Leslee Udwin 🇬🇧
Leslee was voted by the NY Times the No 2 Most Impactful Woman of 2015 (second to Hillary Clinton), and has been awarded the prestigious Swedish Anna Lindh Human Rights Prize (previously won by Madeleine Albright). In 2019, she received the Activism in Arts and Education award from the UN Women for Peace Association, UN Association USA’s Global Citizen of 2019, and the Gandhi Foundation International Peace Award. She has also been named Safe’s Global Hero of 2015, and Global Thinker by Foreign Policy. A BAFTA and multi-award winning filmmaker and Human Rights Campaigner, Leslee’s documentary “India’s Daughter”, has been critically acclaimed around the globe, won 32 awards (including the Peabody Award and the Amnesty International Media Award for Best Documentary 2016) and sparked a global movement to end violence against women and girls. The searing insights yielded by the 2 and a half year journey making “India’s Daughter”, led Leslee to turn her back on filmmaking and devote herself to Think Equal.
Lina Benete 🇱🇹
Lina Benete has 20 years of experience in education strategy development, programme design and management, monitoring and evaluation, and knowledge management in UNESCO, the World Bank and the Global Partnership for Education. She has led teams to support education planning, financing and implementation in diverse country contexts in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. Lina has managed country programmes with projects on strengthening transversal competencies, teacher training and teaching and learning materials. She believes that the best way to strengthen education quality is to focus on human values and develop socio-emotional competencies from an early age to ensure sustainable development.
Lauren McGill 🇿🇦
Lauren has worked as a social worker in the statutory, health, private practice and NPO field. She has a Master’s in Social Development and has worked at the intersection of mental health, early childhood education and development for the last eight years. Her main passion is working with people and seeing them thrive.
Angélica Aguilar 🇨🇴
Angelica has worked in the field of Early Childhood Education for over eight years. She has experience implementing projects with governments, nonprofits, universities, and international organizations in countries like Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, and the US. She holds an undergraduate degree in Government and International Relations completed in Colombia and France, and an MPA from BYU. She has expertise in finding and implementing innovative solutions for education projects. Through her work she aims to expand access to literature, art, and cultural resources for children, since she believes they are key components for positive and life lasting socioemotional learning (SEL). She’s in charge of expanding the reach of Think Equal’s impact over Latin America and the US.
Diego Villamizar 🇨🇴
Diego has extensive experience designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating social programmes. He has worked mainly with government organizations and as a consultant in agencies such as UNICEF, The World Bank and UNDP in Colombia. Diego has experience in childhood development, family services, food security, displaced populations, and poverty alleviation. He holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in economics from Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia, and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the London School of Economics. Diego is convinced of the relevance of the early years’ development and the family as fundamental determinants of children’s future.
Parisa Mazaheri 🇮🇷🇺🇸
Parisa has over 25 years of experience practicing corporate, commercial and immigration law and leading strategic projects and global teams. She has a Master of Law from the University of Illinois in the US and a Bachelor of Law from the Azad University in Iran. Driven by her personal experiences of immigration, war, cultural and social suppression, and mental health challenges, Parisa is committed to helping the world to embrace diversity, inclusion, equality and well-being by adopting Think Equal.
Ruby Jewitt 🇬🇧
Ruby has recently completed her Masters in International Political Economy at the University of Sheffield, having completed her Undergraduate Degree in International History at The London School of Economics and Political Science. Throughout her studies, she has maintained a keen interest in global systems, from their formation to their current status, and her interest in education is catalysed by its ability to target the inequalities, conflict and social ills found so frequently in our history. She loves exploring the Peak District, on her doorstep in Sheffield.
Sasha Lawless 🇬🇧
Sasha is a recent graduate from the University of Birmingham, having studied a four-year undergraduate degree in Political Science and International Relations. Whilst studying abroad for a year as part of her degree in Bologna, Italy, she immersed herself in the discipline of Humanitarian Communication with in-depth studies of organisations such as Amnesty, Méditerranée and UNHCR. In her spare time, she loves reading books about American politics, as well as spending time with animals. As Programmes Coordinator at Think Equal, she is responsible for the UK rollout of the programmes, as well as supporting the Programmes Manager.
Natalia Tertusio 🇦🇷
Natalia has a degree in Psychology and a background in children’s books illustration, education, and technology. After participating in the making of +5 educational and literacy projects with the UNHCR, the Panamanian government and independent authors, she believes art and education are the sunflowers of the present. She is the guardian of Think Equal’s original narrative picture books and coordinates the digital media of the charity.
Manavi Bahl 🇮🇳
Manavi is a graduate in Sociology from Delhi University and post graduate in Gender Studies from Pune University and has a keen interest in working with children to be able to provide them with tools for an empowered life. In the past, she has conducted workshops in India on various issues such as Child Sexual Abuse, Gender and Sexuality, Menstruation and Menstrual Hygiene, Self- Esteem – to name a few. At Think Equal, she is responsible for the partnerships and projects being carried out in India. Apart from English, Manavi is fluent in Hindi and Punjabi and is an ardent animal lover.
Hannah Drury 🇬🇧
Hannah has been involved in various NGOs and charitable initiatives for over nine years, spending time in different parts of the UK and India working with children and young people to support and advocate for social, emotional and physical well-being.
Hannah has a BA in Theology, experience working in Project Management in the charity sector, and is a trained Mentor. She is passionate about enabling others to thrive, feel empowered, and be given the best opportunity to live rich and fulfilled lives. She loves being outdoors, walking in the sunshine, and connecting with friends and family.
Hannah coordinates the rollout of the Think Equal programme in the UK.
Tinotenda Chigeza 🇿🇦
With a passion for managing and implementing projects that create a meaningful impact, Tinotenda possesses a diverse skill set and experience in project management. Having completed her Master of Management Degree in Development and Economics at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, she has successfully coordinated and executed a diverse range of projects spanning from non-profit organisations, corporate social responsibility, and in international organisations such as UNHCR. This and many other valuable experiences have equipped her with a solid foundation in project planning, implementation, and monitoring while honing her ability to forge strategic partnerships and drive the delivery of impactful programs. As Africa Programme Coordinator at Think Equal, her key priority is to facilitate efficient project management and build collaborative partnerships that contribute to achieving project goals across the African continent.
Joanna Ainsworth 🇬🇧
Joanna is a qualified Early Years Montessori Teacher and passionate advocate for creating responsive, joyful learning environments and pedagogical cultures accessible to all children, enabling them to thrive, learn, and practice care of self, community, and planet. Joanna holds a Master of Arts in Education with specialisms in ‘Critical International Perspectives on Special and Inclusive Education’ and ‘SEN Learning, Teaching and Assessment’. She has extensive international experience in early years teaching and has a track record of designing, implementing, and disseminating innovative mixed-methods research celebrating children’s voices across a broad range of Early Childhood Education (ECEDU) stakeholders.
Joanna has a deep passion for the arts and holds a BA (Hons) in Fine Arts. She has London and international art gallery management and exhibition curatorship experience and continues to practice sculpture and photography.
Joanna loves wild places, running, and animals and is a proud mother to three boys.
Lucy Hammond 🇬🇧
Lucy holds a bachelor’s degree in International Development from the University of Leeds and a postgraduate certificate in Education from the University of Lancaster. She has over fifteen years of experience in primary education and has taught in schools in the UK, Nigeria and Uganda. As part of middle management for ten years, Lucy has experience leading and training in her specialism ‘Humanities’. During her years in the classroom, Lucy was passionate about the key role she played in not only a child’s academic education but in developing their social and emotional skills. She strongly believes that teachers are role models and must encourage this critical part of a child’s early education through the work and activities they organise, helping them to become rounded individuals and responsible future citizens.
In her spare time, Lucy enjoys spending time with her young family, walking, running or cycling in the Yorkshire Dales, where they live.
Maria Galiano 🇵🇾
María is from Paraguay and has lived in the UK since late 2021. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Institutional Communication and a Master’s in Educational Innovation. Maria has worked as a teacher for about 13 years, mainly in Primary Schools, and coordinated a charity programme to support children from deprived communities in literacy and math. She has also volunteered for different charity organizations since 2005. Besides being very passionate about education, in her free time, she likes taking walks, being with her cat and dog, and hanging out with her friends.
Vanessa Cathline 🇬🇧
Vanessa has over five years of experience in primary education and is a qualified teacher. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Sunderland, as well as a postgraduate degree in Education with QTS from Middlesex University.
Vanessa’s unwavering commitment to equality and education is evident in all aspects of her work. During her time in schools, she made it her mission to foster safe and nurturing learning environments for children to flourish. She firmly believes that the early years are critical in shaping a child’s social and emotional development.
In her spare time, Vanessa enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends, exploring museums and visiting theatres.
Uhunnoma Osadolor 🇳🇬
Uhunnoma has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. She also took psychology and sociology courses to give her more insights into human behaviour, societies, and cultures.
She’s creative and has been working in digital media for over six years.
She’s a visionary and strives to make the world a better place for all through creative content in graphic design, writing and animations.
María Paula Ariza 🇦🇷
Paula is a graphic designer with a degree from Universidad Nacional de Cuyo in Argentina and a master’s in Graphic Design from the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, with a thesis in editorial work.
Always leaning her work towards non-profit organizations, Paula has worked pro bono in her childhood sports club as a designer and has also participated in an organization that rescues animals from the streets.
Rena Beckle 🇺🇸
Rena is a Lancaster University BSc Biology and University College London MSc Genetics of Human Diseases postgraduate. She’s worked as a laboratory technician during the COVID-19 pandemic as she hoped to put her scientific background to work for a good cause. Since then, Rena has enjoyed working in STEM, using her free time to help others, and extending her knowledge of clinical and non-clinical topics. She previously volunteered with the NHS and has been a long-term donor to the RSPCA due to her love of animals, especially dogs and cats.
Mosharraf Hussain 🇧🇩
Mosharraf Hussain is an animator and illustration artist from Bangladesh. He graduated from Dhaka University with a degree in fine arts, and also studied filmmaking. He learned skills as a storyboard artist and art director and worked with many local and international projects in Bangladesh (including for BBC). Mosharraf has created comics, animated TV serials and commercials over the last 12 years.
Eliska Kubatova 🇨🇿
I started studying film in the Czech Republic, where I studied Multimedia at the College of Arts and Management in Brno. I continued my studies in London at Middlesex University, graduating with a BA in Television production. I have always been interested in documentary filmmaking as I love the idea of creating programmes which are not only entertaining but also have educational value. I also love video editing because I like to see projects coming together. I love to find the story in the footage. I truly believe that with factual pieces, it is the editor who puts the story together. Sometimes in the editing process, you find such a strong piece of information that completely changes the narrative, and you end up with a completely different story than you thought you had at the beginning. I find that fascinating, and it motivates me to be creative and look at things from different perspectives.
Emma Estelle Welsh 🇦🇺
Emma has a Bachelor of Agricultural Science from Melbourne University and an MBA from INSEAD France. She is a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Emma spent quite some time in the corporate world with Cargill, Mars, LEK Consulting and in banking with the National Australia Bank. In 2003 she left the corporate world and started the healthy drinks and snacks company Emma and Tom Foods- a registered B Corporation of which she is the CEO and Managing director. She is also a non-executive director of the Australian Food and Grocery Council, a not-for-profit representing the food industry. With Yale and Federation Universities, Emma managed a Think Equal Randomised Control Trial (RCT) research project in Australia in 2019. The impact of the Think Equal Programme was assessed on the behaviours and attitudes of the children in the trial compared to those in a control group over 30 weeks across approximately 40 kindergarten services in Melbourne and Brisbane. The RCT found a strong positive impact.
Manjushree Patil 🇮🇳
Ms Manjushree Patil is the Founder and Director of Aatman Academy, a customized learning and specialized instruction school for students with Learning Disabilities (LD) and Differences, and the Country Director of Think Equal India. A two-time TEDx Speaker, a TEDx performer and a recipient of the ADA Anniversary Fellowship on Inclusive Education in 2017 by the US State Department of Education at the University of Minnesota, Ms Patil has also been selected for the Fulbright Distinguished Awards International Fellowship (2021-22), awarded by the USIEF and the US Dept. of States Teachers Exchange Branch, at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. With over three decades of experience in the field as a teacher and a teacher educator, Manjushree has been an Advisor, Consultant and Chief Trainer for a year-long state-wide programme on Inclusive Education with the Gov. of Maharashtra, impacting more than 500,000 teachers from 36 districts of Maharashtra. Manjushree has been an Indian classical vocalist from a very young age and is now a music composer.
