Our Patrons

Patrons are distinguished supporters who have kindly 'lent their names' to the Foundation, in support of the principles of compassionate education.

Estelle Morris

BARONESS ESTELLE MORRIS

Before becoming a Labour MP in 1992 Estelle enjoyed a distinguished career in local government and as a comprehensive school teacher. It was her teaching background that provided an ideal platform for her to become first a Minister for Schools and then the Secretary of State for Education-the first teacher to hold that rank. Later she became Minister for the Arts in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, a post she held until she stepped down as a member of parliament in 2005. In May 2005, she was conferred as Baroness Morris of Yardley. For four years she acted as Pro Vice Chancellor at the University of Sunderland. She continues to champion education in the House of Lords and to speak and write extensively.

Herman Ousley

LORD HERMAN OUSELY

Herman was born in Guyana in 1945, and came to England when he was 11. He was educated at William Penn School and Catford College, where he gained a diploma in municipal administration. He was appointed as the first principal race relations advisor in local government, and served as Head of the GLC's Ethnic Minority Unit. He later became Chief Executive of the London Borough of Lambeth and the former Inner London Education Authority responsible for over 1000 schools and colleges across the capital. In 1993, he became the executive chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, a position he held until 2000.

In 2001, he was raised to the peerage of Baron Ouseley of Peckham Rye in Southwark. Throughout his life Herman has campaigned for racial justice and equality. His seminal book, The System (1981) was one of the first to explain how institutional racism operated. He remains chairman of Kick-It-Out plc. (Let's kick racism out of football campaign); but resigned from his position on the FA's council because he believes football is going backwards in tackling racism.

Tim Brighouse

PROFESSOR SIR TIM BRIGHOUSE

Tim is one of the Uk's foremost educational thinkers and leaders. Beginning his career as a schoolteacher, he became a deputy head at 26. He served as Chief Education Officer in Oxfordshire and then later in Birmingham. Between these two posts, he was Professor of Education at Keele University. It was this unique combination of the practical and theoretical that allowed Tim to transform Birmingham into one of the most innovative and high achieving urban authorities in the country. Since leaving the city he has continued to work tirelessly in support of schools, teachers and children through his extensive writing and speaking engagements. He was knighted in the 2009 New Year Honours.

Ted Cantle

PROFESSOR TED CANTLE

Ted established the Institute of Community Cohesion (iCoCo) in 2005.Ted has held a wide range of senior positions at a local level and has served on a number of national bodies focussing, in particular, on urban regeneration and key social and economic problems. Ted was the Chief Executive of Nottingham City Council between 1990 and 2001. In August 2001, Ted was appointed by the Home Secretary to chair the Community Cohesion Review Team and to lead the review on the causes of the summer disturbances in a number of northern towns and cities. The Cantle Report made around 70 recommendations. The concept of 'community cohesion' was subsequently adopted by the Government and Ted was asked to chair the panel which advised Ministers on implementation.

Ted has contributed over 200 articles and publications on a wide range of subjects including 'social capital', 'race and housing', and 'community cohesion' - which is the subject of his book: Community Cohesion: A New Framework for Race and Diversity. In his latest work, Interculturalism The new era of cohesion and diversity, Ted argues that the old multicultural paradigms must be replaced by a new intercultural framework, a framework for managing community relations in a world defined by globalisation.

Ron Geaves

PROFESSOR RON GEAVES

Ron is Chair in the Comparative Study of Religion in the Theology and Religious Studies of Liverpool Hope University. He previously held Head of Department posts in the Universities of Chester and Chichester. Originally from South London, he has travelled and researched extensively, especially on the Indian sub-continent. He is currently chair of the Muslims in Britain research network. He is known for his interest in religions in the West especially Islam, Sikhism and Hinduism. The author of 19 books on religion he is one of the leading experts in the field. His works include the The Sufis of Britain which explored Islam in the UK, and The Continuum Glossary of Religious Terminology which was a glossary of the worlds seven major faiths. He has been a pioneer in creating the first-degree program in Muslim youth work.

Reverend Keith L. Magee

REVEREND KEITH L. MAGEE

The Reverend Keith L. Magee, Th.D., FRSA, an honorary senior research fellow on race, religion and poverty at the University of Birmingham, England Institute of Advance Studies and visiting scholar at Boston University School of Theology. He also serves in pastoral leadership at senior pastor at Berachah Church, Boston, MA. Magee has given national and international attention to the National Public Housing Museum and the Center for the Study of Housing and Society. His work is interwoven in his commitment to social justice and the cause of the poor. He has intersections with various universities, museums, and non-governmental organizations to illuminate and interrupt the cycle of global poverty through scholarship, arts and culture to address issues of inequality, literacy, public policy, and how to build sustainable communities. Keith brings both the academic, having trained at Harvard Divinity School, and practical background, having served in various roles as nonprofit executive, social historian, pastor of two an inner city congregations, and as a senior advisor to the President Obama's campaign and the African American Clergy Network. Over the last year he has served as the project director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity's Multicultural Dyslexia Awareness Initiative, leading the charge on "Dyslexia and the Achievement Gap: A Civil Rights Issue of Our Time."

Prof Paul Gilbert OBE

PROF PAUL GILBERT OBE

Prof Paul Gilbert OBE, is head of the Mental Health Research Unit, and Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Derby, where he developed Compassionate Mind Training (CMT) and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT). He has a BA in Economics (1973), a Diploma in Clinical Psychology , an MA in Experimental Psychology (1975), and a PhD in Clinical Psychology (Edinburgh, 1980). Paul has published and edited 21 books, including the best-selling Overcoming Depression; The Compassionate Mind and with Choden, Mindful Compassion . He is the series editor for the 'compassionate approaches to life difficulties' series, published by Constable Robinson. He was awarded an OBE in 2011 for his contributions to mental healthcare.

Roxanna Panufnik

ROXANNA PANUFNIK

ARAM, GRSM(hons), LRAM studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music and, since then, has written a wide range of pieces – opera, ballet, music theatre, choral works, orchestral and chamber compositions, and music for film and television – which have been performed all over the world.

Roxanna has a particular interest in world music – a recent culmination of this was "Abraham", a violin concerto commissioned by Savannah Music Festival for Daniel Hope, incorporating Christian, Islamic and Jewish music. This was then converted into an overture, commissioned by the World Orchestra for Peace and premiered in Jerusalem under the baton of Valery Gergiev, then at the BBC Proms with the same performers in 2104 – broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
Further information can be found on www.roxannapanufnik.com , www.loveabide.com and www.tallinnmass.com.