Staff and Trustees
Our staff and trustees have great experience and are dedicated to improving the lives of Disabled people.
Staff
Senior Management
David Buxton
Chief Executive Officer
David became our CEO in March 2017, following five years as CEO of the British Deaf Association. He has over 25 years of senior management experience. Born Deaf, David’s first language is British Sign Language (BSL) and he was the first ever Deaf BSL-user to be elected Borough Councillor and stand for Parliament (twice!). He has an MBA from the Open University and co-founded the Liberal Democrat Disability Association.
John MacNeely
Youth & Community Services Manager
John began volunteering with AoD as a student in the 90s, then joined us as a Youth Worker after graduation, spending 20 years in our Youth Service. He now manages the Youth Service, Welfare Benefits Service, Direct Payment Support Service and Our Place. He’s also our Designated Safeguarding Lead, supporting new project development and fundraising. A former LBHF resident for 30+ years, John’s a big QPR fan who enjoys reminiscing about the joy of watching Adel Taarabt.
Employment Services
Louisa Noel
Employment Development & Access Support Project Lead
Louisa’s been part of our Employment Service since 2018, supporting Disabled people throughout their employment journey. She enjoys watching internship graduates flourish as they gain confidence, independence and valuable skills. She’s built strong working relationships with a wide range of employers, offering guidance on inclusive practices, and helped clients access government funding to get tailored assistance in the workplace.
Louisa trains In-Work Support Workers to deliver high-quality, person-centred support and regularly receives referrals from organisations seeking in-work support for their clients. She collaborates closely with other Disabled People’s Organisations to improve the lives of Disabled people at work. She’s passionate about raising awareness of the Social Model of Disability and promoting inclusive employment practices that remove barriers to create real, lasting opportunities for all.
James Townsend
Follow-Up & Support Project Coordinator
James joined the team in 2022 after gaining a degree in Classics. Like many of our staff, he started as a Job Coach before taking on his current role in 2024. He helps our Supported Internship graduates gain paid employment and works to ensure their employers make and maintain Reasonable Adjustments. He also runs weekly employment workshops. Outside work James loves to play music, paint or spend an evening throwing darts.
Rabiatu Kuyateh
Supported Internships Project Lead
Rabiatu works as a Supported Employment Coordinator.
Anika Hussain
Supported Employment Coordinator
Anika joined us as a Job Coach in 2022 to support a client at his workplace for nearly a year, during which she was proud to see him grow in confidence and become fully independent. In 2023 she stepped into her current role and enjoys working across supported internships sites in both Hammersmith & Fulham and the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. She helps young people with disabilities develop the skills and confidence to thrive in the workplace and supports interns into paid employment.
Our Voice Project
Our Place Project
Housing Campaign
Nikos Tzenas
Our Voice Project Lead
Originally from Greece, Nikos moved to London in 2006 and has built a career in inclusive education and Disability Equality. Working in Early Years mainstream education while completing a Masters in Special & Inclusive Education, he came across the work of Mike Oliver, whose ideas around the Social Model of Disability had a lasting impact on Nikos’ approach.
Motivated to support more inclusive approaches, he moved into special education as a teacher, a secondary school head, then into post-16 education. His role here combines his educational expertise, leadership experience and strong belief in equity and collaboration. Having personally experienced forms of exclusion, he approaches his work with empathy, awareness and deep respect for the value of people’s voices in shaping the systems that affect them.
Youth Services
Tamara Stuiver
Youth Service Project Lead
Tamara’s been part of our Youth Service since 2012, first joining as a student studying Youth & Community Work at the University of Greenwich. Her dissertation exploring how young Disabled people view themselves earned her First Class BA (Hons) and helped shape the direction of our youth work. After a Master’s in Anthropology of Childhood, Youth & Education, Tamara joined full-time to oversee delivery and management of all youth programmes.
As Safeguarding Lead and head of the Youth Board, she ensures young people are supported in safe, inclusive spaces and have a strong voice in shaping services. She’s also completed pre-clinical training in Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy which informs her trauma-aware, person-centred practice within youth work.
Brittany Granda
Youth Service Project Coordinator
My name is Brittany and I started with AoD on the 17th of August 2021 as the Youth Service Project Coordinator. Originally, I am from Pennsylvania in the USA.
In 2012, I received my Associates degree in Psychology from Northampton Community College and my BA is Psychology from Temple University in 2014. After university, I worked as a Behavioural Therapist working with children and young people with disabilities.
In 2017, I moved to the UK to pursue a MA in Criminology with Forensic Psychology from Kingston University. Shortly after graduation I started a job as a Youth Project Manager and Behavioural Intervention Specialist, for a non-profit charity in North London working with at-risk youth.
In my free time I like to paint and play Dungeons and Dragons.
Sam Thompson
Youth Service Project Coordinator & Our Place
Sam works for the Youth Service and joined in 2023.
Welfare Benefit Services
Doreen Hilton
Welfare Benefits Lead - Children's Advisor
Doreen first volunteered in our Welfare Benefits department in 2005 alongside her work as a barrister’s PA. In 2007 she came on staff to set up and develop a Welfare Benefits advice service specifically for parents and carers of ill and Disabled children under 18 in H&F – she still delivers this service and leads the team today. In her spare time, she enjoys going to the gym and being with family.
Aileen Hughes
Welfare Benefits -
Adults Advisor
Aileen’s worked in the advice sector for over 10 years, providing support and guidance to help people navigate complex systems and challenging circumstances. Her special interest in welfare benefits means she’s gained the knowledge and experience to help people access the support they’re entitled to. Before joining us, she worked with Hammersmith & Fulham Citizens Advice.
Direct Payment Support Services
Franklen Choi
Direct Payments Support Service Lead
Franklen joined us in 2022 as an Independent Living Advisor for our Direct Payments Support Service, moving to Interim Lead in 2024, then Service Lead in 2025. Before bringing his family to the UK in 2021, Franklen was a Social Sciences lecturer in Hong Kong, having first trained in social work before becoming interested in social policy. He was a policy researcher at a local think-tank before completing a PhD in Sociology (University of Sheffield 2012) and pursuing a teaching career. Franklen loves cycling around London and cooking for his family.
Chigozie Ubanagu
Independent Living Advisor
Chigozie first volunteered with us in 2006 while studying in the UK. He’s now one of our Independent Living Advisors, having worked across our Employment, Youth and Direct Payments services. His calm, thoughtful approach and strong leadership make him a valued team member. Chigozie is passionate about rural development and leads initiatives to support inclusion and empowerment in African communities.
Rita Chinda
Independent Living Advisor
Rita joined us in 2023 as a Job Coach while studying for a Master’s in International Development at Birkbeck, University of London. She became one of our Independent Living Advisors in 2025. Rita previously worked in humanitarian and development settings as an accountant and assistant project manager with international multilateral actors in the Boko Haram crisis in Northern Nigeria.
Before moving to the UK, she worked for the Nigerian government providing admin support for local humanitarian innovation hubs, among other roles. A passionate advocate for social inclusion through sustainable development goals, she trained as a human rights educator through the Council of Europe. Rita loves volunteering for social causes, reading and being outdoors.
Office Services
Ellie Sutcliffe-Veitch
Centre Coordinator (Maternity Cover)
Ellie joined in October 2024 as maternity cover for Ellen. She holds a First-Class (Hons) in Professional Dance & Musical Theatre and works with marketing companies alongside her performing career, developing skills in audience engagement, branding and creative communication. Warmly welcomed by us all, she finds work here rewarding and inspiring. As well as performing, Ellie enjoys live music, reading and being with loved ones.
Rahik Chowdhury
(Rik)
Administrative Assistant
Rik’s the welcoming face at reception who supports various teams with day-to-day admin, so everything runs smoothly behind the scenes. He joined in 2024 with a degree in Politics & International Relations, bringing work experience from refugee centres and museums where he developed a strong commitment to inclusion, public service and the value of Co-production. Outside work, he enjoys board games, tinkering with retro electronics and supporting his favourite NBA team, the Denver Nuggets.
Trustees
Sharon Holder
Chair of Trustees
Sharon became an AoD trustee in 2019 after becoming Disabled in 2017 with multiple sclerosis. Born, raised and resident in Hammersmith & Fulham, she’s married with two children. She has a BA Hons in Politics & Government (Birkbeck University), two subjects still close to her heart, and has been a H&F Labour councillor since May 2014.
Pre-diagnosis, Sharon spent nearly 30 years as a senior trade union official defending T&Cs at work in the public, private and commercial sectors, campaigning for workers’ rights and social justice.
Kate Betteridge
Trustee
Kate lives in Hammersmith & Fulham and became a trustee in 2017. She’s lived with constant pain and severely limited mobility since being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis aged 13, which shapes her commitment to supporting others. Her career focuses on health information, communication and advocacy, working to ensure people can make informed decisions about their health and lifestyle.
She’s an active member of Co-Production Matters Hammersmith & Fulham and contributes to the council’s Civic Campus and Inclusive Environments Disabled Residents’ Team groups. In 2024 she received the Freedom of the Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham for her contribution to local residents’ wellbeing through the work of the H&F Disabled People’s Commission.
Ashley Pearce
Trustee
Ashely joined after taking our Co-Production course in 2023 and became a trustee in early 2025. A supportive, resilient and dedicated individual with extensive stewardship, he brings a background in international sports which honed his commitment to hard work. He also has advocacy experience from various trade union positions and 10+ years in the social care sector. He won a national runner-up prize in the Start-Up Business Awards and a commendation for fundraising £50,000 for a national children’s charity.
Mustafa Karim
Trustee
Mustafa lives in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. He holds a degree in Agriculture Engineering (Iraq 1980), a PGDip in Computing (University of Middlesex 2001) and a Diploma In Public Service Interpreting. He’s worked as an IT teacher at Hammersmith College, volunteered at the Kurdish Community Centre helping Disabled refugees and is an interpreter and translator. In 1989 he was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and suffers from Rheumatoid Arthritis and Syncope. Since 1996, he’s been a member of Crohn’s & Colitis UK. In his spare time Mustafa enjoys yoga and photography.
Naomi Key-Field
Trustee
Naomi has lived and worked in Hammersmith & Fulham for over 20 years. She and her three children are neurodiverse members of the community who use and appreciate the support services AoD offers local families with additional needs. Naomi’s academic background in Anthropology (BSc UCL) and Social Psychology (MSc LSE) underpins her lifelong interest in people and cultures around the world. She works as a Research & Insight Consultant and is passionate about communications that inform, educate and/or entertain.
Thomas Butler
Trustee
Born in Fulham, Tom’s always lived in the borough and became a trustee in 2024. In recent years he’s been involved in activities and the steering group for Our Place, as well as our housing steering group. Tom is autistic and diabetic and always working to raise awareness of these to help others.
Alongside his keen commitment to being a trustee, he also enjoys being involved in the Hammersmith & Fulham pensioners project.
Patrick McVeigh
Co-opted Advisor
Patrick lives in Hammersmith & Fulham and became a trustee in 2012 after his daughter, who has Down’s Syndrome and is Autistic, accessed our Youth Service. He became Vice Chair in 2016. Patrick spent 35 years in the financial technology industry and is also a trustee of Healthwatch.