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.
Tony Samuel
(Co-Chair)
Tony Samuel (Co-Chair)
Tony was recently 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 recently 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.
Humphrey Lloyd
(Treasurer)
Humphrey Lloyd (Treasurer)
Humphrey comes to the Board with extensive business and financial services experience coupled with a strong desire to help vulnerable migrants. He has been a Finance Director and Chartered Accountant with particular expertise in leading major development strategies. He brings non-executive director experience from across the service sector. He is currently treasurer of his local church.
Dr Tina Leonard
Dr Tina Leonard
Tina is a research scientist with a particular interest in evidence-based decision-making, disseminating good practice and improving the effectiveness of services and organisations. She has been a volunteer with Asylum Welcome since 2008.
Clare Miller
Clare Miller
Clare was a founding partner and immigration solicitor at Turpin & Miller, specialising in asylum and refugee law. Clare continues to practise and also teaches immigration law in London.
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.
Limyaa Ali
Limyaa Ali
Limyaa is an Oxford Brookes University graduate, with an Honours degree in English Language and Linguistics, and a postgraduate diploma in translation. She has worked in different fields for different governmental and non-governmental entities. Limyaa graduated in law in Sudan, her country of birth, and from 1995-1999 she practised as a lawyer and appeared before different levels and types of court to represent clients and manage legal cases. In the UK she trained as a Community Learning Facilitator, providing community teaching to students with autism and special needs. Limyaa is also a translator/interpreter, translating different types of documents and texts such as legal, social, educational, correspondence, and media in addition to scientific and training materials.
Lucy Keating
Lucy Keating
Lucy has a background in communications and media. She is Head of Communications for Impetus, an organisation that supports disadvantaged people to get into education and employment. Lucy was formerly the Media Manager for the International Rescue Committee and the British Red Cross. Prior to moving into the charity sector, she worked as a journalist and producer at Channel 4 News, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Al Jazeera English.
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 student currently doing his final year in BSc Computing at Oxford Brookes University. 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.
