Board and Committee Member Profiles (A-Z) AARON CASSERLY STEWART Aaron is a jazz vocalist and former singer with the three-time Grammy Award winning group the ‘Sounds of Blackness’. He is the former personal assistant to Morris Hayes (Prince’s keyboardist & band leader of the New Power Generation). Winner of a 2012 NAACP Image Award, Aaron is a Professor of Music Business at the London Performing Academy of Music and is the Executive Producer at Supa Qween Records. Aaron is also the Chair of the Black Lives Matter Leeds and Guest Lecturer at the University of Bolton. He is a PRS Foundation Advisor; Music:Leeds Advisor; Founder/Lead of Paradise Hill Productions and former City Commissioner/Mayor of Parsons, Kansas. Aaron is an external director on the Leeds Conservatoire Board of Directors; he is also one of two Vice Chairs of the Board ALISON GUSTAVSSON Alison is a freelance Business, Marketing and Communications Consultant with 25 years’ Sales, Marketing, Communications, Branding and Operations experience, An outstanding communicator and multi-lingual, Alison’s first postgraduate qualification was an MA in English and German. She then went on to study an MSc in European Resource Management. Alison’s international career includes roles in industrial investment and the hospitality sector within Japan, Germany, Austria, Norway, Italy, Switzerland and most recently Harrogate, UK. Since September 2019 Alison has been the Junior Captain in triumvir at Rudding Park Golf Club, Harrogate. Alison is as a co-opted member of the Harrogate College Board AMANDA WILCOX (CO-OPTEE, EXTERNAL DIRECTOR) As University Secretary at York St John University, Dr Amanda Wilcox leads the University’s corporate governance, quality assurance, academic registry and business administration, as well as student administration and support services. Amanda has responsibility for the student journey, student opportunities and experience in addition to equality, diversity and inclusion which are essential pillars of York St John's commitment to Social Justice. Amanda joined York St John in 2018 with extensive experience in a wide variety of roles in institutions and sector bodies (including HEFCE, OfS and QAA). She has a background in academia, with a PhD in parasitology and immunology. After some time as a postdoctoral researcher, she began working in the FE sector where she spent 8 years, ultimately as Director of Higher Education for an FE college. She then moved into HE, with managerial positions including academic registrar at the University of Hull and strategic advisor for the Pro Vice Chancellors. Most recently, Amanda worked for the Office for Students (formerly Higher Education Funding Council) as Head of Student Engagement / Regional Consultant: North East, Yorkshire and the Humber. Amanda is an external director on the Leeds Conservatoire Board of Directors and Leeds Conservatoire Audit Committee; Amanda is also Vice Chair of the Audit Committee 1 ANDREW CHANG In addition to his governance roles within Luminate Education Group, Andrew is a Non- Executive Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee at both Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust and The Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust. He is also a Trustee and the Honorary Treasurer of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management. Previous senior positions held by Andrew include; Chief Internal Auditor, Yorkshire Water/Kelda Group (13 years), Audit Committee Chairman and Governor, Bradford College (10 years), Chairman, Training for Bradford Ltd (2.5 years),Trustee of Bradford Grammar School (3 years) and Governor, Hookstone Chase Community Primary School (5 years). Andrew is a co-opted member of the Leeds City College Board and Group Audit Committee; Andrew is also Vice Chair of the Group Audit Committee ANDREW ROACH COMING SOON.. Andrew is a coopted member of Leeds City College Board. ANDREW WHITAKER Andrew Whitaker enjoyed a ten-year career in the University sector, including working as an Associate Senior Lecturer, before moving into the 3-18 education sector as a Senior Leader. Andrew secured the role of Executive Principal at the White Rose Academies Trust in September 2016. From the outset, his ambitions have been made clear to his staff; all of the Trust’s schools will be Ofsted graded as outstanding. This achievement will ensure that the academies will provide high quality education throughout the incredible communities they serve. In December 2019 Andrew became Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the White Rose Academies Trust (WRAT). He is also a member of the Executive Leadership Team for Luminate Education Group. Andrew was awarded a 2018 Churchill Fellowship. As an Ambassador of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, funded to spend up to 2 months abroad, fact-finding on a topic of his choice – Andrew has chosen to visit the United States of America to research Charter Schools. He will then return to the UK to share findings within his profession and community, becoming a knowledge leader and hopefully impacting on practitioners and policy makers for many years. In addition, Andrew is a Leadership Fellow of St George’s House, Windsor Castle and a Fellow of the Institute of School Business Leadership. As CEO of White Rose Academies Trust, Andrew is a member of the Trust’s Board of Directors DR ANNABEL FEEZ-SMITH Dr Annabel Feez-Smith has been working in Education since starting teaching at Harrogate College in 2001. While working in FE she was tasked with the development and lead of a Higher Education curriculum for Fashion and related FdA and BA(Hons) courses. These proved very popular, and in collaboration with colleagues in what was the School of Art and Design, helped establish a successful HE portfolio for Harrogate College. With a broad skill base across Art & Design practice and a past career as a practicing artist and designer she had a particular interest in engaging new designers and artists in developing their entrepreneurial skills. 2 Annabel completed a Doctorate in Design Practice in 2016 focussing on enterprise in the Art, Design and Fashion curriculum, in-line with industry concern with the business skills gap that was evident in recent graduates looking for employment. Over time at Harrogate College, Annabel has led multiple programmes across the Art & Design curriculum and most recently, has been Programme Managing the Masters in Creative Practice. Art and Design enterprise is still a top priority for Annabel who is keen to see all her graduates succeed as entrepreneurial art and design practitioners in the future. Annabel is the staff member on the Harrogate College Board ANNIE MCMASTER Annie has worked in a variety of roles throughout her life; she began in HR and took professional qualifications in this area and then moved into performance and improvement work. She has recently retired from Leeds City Council and is therefore now able to spend more time on other activities. Annie is a Non-Executive Director of a Housing Association Board and an active member of Soroptimist International. All her work and other interests have equality at the heart of them and she believes that education plays a significant role in people’s life chances. Annie is thrilled to be able to play an active role in supporting this key area. Annie is a member of the White Rose Academies Trust Board of Directors BECKY HEWITT Becky is a commercially focused HR professional with a successful track record in financial services and legal services sectors, operating across all business functions. She has extensive experience in developing and implementing HR strategy to deliver business objectives and strategic change programmes. She has several years’ experience as a non- executive director in the learning sector. Becky is Director of People at Leeds Building Society. Becky is a co-opted member of the Group Remuneration Committee BEN SAUNDERS Benjamin Saunders was organ scholar of Downing College, Cambridge University and Assistant Director of Music at the cathedrals of St Giles’ Edinburgh, Blackburn and Chester. Since 2002 he has been Director of Music for the Diocese of Leeds, carrying overall responsibility for the largest church music programme in the UK. Ben has been engaged by many external bodies as a consultant in the management and development of music programmes with particular expertise in fundraising and organisational structure, especially addressing access in marginalised or deprived communities. He was appointed a Director of Leeds College of Music (now Leeds Conservatoire) in 2013 and Visiting Professor of Music at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana in 2015. As an organist, he has performed to HM the Queen, Princess Anne and US President Carter and worked with conductor Carl Davis and jazz virtuoso Dick Hyman. He has given solo organ concerts in France, Italy, Holland, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Russia and the United States and records as a soloist for Brilliant Classics and Herald AV. Ben has also been a drummer in two rock bands, keyboardist in the Edinburgh International Jazz Festival and is now studying the Classical Accordion - developing a project to introduce this new instrument to children 3 across West Yorkshire. From January 2021 he is leading the roll out of the National Schools Singing Programme across the UK. Ben is an external director on the Leeds Conservatoire Board of Directors CAROLINE GRUEN (CLLR) Caroline has lived in Leeds all her adult life and initially trained to be a teacher at Leeds University, gaining firstly a BEd and then a MEd in Education. She went on to teach in five of the city's schools before gaining a deputy headship and then held several School Improvement posts in four different Local Authorities. Her most recent posts were as the Director of Education in Calderdale and the Head of Learning in Kirklees. She was also a Practising Lead Ofsted Inspector for ten years. Now retired, Caroline has been a Leeds City Councillor for two years and represents the ward of Bramley and Stanningley.