Our trustees
Our trustees bring a wealth of experience to the organisation including expertise in asylum law and policy, local government, mental health and child protection, as well as finance, fundraising, communications and the media. Around 20% of our trustees have a lived experience background.
You can contact the Trustees by email here.
Tony Samuel
(Co-Chair)
Tony Samuel (Co-Chair)
Tony was previously Director of Fundraising and Communications at Freedom from Torture, and before that worked for a range of charities, including as a fundraiser for Oxfam, and as a trustee of Asylum Aid in London.
Val Johnson
(Co-Chair)
Val Johnson (Co-Chair)
Val retired from a public service career in Oxford City and Oxfordshire with an impressive record in developing services particularly aimed at the most vulnerable people, including refugees and asylum seekers.
Clare Miller
Clare Miller
Clare was a founding partner and immigration solicitor at Turpin & Miller, specialising in asylum and refugee law. She left the partnership a few years ago and taught immigration law at the University of London for two years. She has since moved on and now tutors students in science.
David Levy
David Levy
David has a background in communications and media, working for the BBC as a journalist on ‘Newsnight’, editor of ‘Analysis’ on Radio 4 and then as the BBC’s Controller for Public Policy. Most recently, David was Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism within Oxford University, where he is a Fellow of Green Templeton College. He has experience as a Board Member for several organisations, including the UK Statistics Authority and Reporters without Borders. He has a long-standing interest in asylum and refugees, and experience of providing support for detainees on release from Campsfield.
Lucy Keating
Lucy Keating
Lucy brings extensive experience in communications across journalism and the charity sector. She has worked in senior media and communications roles for organisations including Impetus, the International Rescue Committee and the British Red Cross, and earlier in her career as a journalist and producer at Channel 4 News, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Al Jazeera English. Lucy has a strong interest in locally rooted organisations and serves on the committees of several community groups.
Alison Baxter
Alison Baxter
Alison worked as a teacher of English as a Foreign Language before moving into educational publishing. She became director of publishing for the Directory of Social Change and then served as Chief Executive of Oxfordshire Voluntary and Community Action (OCVA) for ten years. She was Chair of Sanctuary Hosting from 2018 to 2022 and has hosted an asylum seeker herself. She is now a writer and researcher and volunteers for the Home Library Service.
Courtenay Stock (Company Secretary)
Courtenay Stock (Company Secretary)
Courtenay is a corporate lawyer with a background in corporate law and investment funds. Courtenay has a keen interest in various pro bono projects, especially in relation to those that assist asylum seekers and refugees.
Aiham Al Aswadi
Aiham Al Aswadi
Aiham is a Muslim Chaplain at the Royal United Hospitals in Bath. Having first come to Asylum Welcome as a client, he later became a volunteer and a member of staff, working for different services within the organisation including fundraising, Youth and Sanctuary Hosting. He sought asylum in the UK in 2019 and comes from Yemen.
Asser Bakheet
Asser Bakheet
Asser has a background in the nonprofit and charitable sector. He serves as the candidate resource within the Inclusive Recruitment team at Aspire, a local charity dedicated to empowering individuals experiencing homelessness and disadvantage to access employment and housing. Asser is particularly dedicated to promoting the principles of the EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) framework within organisations, as well as supporting asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants. He brings valuable lived experience to the Board.
Hawar Ameen
Hawar Ameen
Hawar has 25 years’ experience of working in the voluntary sector, particularly working in equalities and human rights issues. He is currently Senior Research Officer at the Welsh Government’s Race Disparity Unit. Hawar has a PhD in Middle Eastern Politics and an MSc in Comparative Political Economy. He has considerable lived experience to bring to the Board.
James Bell
James Bell
James has held a variety of senior roles across the education sector and has worked extensively in charitable and values-driven organisations. He has been a trustee and governor in schools, and active in his local community particularly as a youth sports coach.
