CEO & Founder
Naomi Lerer
Noa Girls is under the direction of CEO, Naomi Lerer, who established Noa in 2009 after 14 years of working with adolescents in the Jewish community. Naomi holds two MAs, one in Psychodynamic Approaches to Working with Adolescents (Tavistock) and an MA in Child, Adolescent and Family Psychological Therapy (Tavistock) as well as a BA (Hons) Business (Manchester Metropolitan University). Naomi is also a graduate of the prestigious
Clore Social Leadership Programme.
Trustees
Karen Harris, Sharon Green, Emma-Jane Weider, Dr Naomi Sacks, Jacqueline Benjamin, Nechama Rosenberg, Dr Talia Ezra and Rebbetzin Feige Hager
Our Trustee board is led by Karen Harris who brings her extensive experience both as CEO of a number of companies and over 10 years as a trustee for national Jewish charities. Karen’s background in marketing and her strong entrepreneurial and management skills uniquely place her to lead our robust women-led board. Sharon Green has been with Noa from the beginning, growing the organisation with a budget of £15,000 providing support to just 8 girls to our current service which assists 170 girls a year. Sharon brings her background in education and is a tireless ambassador of Noa and the girls we support, building and maintaining community links. Emma-Jane Weider, managing partner at Maurice Turnor Gardner LLP, lends her legal expertise and knowledge of the philanthropic world as a top-tier trusts and charities solicitor, whilst Dr Naomi Sacks’ joint roles as community GP together with her position of Vice Chair of West London NHS Clinical Commissioning Group with a portfolio including children and mental health, provides the board with the necessary clinical experience and deep understanding of the local authority structures. Jacqueline Benjamin honed her strong skills in strategy and business at Goldman Sachs and is now director of Xexec, a company she co-founded. Jaqueline’s entrepreneurial experience, together with her position as governor of a local Jewish girls’ secondary school, will further complement the expertise of our board. Dr Talia Ezra is a GP Partner in Stamford Hill where she has a keen interest in women’s, adolescents’ and children’s medicine. She works with and represents the Charedi community and is involved in safeguarding. Rebbetzin Feige Hager is head of the sem, Be’er Miriam, bringing her extensive understanding of and years working with adolescent girls with her strong community links in both NW London and Stamford Hill to champion Noa. Each member of our strong, diverse team of trustees provide invaluable support towards furthering Noa’s vision of making long-lasting changes for our girls and their future families and that no girl should struggle alone.
Rabbinical Guidance
Rabbi Yisrael Meir Greenberg & Rabbi Shloime Yitzchak Bixenspanner
Noa is under the auspices of both Rabbi Greenberg and Rabbi Bixenspanner who give rabbinical guidance where necessary.
We have a dedicated professional staff including 18 clinical managers, social workers and therapists and 9 key workers all of whom are highly qualified in the therapeutic field. Together with the CEO, our managing staff now consists of clinical psychologists, counselling psychologists, child and adolescent psychotherapists and family therapists.
Clinical direction and support is provided for all staff by highly qualified and experienced Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists and Clinical Psychologists including Amy Davidow, Helena Cowan and Dr Carolyn Webber.
Noa is supported by our team of around 46 volunteer mentors, who are a key component of the work we do. To inquire about joining this team, please click here.
Our volunteer mentors come from across the community, women who are as varied in their experiences, interests and passions as the girls at Noa. What they do have in common is their warmth, their willingness to listen, their acceptance and their belief in meeting each new person without judgement. In our mentors, you will find a mixture of wisdom and fun, seriousness and silliness, caring and laughter, someone who is always in your corner and, together, provide a dedicated additional support to the girls at Noa.