Noel founded FirstSteps as part of a broader commitment to ensuring that no child in Nigeria is left behind because of how they learn. He is the Founder and CEO of Hope for African Children Initiative, a nonprofit advancing inclusive education and child rights across Nigeria.

Noel is a PhD Candidate, an Obama Foundation Fellow, and a graduate of Vanderbilt University's Peabody College of Education and Human Development, one of the world's leading schools of education. He served as a Trauma Informed Schools Specialist with Metro Nashville Public Schools and has partnered with UN Women and Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Gender and Women Affairs. His work sits at the intersection of education, inclusion, and systems change, and FirstSteps is where that work meets children directly.