Steve and Lyn Richards started the online educational revolution back in 1999 as directors of North Star Worldwide (NSW) Learning and bring with them a wealth of experience. Steve has held several senior positions within UK schools including being a Headteacher in two independent schools as well as being a Project Manager within a major UK educational charity. He holds master’s degrees in Special Educational Needs and History. Lyn originally trained as a nurse at Guy’s Hospital in London before undertaking post-graduate study in business management. She previously established and ran a successful catering business. Lyn also edited the critically acclaimed book Making the Right Impression, the recollections of 21 Christian home educators. Steve and Lyn home educated all four of their own children and have spent almost thirty years speaking, writing and consulting widely on home education. Following the merger of the long-established and highly-respected NSWLearning with Immanuel Online School, we are delighted to welcome Steve and Lyn onto our board of reference.
Christian Takushi, a Macro Economist and former Swiss bank director, has over three decades of invaluable experience within the Global Investment Industry. His expertise spans across Currencies, Emerging Markets, and Geopolitics, establishing him as a trusted advisor to policymakers and institutional investors, particularly in navigating overlooked geopolitical macroeconomic risks. Since 2012, he has been a prolific writer, sharing insights and analyses through his geopolitical newsletter. Beyond his professional endeavors, Christian, alongside his wife Rachel, serve as deacons, offering guidance and support to individuals within the financial industry. Their commitment extends to mentoring both young and seasoned leaders. Their multi-lingual family spans and connects Switzerland, UK, Germany, Asia and South America.
Robert Harris plays an active role in the Lords and Commons Family and Child Protection Group having formerly served as its Joint Convenor for five years. He is the Strategy Director of Voice for Justice UK. He is also an author, editor and contributor to various books and reports on the family, contemporary social issues and education, including What Are They Teaching the Children (2016). Robert read Philosophy at University College London and holds a Graduate Diploma in Law from the University of Law. He is a regular guest on Revelation TV’s Politics Today programme. He serves as a Commissioner of CIDAC, the Commission of Inquiry into Discrimination Against Christians: a two-year Inquiry that is gathering witness testimonies and tasked with investigating the nature, context and scale of discrimination faced by UK Christians. He chaired the planning group that established CIDAC.
Professor Paul C. Salins is the Medical Director and Senior Vice-President of the Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre and Managing Director of the Mazumdar Shaw Medical Foundation in Bangalore, India. He is also Chairman of the International Centre for Innovation, Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship (InCITE), BIRAC – BioNest. In addition to medical and scientific pursuits, Prof. Salins is a committed Christian, has significant interests in art and classical music and is passionate about exploring the influence of culture in education as a vital substrate for creativity.
David Chadwick is an experienced pastor and adviser to churches and Christian organisations, with a strong focus on the Kingdom of God, Christian unity and the liberating application of the Gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit in every area of life. He lives in south Wales.
Ruth is the founder of the online educational platforms TestandTrack.io, TeachingComputing.com, and TeachYourselfPython.com, which - at their peak - were used by over 2000 schools worldwide. As the Head of ICT/Computing and formerly an Advanced Skills Teacher at a secondary school in South London, Ruth has been Consortium Lead for a cluster of schools and is a highly experienced classroom teacher and a popular Udemy instructor with over 9,000 enrolled students. Ruth is actively involved in church life and ministry.
Lovily Vito Chishi, along with her husband Khetoshe are involved with a number of pioneering Christian ministries in Nagaland. Lovily oversees the leadership, administration and running of the Royal School in Dimapur. The Royal School is run primarily as a ministry and provides a holistic and transformative education that is both affordable and Bible based. Having achieved a Psychology honours degree from LSR, Lovily went on to major in Christian Studies at SAIACS. She also studied Children's Ministry at CFNI, Dallas, TX, USA. Having grown up in the campus of Christ for the Nations Bible College in Kohima, she continues to be actively involved in children's evangelism in the area. In her spare time, Lovily enjoys writing poems and reading. She has four beautiful daughters with Khetoshe and enjoys time with family.
David is an experienced software engineer who has worked for PwC and Suncorp in Australia and from 2011 to 2021 served with a university student ministry in Peru, through Serving in Mission (SIM) Australia. David was also the creator and developer of Uconnecta, a project commissioned by the Peruvian government to improve the quality and efficiency of communications at universities in Peru. More recently, he has developed FasterWeb.io to facilitate near-instantaneous website loading.