Governor Biographies

Wes has more than 25 years of experience in education, with many of those as a senior leader in both general and specialist further and higher education institutions across the north of England.

He became Campus Principal at Newton Rigg College, Penrith, in 2012, before Lancaster and Morecambe College in April 2017, where he steered the college from an Ofsted rating of ‘requires improvement’ to overall ‘good’ within two years, where inspectors praised a ‘clear vision for the College’ and how they had ‘reshaped many elements of the curriculum offer’ to be more work-focused.

Wes also became a Director of Lancaster & District Chamber of Commerce in 2018, and is Chair of The Lancashire Colleges organisation.

Jane has been a board member at the College since 2016 and in December 2017 she took over the role of being the link governor for safeguarding and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. For 27 years, Jane was a practicing solicitor, specialising in personal injury claims, predominantly for trade union members. Whilst running her own firm she was responsible for developing best practice for clients, marketing and all aspects of financial and personnel management.

She took over from the retiring Allan Foster in January 2024 as Chair of Corporation.

Alli has over 25 years’ experience in the Higher Education Sector, much of it focussing on STEM areas. She has held a wide range of posts from Lecturer to Chief Academic Officer and is currently a Dean at a private higher education provider. She also undertakes consultancy work to a range of FE and HE institutions both in the UK and overseas.

Alli has extensive experience of driving innovation in teaching, learning and course/ curriculum development whilst maintaining quality and standards and delivering a high-quality experience to all stakeholders.

Alli has also served as a governor at Preston’s College and is currently a Director of SfJ Awards Ltd (and Chair of the Quality and Standards Committee) and The Lancashire Partnership Against Crime.

Debbie joined Myerscough College’s Board of Governors in April 2018 after being elected to the role of Support Staff Governor. Her career within the FE and HE sector has spanned over 20 years in a variety of managerial support roles, including Director of Corporate Services at Myerscough College. Her role oversees Admissions as well as the College and University Centre’s Graduation and Award Ceremonies.

Robin has worked within the education and skills sector for over 22 years.  In April 2019 he retired as Executive Director of The Lancashire Colleges (TLC), a role that he had held on two occasions since 2005. TLC was established to support the work of FE Colleges in Lancashire and ensure they had a voice with local, regional and national officials and politicians. He undertook a similar role for the Greater Manchester Colleges between 2011 and 2015. 

Robin was the first National Director of Communications for the Learning and Skills Council, prior to which he was Head of Communications of the Further Education Funding Council after moving from positions in university and local government sectors. Along the way, he also spent four years as Clerk to a Governing Board in a General Further Education College.

Sue is a management accountant who worked at Accrington and Rossendale College for 30 years holding managerial roles in finance and other support services and becoming Vice Principal of Finance and Corporate Services.

Sue has a personal interest in much of the College’s curriculum particularly farming, animals and sport. She is committed to supporting an educational environment that builds confidence and allows all students, whatever age or background, to enjoy their time at College and reach their potential.

Rob worked for over 32 years in both industry and academia. He spent the first 22 of these working in a variety of roles across BAE Systems, eventually being the Head of Research and Technology for the Military Aircraft part of the business. He then moved to the University of Central Lancashire to be the Dean of Engineering, where he developed a passion for enabling students from all backgrounds to succeed which aligns completely with the Myerscough College ethos.

He became Vice Chair of the Corporation in January 2024.

Richard Morris is a Fellow Chartered Certified Accountant, with more than 30 years’ experience delivering Financial and Treasury services. The majority of Richard’s career has been in the social housing sector, with his experienced broadening to management and leadership roles in the construction sector and Further Education.

Born in rural Lancashire, Richard has a passion for agriculture, the countryside and environment and is committed to supporting the College’s Vision of Empowering Futures creating the workforce for the future. Richard joined the Board of Myerscough Governors in 2024.

Kathryn worked in the education and skills sector for over 30 years after an early career as a nurse and health visitor. After a successful career in several further education colleges, with a strong focus on developing high quality vocational provision, Kathryn joined the Adult Learning Inspectorate, moving to Ofsted in 2006.

At Ofsted she was involved in the development of inspection frameworks and had responsibility for Children Centre Inspections and Safeguarding in the FES sector inspections. Following her retirement from a Senior HMI post, Kathryn has continued to carry out Ofsted inspections, alongside successful consultancy work to support colleges and providers to improve their provision for learners.

She is a passionate advocate of ensuring that everyone has the opportunities and support to reach their potential through high quality education.