OUR PEOPLE
CHAIR OF TRUSTEES
Luke Menzies
Barrister, Solicitor, PCC, CertPsychCoach
As Chair, my primary role in Openmind.ed is governance, to which I bring my experience of being a lawyer and having held various trustee, governor and non-executive director positions.
I am also a psychological coach, working mainly with business leaders and professionals, helping them increase self-awareness, emotional intelligence and stress management, and to be more effective and resilient in their roles.
I have enormous respect for the skills and work of my fellow trustees and it is a privilege to be able to support their work though our charity.
As well as my Chair role, I contribute to our work by providing one-to-one and group reflective practice sessions for school pastoral and leadership staff.
TRUSTEE & CEO
Chereece Ryan
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Chereece has a background in education and social work, including inclusion and SEND, safeguarding, outreach and therapeutic interventions.
She has worked within and alongside primary, secondary, specialist and alternative provisions schools for over 15 years.
She is passionate about the introduction of relational based therapeutic practice for children and families within the school setting as well supporting school staff through relative practice.
TRUSTEE & TREASURER
Dr Isabel de Salis
MA, MSc, MBBS, PhD
I practice as a psychotherapist and have also trained as a doctor and taught and researched as an anthropologist.
I believe that it is focusing on being with others and ourselves, rather than seeking solutions to problems, that helps us to accept ourselves and support us in our work and relationships. Positive outlook, emotional honesty and respect for others provide us with good grounds for working with each other, and gives us space for new things to emerge. I love working with dreams, symbols and image making.
I have learnt from many people, including Malawian spiritual healers, menopausal women in England and young persons in CAMHS.
TRUSTEE
Stacey Gabriel
Stacey is a highly experienced education professional with over a decade in teaching and leadership roles across Bristol, including serving for 7 years as an Assistant Head Teacher.
She is currently undertaking therapist training, and works across the city supporting young people who have social communication needs such as Autism with their mental health and anxiety.
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With expertise in pedagogy, safeguarding, inclusion, and mental health, Stacey is passionate about creating inclusive environments that promote staff and student well-being and engagement. A certified Mental Health First Aider, and trauma informed schools practitioner, she has led initiatives that enhance school culture, support mental health, and ensure positive outcomes for students and staff alike.
Stacey’s collaborative approach and commitment to evidence-based practices make her an invaluable resource for schools seeking to address the mental health and inclusion needs of their communities.
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OPERATIONAL MANAGER &
ASSOCIATE PRACTITIONER
Tracey Pegden
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Tracey is an education practitioner with over 10 years experience in secondary education, working in behaviour support, inclusion and safeguarding. During that time she worked with the most vulnerable and disaffected students and their families to develop positive relationships to ensure the best possible outcomes for students. Tracey was responsible for designing and delivering programmes to support students suffering from anxiety and to teach techniques for anger management. Tracey believes that a relational approach based on respect and trust where students and their families feel heard is the key to success.
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Tracey is passionate about introducing reflective practice in education settings in order to promote wellbeing among staff.
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ASSOCIATE - INDEPENDENT SOCIAL WORKER
Jo Griffin
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Jo has over 20 years experience working in a range of social care settings, including mental health and children’s safeguarding as a social worker and a team manager. This work has included extensive collaboration within education and health settings.
Jo is particularly interested in systemic practice, therapeutic approaches and reflective supervision. He believes passionately in the importance of quality reflective practice that can support practitioners to process and work through emotionally challenging and stuck situations. Building collaborative and compassionate relationships with children, families and other professionals is at the heart of what he does.
ASSOCIATE - COACH
Emily Wright
CPCC, ACC
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Emily has been practising as a coach since 2013, certified by the Coaches Training Institute and accredited by the International Coach Federation. Her coaching supports clients to build confidence, reconnect with themselves and make purposeful decisions. Emily is also certified in grief coaching. She is passionate about working with people experiencing the inevitable journey of loss and runs regular groups.
With a background as a professional musician and vocal coach at Bristol University, Emily facilitates group work challenging performance anxiety and confronting the saboteurs that hold us back from reaching our potential. Emily’s approach creates a warm, nurturing space for people to discover their inner strength and make purposeful change in their lives.
