Our Trustees

Laurie has recently stepped down as Trustee. However, he was a founder of the Charity, and was heavily involved with work in The Gambia originally through the Institute of Physics. Currently he acts as our Education Consultant.

Steve was a science teacher for 34 years, and was head of department at a state secondary school. In 2011, Steve and Laurie ran IoP Teacher development workshops, before transitioning these to RAISE: Gambia in 2014. Steve has a wealth of charity and education experience.

Babou is the Principal Education Officer, and STEM Directorate at the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education in The Gambia. He co-ordinates all of our work in the Gambia, involving Upper Basic School and Senior Secondary Schools.

Caroline was a teacher for 20 years before joining the Marlborough Brandt Group where she was the director of its Global Education Centre. She is passionate about the Gambia and the role of future scientists in the country’s development.

Karen has had a long career in education, as a headteacher, and most recently a School Leadership Advisor for VSO in Rwanda. She has helped develop the pre-school curriculum in the Gambia, and leads our strategic planning and policy development.

Sue is serving as Curate in Birmingham, and has over 30 years experience in the voluntary sector, as well as the intricacies of running a charity. She is embracing some of the challenges of running an international charity!

Lily is currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Nottingham, with a PhD in Microbiology, and Biomedical Engineering. She has joined RAISE Gambia as our Social Media manager, and our EDI officer.

John has a strong background in the Life Sciences, with a MRes in Cancer Research, and is currently a Teacher of Science at City Academy Bristol. He has joined the team, developing educational policy and practice, and web manager.