Charlotte Williams
CEO
Charlotte is the founder of Elysian and brings extensive experience from across the social care sector. Prior to establishing Elysian in 2015, she worked in a wide range of settings supporting individuals with complex needs and managing multidisciplinary teams across children’s services and family support.
With over a decade of experience in children’s residential care, children’s rights, participation, and user involvement, Charlotte is a strong advocate for ensuring the voices of children and young people are central to decision-making. She has held leadership roles spanning service management, training, supervision, commissioning, and quality assurance, with a continued focus on improving outcomes for individuals and families.
Charlotte is deeply committed to championing the rights of children and young people and believes strongly in the transformative potential of human–animal relationships. This belief underpins her passion for embedding ethical, purposeful animal-assisted interventions within educational and therapeutic spaces.
Nick Lee
Strategic Lead for Business Development & Innovation
Nick has over thirty years’ experience in education, including 17 years in senior leadership roles, most recently as Head of Secondary School at the British International School of Washington DC. He is a registered inspector with COBIS and BSO and brings extensive insight into school quality, leadership, and professional development across international contexts.
As Strategic Lead for Elysian Academy, Nick develops and delivers short courses and in-person learning experiences. He is passionate about translating practical, on-the-ground experience in animal assisted interventions into accessible, high-quality training that supports wellbeing, ethical practice, and meaningful impact for both people and animals.
David Boxall
Training & Development Coordinator
David Boxall is the Training and Development Coordinator at Elysian Academy and an experienced educator and training facilitator. He has worked across a range of educational and specialist settings, including The Harbour School (Portsmouth), Autism Hampshire, and the National Autistic Society, and has served on the steering committee for Cambridge University’s Autism Centre of Excellence.
Specialising in autism and anxiety, David delivers practical, evidence-informed training to schools and businesses across the UK. His work focuses on helping people understand the physiological and psychological impact of stress and pressure, and on developing emotional intelligence and self-regulation skills. He has also worked with young people in animal assisted interventions, combining education, wellbeing, and experiential learning.
