Team Our Staff Ashley Hodges, Chief Executive Ashley joined AccessEd in 2019 as Chief Executive. Before this, she helped design, launch and lead the UK charity Speakers for Schools, with a focus on creating programmes and leadership networks that level the playing field for young people who need it the most. Her background in cross-sector communications, politics and social mobility projects has seen her hold positions with not-for-profits and digital media companies as well as being a staff member for the 2008 Barack Obama Presidential Campaign. She is a fellow of the RSA, a governor of Welbourne Primary School in Tottenham and a Trustee of Elizabeth House in Finsbury Park London. Katie Booth, Director of Programmes Katie joined AccessEd in 2020 as Director of Programmes. Previously, Katie worked as Head of Strategy and Planning at The Challenge, a UK based social integration and social mobility organisation. Before that, she worked as an English teacher in Colombia, as well as having former teaching experience abroad India and China. Katie started her career as a management consultant where she specialised in International Development, working on global Department for International Development and Foreign Office programmes specialising in education and climate change. Katie is a school governor at Kingsley Academy, Hounslow. Connor Sproston, Project Officer Connor is a PhD researcher at King's College London supporting AccessEd for Spring Term 2020. With a neuroscience background, his research focuses on the genetic triggers of cell death in the developing brain to help us better understand how this processes is involved in both development and evolution. He is passionate about widening participation, having supported King's in their school outreach schemes and now working to support AccessEd's international tutors, curriculum projects and project management. Dr Richard Branch, Curriculum Advisor Richard joined AccessEd in 2018 as Curriculum Manager and as of 2020 now advises the charity on curriculum programming for maximum student subject impact. Before joining the organisation he was a physics teacher on the Researchers in Schools programme at Lampton School in west London, where he continues teaching three days a week. Prior to training on the programme, he was a postdoctoral research fellow in biophysics at Harvard University. Dr Chi Chi Huang, Hong Kong Scholars Founder Chi Chi joined Hong Kong Scholars in 2018 as Programme Manager. She currently leads on the delivery and growth of a new university access programme in HK. Chi Chi completed her BA at the University of Sydney, her MPhil at the University of Cambridge and her PhD in History at the University of Hong Kong. She has led Hong Kong Scholars since 2017. Dr Goitseone Lucy Hopkins, Botswana Scholars Founder Lucy completed her PhD at the School of Medicine, Cardiff University, after completing her BSc, MSc and PGC-THE in the UK. She also studied at the University of Botswana where she won a scholarship to study abroad. She was an Associate tutor at Cardiff Metropolitan University. In 2016, Lucy became one of The Brilliant Club’s first PhD tutors to work in Wales. She has led Botswana Scholars since 2018. Our Governing Board Simon Coyle, Co-Founder and Executive Director Simon is a former classroom teacher who taught economics and history in an inner-city London school. He left teaching in 2010 to co-found The Brilliant Club, which is now the UK’s largest university access charity. In his time leading the charity, Simon oversaw the scaling up of The Scholars Programme to work with 10,000 students each year, the creation of Researchers in Schools as a new teacher training programme and a series of independent evaluations. Simon has led the set up and growth of AccessEd as an independent non-profit, where he chairs the Board and acts as Executive Director. Dr Rajbir Hazelwood, Co-Founder and Board Member Rajbir completed her PhD on decolonization at Washington University in St. Louis and was Assistant Professor of Modern British History at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. After 10 years in academia, Rajbir joined The Brilliant Club as Regional Manager in 2015. She then joined AccessEd as a co-founder in 2016. Rajbir is currently Head of Student Outcomes in the Social Mobility and Student Success division at King’s College London. In her role Rajbir develops and delivers a whole-institution strategy to improve outcomes for underrepresented groups. Anna Machin, Board Member After graduating from the University of Cambridge, Anna started her career at national charity Student Hubs as Development Director running the fundraising and communications teams. Anna now works in the governance team at international education charity Ark, as well as delivering training and consultancy for education charities and academy trusts. Anna is a chartered secretary and was named 'The One to Watch' at the 2018 Chartered Governance Institute awards. Dr Chris Wilson, Board Advisor Chris is the CEO of The Brilliant Club in the UK. During his time at The Brilliant Club, Chris has been a PhD tutor, rolled out the charity’s provision across the UK, co-founded the teacher training programme Researchers in Schools, and launched the charity’s five-year strategy, The Path to Outcomes. Chris trained as a medieval historian at the universities of Cambridge and Exeter. He sits on the AccessEd Board in an advisory capacity.