TRUSTEES

RUPERT PAGE

Rupert Page has worked in both formal and informal education contexts for over 20 years. Having started his career working for the country’s leading Theatre In Education companies he has been a youth worker, teacher and senior manager in various different institutions. Most recently Rupert was employed as Head of School at Richmond upon Thames College, in west London, where he successfully managed a team of fifty staff with pastoral and academic responsibility for over 1500 students. He has a firm and enduring commitment to bringing about social change through education and believes in the power of human beings to determine our future conditions.

MOHAMMED NAZAM

A professional musician and composer for twenty years, Mohammed Nazam is also a respected music educator. In February of 2005 Mo was invited to participate in two events for HRH The Prince Of Wales. One was a project that saw the Prince attending a recording session led by renowned music producer Trevor Horn (who has produced worldwide hit records for Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Seal, Yes and Buggles).In March 2005 Mo was invited to a special Celebration of British Music at Buckingham Palace, hosted by HRH The Queen and Prince Phillip, which was attended by over 500 guests, including some of the most influential and popular musicians, composers, artists and producers from the British Music Industry.

Born in Pakistan, Mo grew up in the UK where he was exposed to music and art from all over the world, ranging from the Indian film scores of his childhood to the rock, soul and jazz that are the foundations of the contemporary music styles found in one of the worlds most vibrant cities. Mo took up the guitar at age 15 and started playing in local bands right away. Since then he has gone on to play with some of the most prestigious musicians and bands in the UK.

In early 1997 Mo was commissioned by the Soho Jazz Festival to write a new composition to be debuted at the ’97 Festival, held in late September. Established for 12 years the Soho Jazz Festival is an internationally renowned event and this was the first time that a new piece of music has been especially written for the festival. The piece highlights the variety of cultural and musical styles that Mo has been involved with as a musician, composer and avid fan.

In 1999 Mo, together with computer wizard Phil Thompson, was commissioned by Serious Productions (one of Europe’s leading music promoters) for a one off project. The X Foundation, featuring random musical ideas generated by computer fractals combined with a live band, was a psychedelic sci-fi extravaganza that (in true Rock ‘n’ Roll spirit) split immediately after it’s first performance, due to musical differences.

But of course, that’s not all.

Since 2001 Mo has worked with The Prince’s Trust on their residential SoundLive courses teaching socially disadvantaged young people (homeless, substance mis-users, ex-offenders) to play instruments and perform live. The week-long course features a strong focus on personal development, team working, communication and motivational skills. Each day the students learn music from around the world and work in bands, culminating in a grand gala concert at the end of the week. He also teaches guitar and leads Jazz workshops at Richmond Upon Thames College in Twickenham.

For much of the 90’s Mo wrote articles and reviews for numerous music magazines including Melody maker, The Guitar Magazine and Making Music. For the Guitar Magazine he interviewed such legendary artists as John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, Mike Stern, John Scofield, Steve Lukather, Al DiMeola and Robben Ford. Recently he started writing for the Guitarist, one of Europe’s leading music magazines, and has so far written pieces on George Benson, Pat Metheny, Todd Rundgren and a cover story on John 5.

Currently he’s trying to get some sleep.

SHAREEFA CHOUDHURY

Shareefa is a Communications Advisor for the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Shareefa holds a masters degree in Biochemistry from Oxford University. She has previously worked for JPMorgan Chase, Forum Against Islamophobia and Racism (FAIR), and the Muslim Youth Helpline (MYH), a UK NGO which delivers faith and culturally sensitive counseling services for young British Muslims, as its first Director.Prior to joining DFID, Shareefa worked for the UK Government’s Department for Communities and Local Government on the Prevent strand of the government’s counter terrorism strategy.

Shareefa was formerly on the founding Steering Committee for Mosaic, a mentoring project under the HRH Prince of Wales’ charities; and an advisor to the Centre for Ethics and Legislation (CILE) based in Doha, Qatar. She is currently also an Advisor to MYH and an Alumni of the Transatlantic Forum for Migration and Integration (TFMI).

ALLA LAPIDUS

Alla Lapidus: My two jobs are being a stepmother to three teenagers and running an international PR agency based in London. I am involved in and support Berakah because I passionately believe that we need to raise consciousness on all levels, in particular how we relate to each other and every part of our gorgeous planet. I have been a supporter of Berakah for many years and love the vision and possibilities for change, and of course the fantastic music. In my spare time I do pilates, enjoy dancing and food and going to the theatre with my husband. I also advise the Emerge Poverty Free charity, and participate in local environmental and educational initiatives.

FRANK DABBA SMITH

Frank Dabba Smith was born in 1955 in California and earned his first degree in Linguistic Anthropology at the University of California at Berkeley. After working as a freelance photographer and teacher, he trained to be a Liberal Rabbi at Leo Baeck College in London and has served since 1997 at Mosaic Liberal Synagogue (formerly known as Harrow and Wembley Progressive Synagogue). He holds MA degrees in Hebrew and Jewish studies as well as in Photographic Studies. Currently, he is completing final minor revisions on his PhD dissertation at University College London (UCL) concerning the behaviour of the renowned camera manufacturer Ernst Leitz of Wetzlar during the Holocaust. He teaches courses on dying, death and bereavement as well as on the Holocaust to rabbinic students at Leo Baeck College. Frank Dabba Smith’s publications include My Secret Camera (Harcourt and Frances Lincoln, 2000) and Elsie’s War (Frances Lincoln, 2003). Recent solo photographic exhibitions include Leica Gallery (New York City, 2012), SAK-Art Museum (Svendborg, Denmark, 2012) and co-exhibiting with sculptor Jane McAdam Freud at the Priory Psychiatric Hospital (Roehampton, London, 2014). He serves on the International Advisory Committee of EcoPeace-Middle East, as Vice-Chair of the Brent Multi-faith Forum, on the Independent Advisory Group of the Metropolitan Police in the London Borough of Brent and as a trustee to Berakah-Arts. Frank Dabba Smith has been married to Cathy since 1986 and they have three children: Miriam (1991), Lewis (1995) and Sarah (1997).

JANE ROTHERY

Jane Rothery has had over 15 years’ experience working with Boards and Committees in all sectors. A Chartered Secretary, specialising in Corporate Governance, her paper on ‘Governance Practices & Performance in Registered Social Landlords’ has been adopted as reference material for PhD students. In her professional life, Jane offers support for company directors and committee members. As an enthusiastic mentor Jane brings her skills and experiences together to motivate and develop individuals and build stakeholder relationships. She enjoys learning about different cultures and says she is lucky to have the opportunity to work with amazing people from diverse backgrounds.Generally, her work has been with housing associations and charities although she has also worked with a number of private clients. Jane lives in South London with her husband John, and enjoys reading, travelling and hiking.