Governor Biographies

Wes Johnson - Chief Executive and Principal

Wes took over in September 2023, having undertaken the same role at Lancaster & Morecambe College, taking over from Alison Robinson following her retirement.

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.

Previous roles have seen Wes lead and deliver education in many settings, from serving rural populations in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Northumberland to disadvantaged urban communities in areas of Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Leeds and Bradford.

As a former teacher trainer and curriculum specialist, Wes has a passion for high impact teaching and learning, underpinning the positive influence colleges have in raising aspiration, life chances and the economic wellbeing of individuals, businesses and wider communities.

After leaving school, Wes set up his own countryside management contracting business working in agriculture, fencing and forestry, before gaining a HND in Rural Land Management with Distinction at Brackenhurst College, near Nottingham.

He then moved into teaching, where he took up a position at North Lindsey College, and then as teaching and learning manager at Craven College in 2004, where he was promoted to Assistant Principal, then Vice Principal, and Acting Principal.

He became Campus Principal at Newton Rigg College, Penrith, in 2012, a position which was expanded to include Askham Bryan’s centres in the North-East.

Wes took charge of Lancaster and Morecambe College in April 2017.

Under his leadership, Wes 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 Booker – Chair of Corporation, Chair of Audit and Governance & Link Governor for Safeguarding and EDI

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.

Allison Jones - Chair of Quality and Standards Committee

Allison is has over 20 years’ experience in the Higher Education Sector, most of it focussing in STEM areas. She has held a wide range of posts from Lecturer to Executive Dean and is currently a consultant providing HE leadership advice and services to a range of FE and HE institutions both in the UK and overseas.

Allison has focussed on driving innovation in teaching, learning and course development through multi-agency partnership working whilst maintaining a quality and standards and a high-quality experience to all stakeholders.

Allison has served as a governor at Preston’s College and is currently a Director of Skills for Justice Awards and The Lancashire Partnership Against Crime.

Debbie Clayton – Support Staff Governor

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.

David Hall - Governor

David has lived his entire live at Cherry Clough Farm in Denshaw, Saddleworth. He joined the National Farmers Union as North West Regional Director from the beef and lamb arm of Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. David is a former student at Myerscough College, and his career began at the College as a lecturer in Business which developed into a project managing role in the College’s Rural Business Centre. He then worked as a regional manager for European Farming and Food Partnerships working across many sectors including, horticulture, dairy and cereals.

Robin Newton-Syms

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.

Barbara Goby - Governor

Barbara is a semi-retired consultant and trainer, specialising in the Further Education sector, where she is focused on developing the resources and materials to deliver high-quality training for post 16 providers. She was a former Ofsted inspector and held the position of English and Maths Manager at St Helens College.

Kevin Burke - Governor

Kevin has served in the Royal Air Force as an engineering officer, managing combat aircraft operations, before going on to lead Advanced Technology Training programmes at the RAF College. He has worked at BAE SYSTEMS as Head of Sponsored Programmes and subsequently moved into the role of Regional Director for the North of England for the Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths Network (STEMNET), working closely with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy; and co-ordinating schools STEM strategy across the region. Kevin’s interest in the direct delivery of skills locally then led him to take on the role of Divisional Head for iSTEM at Preston’s College, working closely with local employers, and significantly developing the engineering capability of the College. In 2016 Kevin moved into his current position within the Department for Education as a Policy Lead specialising in Further Education, where he has responsibilities for elements of the technical education transformation programme, including the introduction of T Levels.

Sue Collinge - Governor

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.

Clare James - Governor

Clare is an AAT and CIPFA qualified accountant with over twenty years’ experience in local government. She became Corporate Director for Resources at Wyre Council in 2019 and, with strong links in the area, enjoys working for and with her local community.

Clare remembers visiting the college as a child and is excited to be part of its ongoing development, helping to support its ambitions and ensure a safe and nurturing environment for students to achieve their full potential.

Rob Wallace - Vice Chair

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. In this role he has planned and implemented the development of the Engineering Innovation Centre transforming the University engineering provision. He also 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.

Rafik Adam - Governor

Rafik Adam is CEO is of Enterprise4All. He is APM & ACBC qualified and has helped contribute to economic growth and development across Lancashire through Entrepreneurship & Business Growth initiatives through Enterprise4All, having supported over 2,500 individuals and businesses, as well as helped create over 1,000 new jobs locally since 2013. Rafik has an extensive background locally & regionally in Public Sector Economic Development and Regeneration with particular success in development and delivery of Programmes funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Rafik has also served as a Magistrate on the Lancashire bench for almost 20 years since 2002, having been appointed as one of the youngest Magistrates in the country at that time. He is active in a number of social and community developments to assist local businesses and individuals, and been an integral part of one such group winning the Queens Award for Voluntary Service in 2018.