Governance

David Meadowcroft joined the Board in March 2015. David is an Operations Director with CBRE having previously worked with organisations such as Carillion, RBS, Ministry of Defence and Barclays.  David has a passion for supporting the development of young people and he is proud that he has been a college/ school governor for over 15 years. David grew up in West Cumbria, which is where he developed a passion for the countryside and outdoor pursuits. He lives in Deanshanger with his wife and two teenage sons. David is also a member of the Remuneration Committee.

Dr Liz Marr joined the Board in December 2011 and is Director of Teaching at the Open University. After leaving school and going straight into the workplace, she started university as a mature student. A BSc, MSc and PhD later, Liz began working as a lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University where she eventually became head of widening participation. In 2009, she moved to the OU where she has been able to pursue her passion - the provision of higher education as a means of achieving social justice. Liz was awarded the MBA in Higher Education Management with Distinction at the Institute of Education, University of London, in 2012 and is co-author of ‘Identity Crisis: Working in Higher Education in the 21st Century’, published by Trentham Books. Liz is (joint) Vice Chair of Governors, a member of the Remuneration Committee and chairs the Curriculum & Quality Group. Liz is also Governor Champion for SEND.

Dotun Adeoye joined the Board in February 2018 and has over 20 years of leadership experience in digital product innovation and disruptive innovation strategy. He runs 235 Digital which is a successful digital innovation consultancy. Dotun has a BA in English Language from OAU in Nigeria and executive certificates from Harvard Business School, Cambridge, Wharton, Erasmus University and MIT Sloan School of Management. Dotun has lived in Milton Keynes since 2011 and focuses a lot of his time in mentoring, writing about disruptive technology and spending time with his family. 

Rebecca Carrington joined the board in December 2017.  Rebecca is Principal of Arts1, an independent theatre school offering specialist training to children, young people and adults including full time courses in the post-16 sector.  Rebecca holds a PGCE in Post-16 education from the University of Greenwich, a Masters Degree in Performance from the University of East Anglia, a Post Graduate Diploma in Musical Theatre from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and a BA first class honours in Modern Drama Studies and English Literature from Brunel University.  Having worked at a number of FE colleges and specialist institutions as a theatre specialist, Rebecca is passionate about high quality, inspiring and stimulating learning environments that enable learners to thrive in developing their skills and creativity. Rebecca spends most of her time involved in educational and business management but is also a member of Milton Keynes Arts and Heritage Alliance, a forum of creative and cultural organisations that work together to position the arts and heritage sectors as strategic contributors to the community and economy of Milton Keynes.  Rebecca is a member of the Curriculum and Quality Group.

Peter Cox joined the Board in July 2014. Peter is a corporate partner in the Milton Keynes office of Dentons, a global law firm. Peter's particular expertise is in corporate finance transactions. His practice covers banking, mergers, acquisitions and disposals, establishing and reorganising businesses, joint ventures, venture capital and private equity investments. He also heads the Dentons Company Secretarial team. Peter is a member of the Audit & Risk Committee and the Search & Governance Committee.

Louise was elected as a Staff Governor in 2016 and having worked at the College for 11 years, starting as a Lecturer in Computing and IT, she is now Head of School for Digital Technologies. Louise previously had management responsibility for Student Services so has gained a good understanding of the wider issues facing students and their support needs, further reinforced by her role as Safeguarding Officer. Louise says she has a strong motivation to improve the experience of students through quality teaching, learning, assessment and support, and she is an advocate of eLearning and effective systems. Louise wants to provide an effective Staff Voice to assist the Board’s strategic decision making.

Dr Julie Mills was appointed Principal & Chief Executive of Milton Keynes College in January 2011.  Prior to her appointment, Julie was Deputy Principal for five years.  Julie is an Open University graduate and was awarded a doctorate in 2005 for her academic research into the psychological contract of prison education staff. Julie is passionate about closing diversity gaps and challenging discrimination and has been a mentor for the Black Leadership Initiative and the Women’s Leadership Network. Julie is a Board member of MK Business Leaders, Chair of the Helena Kennedy Foundation and Director of MK Dons Sport and Education Trust. Julie is also the Chair of Women Leaders UK.

Stephen Norrish MBE joined the Board in October 2009. Stephen has lived and worked in Milton Keynes for 25 years and is Co-Director of the MK Christian Foundation, a local charity working mostly with young people, offering them learning opportunities through their engagement in a variety of social enterprises. He is also a Director of MK Community Foundation and a former chair of its Property Company. He has previously been involved in supporting and managing a number of regeneration schemes in the area. Stephen was made an MBE in 2001 for services to the community, especially young people. Stephen chairs the Search & Governance Committee, and is a member of the Curriculum & Quality Group.

Ruby joined the board in February 2018. Ruby is the Senior Partner for the PwC Milton Keynes office leading a team of over 120 professionals across a multiple disciplines. After nearly 30 years of advising private businesses, their owners and other stakeholders predominantly on taxation matters, Ruby now focuses on her role as trusted adviser and relationship partner to a wide array of clients, including family businesses, corporates and entrepreneurs. She provides strategic guidance on matters such as corporate and personal taxation, succession planning, asset and wealth protection and governance. Ruby is a Trustee with MK Women Leaders and a Board Member of MK Business Leaders Partnership. Ruby also sits on the Board of Trustees of the Magic Bus India Foundation, a charity dedicated to providing children living in poverty the opportunity to pro-actively shape their future.

Charlynne Pullen is the Head of Data at the Education and Training Foundation (ETF), and last year was on secondment at the Institute for Public Policy Research conducting research on apprenticeships policy so she is well informed on the national challenges facing the sector.  As part of her role at ETF, she manages data on the Further Education workforce, and developed data on the offender learning workforce used in the Coates review of Prison Education. Charlynne was a councillor in the London Borough of Islington from 2010-14 and the Labour candidate for Milton Keynes North in 2017. She grew up in Milton Keynes, attended Ousedale School and from there she was accepted to study Modern History at Oxford University. Charlynne also has a Masters from the Open University and has recently been studying economics at Birkbeck College, University of London. Charlynne is a member of the Search & Governance Committee.

Gwynneth Tan joined the Board in September 2014. Gwynneth is a partner at Shoosmiths LLP where she specialises in employment law providing strategic and commercial advice to clients across a range of sectors including further and higher education and retail. Shoosmiths is a major UK law firm with a network of 12 offices. Gwynneth enjoys the outdoors and travel. Gwynneth is a member of the Remuneration Committee.

Silvia Vitiello joined the Board in June 2010. She is an accountant and a Partner in Kingston Smith LLP. Silvia is a general practice partner whose clients include owner-managed/entrepreneurial businesses and UK subsidiaries of foreign-owned companies. She has expertise in a range of sectors including property, technology, not for profit and professional firms. Silvia chairs the Audit & Risk Committee and is a member of the Remuneration Committee.