Alla Yansons
Alla Yansons is the CEO of Restart Foundation.
Alla was a leading psychologist and speaker in Ukraine for over 15 years. As well as running a successful relationship psychology practice, she led hundreds of workshops all over Ukraine on topics as diverse as women’s happiness and empowerment, family psychology and happy relationships. She featured regularly on Ukrainian TV and radio shows and hosted numerous webinars.
Prior to re-training as a psychologist, Alla was Head of the Operations Department for a leading Ukrainian bank and worked for several years in the banking sector in Kyiv.
Alla holds a BA in Psychology from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a BA in Finance and an MA in Financial Management from Kyiv National University of Economics.
Restart Foundation was envisioned and created by Alla following the 2022 invasion of her native country. Alla is passionate about bringing her skills and knowledge to benefit the people of Ukraine and to help build a happier and stronger country.
In her free time, Alla loves reading about new psychology practices, wellbeing, coaching and practices which help people to live their best and fullest lives.
Leonora Meriel
Leonora Meriel is the Chair of Trustees of Restart Foundation.
Leonora is a British novelist, whose books are often set in Ukraine.
Leonora lived in Ukraine for ten years, during which time she co-founded and was CEO of Yakaboo, Ukraine’s largest bookshop and one of Ukraine’s leading on-line retailers. She also served as President of the International Women’s Club of Kyiv, a charity which raised over $100,000 per year to help local organisations.
Prior to that, Leonora lived in New York, where she worked for Clifford Chance law firm and UNESCO at the United Nations.
Recently, Leonora has worked as a volunteer for The Trussell Trust, the UK’s largest foodbank, and LEAH, a charity which teaches English to refugees.
She has a Masters degree in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh and Queen’s University, Canada. She has an MBA from Kyiv Mohyla Business School, part of the Mohylanka Academy, the oldest university in Ukraine.
Her hobbies include running, reading, travelling, exploring and anything book related.
Victoria Goncharuk
Victoria Goncharuk is a Trustee of Restart Foundation.
Victoria is currently a member of the Sustainable Development Team of the Delegation of the EU to the United Nations, based in New York.
Prior to her move to the US in 2020, Victoria worked for the EU Delegation to Ukraine, in Kyiv.
She also worked for the Embassy of Sweden to Ukraine; the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC); and the Ukrainian NGO “Sunshine for people affected by Chernobyl NPPD.”
Victoria has also worked as a translator for various international TV Channels, including ARTE (France) and TBS (Japan).
Victoria has a BA in Linguistics and Translation from the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, and has been studying Analytical Psychology at the European Psychology School since 2021.
Victoria is passionate about psychology and understands the importance of good mental health in daily life. In her free time she works to deepen her understanding of the subject.
She cares deeply about animals and their welfare and is an active volunteer of the “Transform A Street Dog” NGO, which has been helping animals in Ukraine since the start of the ongoing war.
She also loves traveling and networking.
Vefa Tahmazova
Vefa Tahmazova is a Trustee of Restart Foundation.
Vefa graduated from the Azerbaijan State Medical University with a degree in pediatrics.
Following university, she taught at a medical school.
From 2009 to 2013 she lived in Kyiv, Ukraine, and came to know and love this remarkable country. She was an active participant of the International Women’s Club of Kyiv (IWCK) and returns to Ukraine whenever she can.
In 2013 she moved to the UK where she changed career to the education sector and was the Managing Director of the Azerbaijani branch of an English educational company. Since 2019, she has worked as an educational consultant for this company.
In 2023, Vefa joined Restart Foundation as a Trustee, in order to bring her knowledge and love of Ukraine to create positive change during this difficult time for the country.
In her free time, Vefa loves cooking Azerbaijani food and dancing.
Sharon Jackson
Sharon Jackson is Restart Foundation’s Fundraising Specialist.
Sharon has over 20 years of experience in the charity sector and is Director of Jackson Gray Consulting, which advises both in raising funds for non-profit organisations and also in assisting donors with philanthropic strategies.
She is the Co-Executive Director of One to One Children’s Fund, which brings life-saving health care and support to mothers and children living in last mile communities in South Africa.
Sharon was Head of Philanthropy for the Hope and Homes for Children charity between 2021 and 2023, and worked with orphanages in Eastern Ukraine to return children to their families and to prevent conditions that lead to family separation. Sharon visited Ukraine as part of her work for the charity and saw for herself the great need for support among vulnerable people in the country.
Sharon has a degree in Sociology and Business Management from Leeds Trinity University and a Post Grad Certificate in Marketing and CIM Marketing from Wolverhampton University.
Sharon spends her free time with her two sons, her husband and her dog.
Oksana Zaleska
Oksana Zaleska is an Advisor to Restart Foundation and acts as a Supervisor of the psychologists working with the Safe Space program.
Oksana is one of the leading child psychologists in Ukraine and is a co-creator of the Safe Space programme, which has been used in the Ukrainian education system since 2015.
She has 28 years of experience working with children and adults who have suffered from trauma, psychosomatic disorders and behavioural problems, among others. She is a Senior Expert of the Mental Health Centre of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy – one of Ukraine’s leading universities. She works as an expert for the UNICEF Children’s Fund, and is a member of many professional organisations, including the International Association of Analytical Psychology (IAAP), the Ukrainian Group for the Development of Analytical Psychology (UGR IAAP) and the Professional Association of Children’s Analytical Psychologists (PAChAP).
Oksana is a Jungian analyst and author of the adapted version of Jung’s method “Serial Drawing” for emergency use for war-affected children.
She has a PhD in Psychology and has completed many training programmes in trauma therapies, including a certification in ASD, PTSD, Resiliency, Psychotrauma treatment methods, from the Israel Trauma Coalition.
She has authored numerous papers and given presentations and lectures, as well as working directly with schools and institutions in the conflict-zones of Ukraine, helping to prevent trauma among Ukraine’s children and educators.
