Independant Chair,
Museji Ahmed Takolia CBE
Museji is no stranger to Bristol. At the age of 27 he arrived to establish the first Race Equality Unit at the City Council and later went on to become a senior civil servant at the Cabinet Office (2000-2004) where he led government wide reforms. He was appointed CBE in H.M. Queen’s 2011 New Year’s Honours. A graduate of the universities of Cambridge (Homerton College), Bristol and The School of Public & International Affairs, at Princeton USA (Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow), he has had a highly diverse career spanning community organisations, local government, central government and national public bodies. His voluntary and community work includes sitting on the boards of The Centre for Employment & Enterprise Development (CEED) Charity; Ruskin College, Oxford; the Ethnic Minority Foundation; NHS regulator and inspector, the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI); OFSTED; Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and others. Museji has been appointed by the Mayor to serve a 3 year term.
Vice Chair,
Margaret Simmons-Bird
Education Consultant & Executive Lead for School Improvement at Wellsway Multi Academy Trust
Margaret is an Education Consultant & Executive Lead for School Improvement at Wellsway Multi Academy Trust, looking at areas such as Education Leadership, School Improvement, Coaching and Mentoring, and Inclusion and Diversity. Margaret has previously worked at the Bath & North East Somerset Council as the Director of Education and Head of Education Improvement, leading on Education improvement across primary and secondary schools and looked after/children in care.
The Commissioners
Jane Khawaja
Head of Research Development at University of Bristol
Jane is the Head of Research Development (UK) at the University of Bristol. She is passionate about addressing the root cause of racial inequality and ensuring race equality is embedded into policies and processes. At the University, Jane co-chairs the Anti-Racism Steering Group. I am a member of the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic network, Inclusion Forum, Board of Trustees and University Court. I am also a member of the Bristol City Funds Investment Advisory Committee. I look forward to being part of Bristol CoRE to provide a voice for tackling structural and systemic inequality in Bristol.
Fatima Mohamed Ali
Teacher at Cotham Gardens Primary School
Fatima is a PPA Teacher at the Cabot Primary School with extensive experience in the education sector and commitment to racial justice and equality. She is currently working on embedding an anti-racism framework in Bristol schools, and feels passionate about decolonising curriculums through her contribution to the ‘One City Plan’ curriculum project. Fatima is also the Founder and Chair of Bristol Somali Educators, and the Vice-chair of BameEd Bristol.
Forward Maisokwadzo
Inclusion Advisor to the Mayor’s Office
Forward Maisokwadzo works as Inclusion Adviser to the Mayor of Bristol. A former journalist from Zimbabwe, Forward was previously National Media & Communications Officer for City of Sanctuary UK and Ireland, and former Manager for Bristol City of Sanctuary. He also worked as Communications Manager for the Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Media Project run by The MediaWise Trust, a journalism ethics charity, an organization he is now Chair.Forward is deeply involved within the Community in Bristol, and has been a trustee for a number of charities. He is one of the key founders of African Voices Forum.
Euella Jackson
Engagement Producer and Talent Manager at Rising Arts Agency
Euella started her career at Rife in 2017 and since then has worked with Bristol24/7, Bristol Post and the BBC. Having finished working on her own short film as part of Channel 4’s Random Acts series, she took on the role of the Engagement Producer at Rising Arts. Her role is to nurture Rising’s community of creatives through training, commissioning opportunities and talent development. Euella co-leads a programme with Kamina called OnBoard, that recruits, trains and supports young people on to the boards of cultural organisations in the South West. She is determined to make the arts more accessible, bringing more young people into Rising (and ultimately into the conversation) and promoting young people as leaders.
Marcus Walters
Senior Associate at Burges Salmon LLP
Marcus is a Senior Associate at Burges Salmon LLP, working with the firm’s projects team who specialises in major PPP (including PFI/PF2) and other outsourcing projects, particularly in the Infrastructure, Transport and Public Sectors. He has extensive experience in advising both public and private sector clients across a range of specialist areas, including Defence, Education, Outsourcing, Rail and Highways and Road Transport. Marcus is also the Co-Chair of BCultured, the firm’s social and support Network for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic employees.
Jendayi Serwah
Convenor of the Afrikan ConneXions Consortium
Jendayi is a transcontinental reparations activist who founded The John Lynch African Programme in 1990 and the African Connexions Consortium which she founded as part of her role within the Global African Peoples Parliament in 2016. She was also a board member at the Malcolm X Centre in the late 1980s. Jendayi is also a public speaker working with Noble Development Company, the Chair of the Black VCS Network in Bristol, and presents a weekly ‘Glocal’ show on Ujima 98fm about Afrikan political, social, cultural, economic, and spiritual affairs - Local and Global.
Abbigael Bainton
Assistant Principal & Science Teacher, Bristol Brunel Academy
Abbi is a Senior Leader and Science Teacher at Bristol Brunel Academy, currently leading on personal development. With 10 years’ experience working in education in both Bristol and the Eastern Caribbean, Abbi is passionate about improving educational outcomes for underrepresented communities within Bristol. This year, Abbi will begin working with the Cabot Learning Federation as chair of the Racial Equality Steering Group, with the aim of writing anti-racist strategy into schools around the city. Abbi is also a governor of Two-Mile Hill Primary school and a member of BAMEedSW. Abbi is looking forward to joining Bristol CoRE to continue the important work needed in Bristol towards racial equality in Education.
Dr Adeela Ahmed Shafi MBE
Associate Professor in Education, University of Gloucestershire; Founding member of Bristol Muslim Strategic Leadership Group (BMSLG)
Adeela leads three EU research projects on improving the education of incarcerated young people so they can successfully re-enter the community. Her other research includes resilience in education, which takes systems-based approach. She is committed to equality and inclusion and through her work has contributed to research on improving Board diversity in universities, closing the awarding gap for BME students, and decolonising the curriculum. Adeela is a member of the University of Gloucestershire Board and on the Strategic Advisory Group for Advance HE. As a Bristolian, Adeela has worked in a range of community roles for many years and is a founding member of BMSLG.
Enitan Aromolaran
Matter Support Paralegal at RPC
Enitan is a lawyer who has worked in various multinational firms within the UK over the last 5 years; she has a keen interest in intellectual property law. Having lived and studied abroad for several years, she has gained a unique insight into cultural differences and has developed an ability to adapt her communication skills. Enitan is multilingual and continues to improve her communication skills by furthering her education both academically and practically. Throughout her career she has advocated for equality in the workplace, which has led to a passion for equality and diversity. She is currently on the Ethnicity and Disability committees at her firm. She is seeking to build a platform to share her interest and promote physical and mental wellbeing predominately within marginalised communities.