Meet the team

Wendy has worked in the international charitable sector for over 30 years, most recently as Director of an NGO working with disabled children in Russia. She is a Vice Chair of a grant making trust which supports educational projects and livelihoods across the world.

Hannah manages our UK and international programmes. Before joining Partnership for Children in 2017, she worked in quality improvement of Mental Health Services and has experience as an Assistant Psychologist whilst studying for her degree. Hannah is also a School Governor where she is responsible for special educational needs.

Liz leads on some of our key UK projects and supports our work with UK schools and international partners. She also manages PfC’s social media channels. Liz has 9 years of experience of secondary school teaching and health coaching.

Helen manages the design and print of all our printed materials, from teachers' booklets to fund raising leaflets, and also designs and maintains this website and our Online Teaching Platform. Helen has many years of experience in graphic design and worked in magazine publishing for over 15 years.

Jayne is a qualified primary school teacher and early years specialist. She works as an independent educational consultant, supporting early years settings and schools in improving teaching and learning. She has managed a range of action research projects, which have explored the most effective conditions in narrowing the gap between children within a disadvantaged group and their peers. Jayne’s role at PfC is to manage our research and evaluation projects in schools

Since 2001 Jeppe has been the director of Livslinien – the Danish national suicide prevention helpline. He was part of the team that set up the Livslinien in 1995. Jeppe is a qualified teacher working as a primary school teacher for a number of years. His main interests and expertise are in child development in an educational setting, training, coaching and organisational management and development. Jeppe was a founder Board member of PfC from 2001 – 2009 and re-joined the Board in 2022.

Davide is a senior lecturer and researcher at the department of education and learning at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Locarno. His research and academic interests focus on socio-emotional learning, teacher education, personal development, and life skills.

Verity is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Chief Financial Officer of Pai Skincare. Verity brings a wealth of experience working with teams across the globe to bring to life the vision of a business. She believes that the more support and education we can give children in their early and formative years, the better equipped they are for the challenges of ‘real life’. In her spare time she likes to swim, enjoy some sunshine and spend time with her husband and two young children.

Prina has a PhD in Developmental Psychology and Evaluation from Claremont Graduate University (CGU) in California. At CGU her research interests were in positive youth development and in implementation sciences, particularly the effective implementation of social and emotional learning programs in Kenya and elsewhere in Africa. She currently lives in Kenya and works within the family businesses. Prina is also a qualified Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and formerly worked at Credit Suisse in London. In addition to her Trustee role at PfC, Prina serves as a board member for Premier Academy in Kenya.

Nicola is a senior educational psychologist, advising schools and families on a range of SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) issues and has worked both internationally and in London. She holds degrees in both Education and Psychology and started her career as a primary school teacher. She has a special interest in school improvement and effectiveness, inclusion for learners with ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) and emotional literacy and resilience. Nicola believes in the central importance that good mental health and well-being bring to our learning across all stages of our lives.

Zoe is a Wellbeing Youth Worker, working as part of the Mental Health Support Team in secondary schools in South Oxfordshire. Zoe’s academic interests focus on the stigma around mental health and mental health across an individual’s lifespan. She has worked in the mental health department of the Royal Marsden Cancer Hospital and, as a Widening Participation and Outreach Ambassador at the University of Surrey, she has encouraged young people of diverse backgrounds to pursue higher education. She hopes to continue to work with young people to encourage good mental health in early years to set the foundation for emotionally intelligent adults. Zoe joins the Board as our first Early Career Trustee.

Sandra is a leading communications and strategy consultant in Hong Kong. A former Trustee of Partnership for Children, she takes a special interest in our programmes, in particular the China programme where she has taken part in teacher training.

Doro has many years of experience as a trainer in parenting education. She co-authored ‘Raise Happy Children’ which has been translated into Polish, Chinese and Arabic. She is a former Chair of Partnership for Children and advised on the development of our Zippy at Home programme for parents.

Brian Mishara is Professor of Psychology at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), in Montreal, Canada, and Director of the Centre for Research and Intervention on Suicide, Ethical Issues and End-of-Life Practices (CRISE). He works internationally in the development of suicide prevention programs and establishing crisis helplines. A past PFC board member, he was involved in the development of Zippy’s Friends and led the team that created Passport: Skills for Life, and has published evaluations of the effectiveness of these programmes.

Professor Ilona Boniwell is a leading figure in Positive Psychology, founding the European Network of Positive Psychology, organising the first European Congress of Positive Psychology and was the first vice-chair of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA). Ilona is CEO of Positran, Adjunct Professor at HEC and CentraleSupelec, Visiting Professor at Oxford Brookes and Musashino University and Faculty of VIA Institute of Character. In 2009 she co-created and piloted the first edition of SPARK Resilience in East London and was instrumental in supporting PfC to adapt and launch the new version in 2020.

Neil Humphrey is the Sarah Fielden Chair in Psychology of Education at The University of Manchester and former Research Co-ordinator (2013–16) and Head (2016–20) of the Manchester Institute of Education. His research interests include children’s mental health, social and emotional learning, and special educational needs. Neil has written extensively on SEL, including the book, 'Social and Emotional Learning: A Critical Appraisal' (published by Sage). When he is not working at the University, Neil moonlights as an unpaid taxi driver for his three daughters.

Marion Panis, member of the Partnership for Children Board and Director of our partner organisation in the Netherlands, passed away in January 2020, aged 55.