Founders and staff
Founders
Wendell Smith
Founder and Consultant
Wendell was the founder and developer in the USA of an east coast medical business, before coming to the UK to start working with the homeless in London. Wendell and his wife Lois co-founded Nehemiah as a response to the complex needs of homeless and marginalised people. Wendell was responsible for Nehemiah's continued development and growth into prisons.
Lois Smith
Founder and Consultant
Lois founded and ran a property business in Connecticut, USA. She also bred and raise polled Hertford cattle as a hobby on their small farm. Lois, a trained counsellor, had vast addiction experience through her work on the streets of Earl's Court, and saw the need to start a residential home to address the many needs of broken people, that has grown to what it is today. Lois was responsible for overseeing the day to day running and financial management of the charity.
Staff
Richard McGill
London Area Prison Manager
Richard was an IT consultant before joining Nehemiah. He co-ordinates Nehemiah’s prison programme A New Direction, and also manages all of Nehemiah’s IT systems. He has been part of Nehemiah since it began in 1992.
Robert Oberman
Programme Quality and Expansion
Sydney Coy
Prison Operations Director
Syd is well-known for all those familiar with Nehemiah who will recognise him as a former head of the rehabillitation home care team.
We are now pleased to welcome him back as director of prison operations
Andrew Kilbride
Fundraiser
Andrew worked in the city for 12 years before moving to the charity sector. He is now our fundraiser.
David Horridge
Facilities Maintenance
David has been on team since April 2008 as a year of service in our Rehab care team. He is now working to maintain our properties in London and assisting Robert with program development. He is in his second year studying counselling.