by the idea that we can eradicate educational disadvantage through collaboration, strong partnerships, and a deep understanding of local context.
I’m particularly passionate about teacher education and love working with school and system leaders to improve the educational experience for the children we serve.
I live in Birmingham and lead our work across the West Midlands and Wales. Day-to-day, I work alongside brilliant leaders from across the sector and help design training that supports them in creating a more joined-up, coherent educational experience for children. It’s a privilege to see how local ambition, when connected to national learning, can shift what’s possible for children and communities.
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Jon Hutchinson
Regional Director (East of England)
I trained as a primary school teacher because I find conversations with Year 4s far more interesting than conversations with adults. Their untempered curiosity, awe, enthusiasm, and ambition for learning are the greatest privilege to nurture.
But not every child gets to realise that potential, and outcomes still too often mirror family income. Working with committed leaders and teachers has convinced me that we can build local systems, with highly effective schools at their core, to give every child a life of choice and opportunity.
As Regional Director for the East of England, I coordinate partnerships across the region—supporting local clusters of schools who are designing more coherent systems for children and families, and leading East100, our programme for aspiring headteachers.
I’m particularly drawn to evidence-based practice in curriculum design, instructional approaches, and professional development, and lead much of our work on educational coherence.
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Leonie Ratty
Regional Director (North West)
What motivates me is the blunt unfairness that a child’s life chances can still be predicted by the postcode they’re born into. I believe we have a collective responsibility to change that—to build a system where every child, regardless of background, can grow up happy, healthy, and full of possibility.
That belief has guided my career, from leading national teams to deliver high-impact professional development for teachers and leaders, to designing new training routes for criminal justice professionals aimed at reducing reoffending through effective, rehabilitative practice. Across every setting, I’ve seen how purposeful leadership and strong learning cultures can change lives.
As Regional Director for the North West, I work with education leaders who are deeply rooted in their communities and committed to unleashing the potential of every child they serve. I lead work with individual leaders and groups of schools to build insight, action, and a strong network of like-minded peers—leaders who believe that change begins locally but can ripple nationally.
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Mohamed Abdallah
Regional Director (South West)
I’ve always believed that every child and family should have an equitable experience of education, one that offers genuine opportunity, belonging, and hope.
That conviction comes partly from my own experience of school and growing up in an underserved community, and it’s been reinforced time and again through my work in inclusion and safeguarding. I’ve seen first-hand the difference that strong relationships and purposeful partnerships can make to children’s lives and to whole communities.
Working in the South West has only deepened that belief: when we’re ambitious and bold enough, real change is possible.
As Regional Director for the South West, I oversee our Cradle-to-Career work in the region and the West100 programme, supporting leaders from Land’s End to Swindon. My focus is on keeping leaders connected, building networks that foster collaboration, and introducing ideas that act as catalysts for innovation.
Right now, I’m leading our regional programmes—including our place-based work in Exeter and our ‘Culture That Connects’ series—while exploring how we can develop approaches that are deeply rooted in place and responsive to the realities of our communities.
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Verity Howorth
Regional Director (Yorkshire & the North East)
I’m passionate about this work because I’ve seen the impact of great schools, and I want children in the North of England to get as good a deal as children everywhere else.
For me, this is about fairness, but also about recognising the inherent excellence and potential in every child. What are we losing by not investing in these future Einsteins?
I also love working with people in schools: they need to live their own lives of choice and opportunity in order to model this to the communities they serve. When we create opportunity for staff to feel nourished and energised, I know we’re making an important contribution to the sector.
Right now, I’m focused on how we can maximise the exceptional work of our partners across Yorkshire and the North East—inspiring aspiring headteachers in Hull, rethinking relationships in Rotherham, and powering up pastoral staff in Pontefract. I’m keen to deepen existing connections and build new ones so we can amplify what’s working.
Our central team
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Anna Bosher
Data & Impact Lead
What drives my work is the unwavering belief that every young person possesses inherent value and worth, regardless of how well they fit into a narrow, societal definition of success. So many young people are implicitly and explicitly told they don't belong, and I am motivated to dismantle those barriers and improve access to opportunities for all. Across my career I've seen firsthand how strong, supportive connections—between children, families and community partners—are the most powerful catalyst for creating lasting, positive change in a young person's life.In my role as Data & Impact Lead, I focus on ensuring that our programmes achieve the greatest possible outcomes for babies, children, and young people. This involves evaluating our work and using those insights to continually refine and improve our approach. Additionally, I have the privilege of co-leading our youth engagement programmes. This work is focused on empowering young people in Feltham to become the leaders of the future, supporting them as they develop their skills and champion issues important to them. To further strengthen this practice, I am currently studying for my Level 3 Diploma in Youth Work Practice.
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Beck Crowhurst
Director of Education | Centre for the Children’s Workforce
Having spent years in schools tackling disadvantage child by child, I’m now motivated by the chance to confront those challenges at a more systemic level—exploring how we can redesign or reimagine the structures that shape children’s lives.
That shift in perspective, from individual to collective, keeps me energised and hopeful about what’s possible.
As Director of Education, I’m responsible for ensuring that our programmes, beginning with the Foundation Degree (FdA), are fit for purpose and grounded in the needs of the children’s workforce.
My focus is on equipping practitioners to work in more integrated and coherent ways, so they can make the biggest possible difference for children, particularly those facing disadvantage.
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Emma Stabler
Finance Officer
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Eve Cox
Programme & Operations Officer
I’ve always worked within education and care deeply about the inequity faced by so many children and families. Knowing that the work I’m doing contributes to creating opportunities for babies, children and young people to thrive, motivates me daily.
In my role at The Reach Foundation, I support the national team with everything behind the scenes that helps our programmes run smoothly. From coordinating logistics to ensuring the right systems are in place, my focus is on creating the conditions for others to do their best work so that, together, we can make a lasting difference for children and communities.
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Michael Slavinsky
Managing Director | Languages For All
I run Languages For All—promoting language learning at A-level and beyond. Languages For All brings together schools, universities and employers to offer amazing A-level language learning experiences.
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Ned Younger
Managing Director | Centre for the Children’s Workforce
I’ve spent my career helping people and organisations build the capacity for social change. What keeps me motivated is the belief that progress depends not only on ideas, but on the infrastructure and relationships that make those ideas possible.
I’m passionate about creating spaces where people can learn, lead, and act together—and where purpose-driven work is supported by the systems it needs to thrive.
As Managing Director of the Centre for the Children’s Workforce, I work with partners across education, social care, and youth work to reimagine how we prepare, support, and dignify those who work with and for children. My focus is on building something both practical and ambitious: a respected, community-rooted institution that grows the skills, confidence, and recognition of the people who make the biggest difference in children’s lives.
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Rachael Jones
Director of Operations
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Sam Fitzpatrick
Director of Communications
I’m driven by the belief that how we frame complex issues shapes how we think about them, and in turn, what solutions we believe are possible. The words, images, and experiences we choose can either narrow understanding or open up new possibilities for action.
My background in education, design and innovation has taught me that communications isn’t just about telling stories—it’s about designing meaning, and helping people see their work and their world differently.
I’m fascinated by how ideas travel, how systems learn, and how shared language can make collective progress possible.
As Director of Communications, I lead our work to shape how The Reach Foundation communicates. My focus is on clarity and coherence: connecting people and ideas, crafting narratives that invite understanding and belonging, and designing experiences that help leaders and communities act together for babies, children and young people.
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Simon Burgess
Director of Transformation
I believe no person’s life outcomes, choices, or opportunities should be decided from the moment they're born. That's just not right, and doesn't do justice to the immense potential of all human beings.
I’ve been privileged to work across various children's charities, teaching, social work, and prisons, and I've seen that it's always the long-term, systemic approaches—those that truly understand the problem and iterate solutions over time—that make the biggest difference.
That’s where I feel buoyed by what we, at Reach, support others to do.
I care deeply about creating the conditions for others to flourish, and that’s where my approach as Director of Transformation comes from—supporting our incredible team across the Foundation to have even greater impact, with more ease.
My goal is simple: to enable people to do their best work in service of children and communities.
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Victoria Hirst
Director of Communities
I support schools to better understand their community contexts and develop joined-up, local strategies to support pupils and their families.
I live in Bristol and facilitate the West100 programme.
Our trustees
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Jon McGoh
Chair
I am the Chair of the Reach Foundation and also a co-founder and trustee of Reach Schools (our multi-academy trust).
Outside of Reach, I founded and run Reach Cambridge Ltd., an organisation that specialises in running residential study courses. I’m also a Director of Reach Mercurial Pictures Ltd.
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Jennifer Baxter
Trustee
I have been a trustee of the Foundation since July 2018. I’m also a trustee of Reach Schools.
I am currently the Chief Operation Officer of the Chartered College of Teaching. Prior to joining the Chartered College, I was the Head of Modern Foreign Languages at a secondary school in west London and supported the set-up of our first school, Reach Academy Feltham, as project manager.
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Neil Jennings
Trustee
I work at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College London. In my role as Partnership Development Manager, I develop strategic partnerships with organisations outside of the university such as policy-makers, businesses and non-governmental organisations.
As well as being a Reach Foundation Trustee since its inception, I served as a committee member for St Mary’s Richmond Athletics Club for eight years.
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Tamsyn Roberts
Trustee
I am the Head of Children’s Social Care Innovation and Learning at the Department of Education, where I work with local authorities, charities and social enterprises to develop, test and build the evidence for new approaches to supporting vulnerable children and their families.
Prior to this, I headed up the Centre for Social Impact Bonds in the Cabinet Office, leading work across the government to develop new ways of funding charities and social enterprises to deliver public services. I have led work across the UK government to build the social investment market in the UK and worked for an international NGO managing programmes supporting refugees in post-conflict zones.
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Jude Tacon
Trustee
I have been a trustee of the Foundation since July 2018. I am also the Chair of Reach Schools.
Professionally, I am an equity partner at Deloitte LLP, working with large multi-national listed businesses in the real estate, business services and media sectors.
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Matt Treblico
Trustee
I am a Senior Manager at the global consulting firm Bain & Company. I have worked in a variety of industries—from mining to insurance—with a focus on performance improvement and organisational change.
Today, I lead the Global Workforce Planning function and the London Office Business & People Analytics team—ensuring the organisation has the right numbers of people, with the right capabilities, in the right place at the right time; providing data and insight to drive improvements in commercial performance and talent management.
I have been heavily involved in Bain’s pro-bono work in education for several years; running pro-bono projects with LEYF (London Early Years Foundation) and the Sutton Trust, and leading an initiative to link Bain people with governor roles in schools.
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Ann Mroz
Trustee
I was the editor of Tes (Times Educational Supplement) for more than seven years. Before that, I ran Tes Resources—the teaching resources sharing platform—and was editor of Times Higher Education.
I also serve on the advisory groups of the Sutton Trust, the Education Endowment Foundation, the Education Policy Institute, and Princeton University Press.
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Thomas Papavranoussis
Trustee
I have been a trustee of the Foundation since July 2024, with a focus on Finance and Operations.
I am currently Head of a Risk function at a growing UK digital bank, responsible for enterprise and financial risks. Prior to that I worked at a global investment bank and in a variety of financial regulation roles at central banks.