Our team
Hannah Stolton
CEO
Hannah Stolton has been CEO of national education charity Governors for Schools since January 2020. Hannah joined the organisation in 2017 where she managed the development of operations, enabling us to spend less time on administration, and more time working directly with potential volunteers and schools. After starting her career as a primary teacher, Hannah moved into the recruitment field, managing the UK operations of an in-house agency. She brings 20 years experience in this area to Governors for Schools, where she focuses on expanding our reach across England and Wales. Hannah is currently chair of governors at a primary school in Essex.
Tara Hill
Head of Finance, HR, and Technology
Tara has worked for Governors for Schools since 2007 and is responsible for managing the charity's finance, HR. and technology work. Having previously worked in post 16 education, Tara moved to Governors for Schools as she wanted to work for an organisation that supported education across all phases to ensure she was part of something working for the best educational outcomes for all. For the last 4 years, Tara has been a governor at a primary school in Surrey and has recently started her second term at the school, taking on the role of vice chair. She is the link governor for disadvantaged pupils.
William Durham
Head of Impact and Corporate Partnerships
Will joined the charity in 2015 and is passionate about outcomes for children. He currently oversees our impact reporting and training provision as well as leading on our corporate partnerships. He has been involved in governance roles since 2016 and is currently a Trustee within a primary SAT in West Sussex where he is Vice-Chair, chairs the School Improvement Committee and acts as Link for SEND and Inclusion.
Julie Thiberg
Head of Charity Development
Julie is part of the senior leadership team at Governors for Schools and has oversight of marketing, impact, fundraising, and larger projects. Julie also heads up our new relationships with corporate partners. Julie brings a background in strategic business development, new business, and project delivery and has moved around the world with work. She studied her business degrees in Copenhagen, New York and London. Julie believes that all children deserve a great education and thrives on seeing the significant impact the charity has on schools across the country.
Emma Harris
Head of Governor Recruitment
Emma joined Governors for Schools in 2018 pursuing her passion for education. Her role focuses on making sure we meet the needs of schools by filling their governor vacancies with talented and committed volunteers. Emma also develops our wider partnerships to encourage more people to consider the governor role. She is a governor at a primary school in Stockport, where she is inclusion link governor.
David Ardill
Head of Trustee Recruitment
David joined Governors for Schools as Head of Trustee Recruitment in June, 2022 having previously worked for more than five years on trustee recruitment in the education sector. David previously worked as a Marketing Manager for British Cycling, the national governing body for the sport based at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester, and was responsible for the delivery of Sky Ride, Britain’s largest initiative to get people into recreational cycling, in partnership with Sport England and corporate partners. A former newspaper journalist, David has a degree in Communication from Chester University.
Emma Hawker
Impact and Training Manager
Emma joined Governors for Schools in November 2017 and brings a range of experience in the education sector. She taught in Essex for several years before joining Essex County Council as an Education Adviser, specialising in assessment. Emma has also developed assessment software used in schools across the country. She now helps design and create our eLearning and impact materials. She is a trustee of a multi-academy trust in Southend-on-Sea.
Jill McAusland
Partnerships Manager - Trustee Recruitment Service
Jill joined Governors for Schools in July 2015 and now works part-time as Partnerships Manager for the Trustee Recruitment Service, supporting volunteers interested in trustee-level positions. She also works as a Dramatherapist (HCPC registered) at a school for children with autism and challenging behaviour.
Raheem Pillay
Impact and Training Coordinator
Raheem joined the charity in 2017 having previously volunteered with the Communities Empowerment Network. He leads on the coordination, administration and delivery of much of our training offer. He also supports with impact reporting with a focus on quantitative data and how we use this to inform our work. He has a degree in Psychosocial Studies from Anglia Ruskin University and in his spare time does martial arts.
Alice Long
Partnerships Manager - Merseyside and Lancashire
Alice joined the team in autumn 2019 and is based in Leeds, although originally from the North East. She has previously worked in relationship management with schools and colleges across Yorkshire, helping to deliver National Citizen Service within the region. In addition she has experience working in the public health sector in the UK and Central America. She has a degree from the University of London Institute in Paris, alongside a PGCE with QTS where she advocated languages in secondary schools.
Rachel Harrison
Partnerships Manager - North East of England and Yorkshire
Rachel joined Governors for Schools having previously worked in the public and charity sectors. Rachel worked for education charity Engineering Development Trust, managing relationships with schools and businesses across the North East, helping to deliver the Industrial Cadets programme. She also has experience in the recruitment and welfare-to-work sectors in the UK and is passionate about equal opportunities for all.
Gemma Laverty
Partnerships Administrator - North team
Gemma joined Governors for Schools to pursue her passion for education, having been involved with her children’s school and local youth clubs. She spent 19 years working in the travel industry and was based in locations across France, Italy, and Holland. When Gemma settled back in the UK she moved into the recruitment and logistics for Eurocamp, before joining Flight Centre as an account manager. Gemma is part of the North team at Governors for Schools and lives in Northwich with her husband, two children, and chocolate Labrador.
Loren Nadin
Senior Partnerships Manager - South team
Loren is based in South-East Wales and joined the Governors for Schools team in November 2020. She has worked in various roles within the education sector domestically and internationally, including teaching overseas, managing education intervention programmes for a UK charity, and working as a curriculum development consultant on an international project. She has a first-class degree in International History and Politics and an MA in Modern History. She joined Governors for Schools as a Partnerships Manager to support the organisation’s expansion into Wales.
Clare Skinsley
Partnerships Manager - South & West London
Clare joined Governors for Schools having previously worked in the charity sector. Clare worked at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers where she provided administrative support to the Governance and Engagement department. Prior to this, Clare spent 3 years as an administrator to a surveying consultancy whereby she undertook an apprenticeship in Business Administration. Growing up in the borough of Barking and Dagenham, Clare relates and empathises with children of disadvantaged backgrounds and believes every child has the right to a good education.
Jessica Wing
Partnerships Manager - Central London
Jessica comes from a mental health and wellbeing background. After graduating with a BSc(Hons) in Psychology, she went on to further training in counselling. She is passionate about volunteering because of the impact that it has both personally and within communities and took on her first volunteer role at 15 years old at her local library. She is also passionate about mental health and supporting people holistically, acting as a self-employed counsellor in her spare time. Although not currently volunteering, she loves supporting candidates in finding their own volunteer roles at schools and finds that all these different experiences assist her in her role as a Partnerships Manager for Central London.
Kate Weston
Partnerships Administrator - South team
Kate joined the organisation to further a desire for improving education after 10 years working in Higher Education, seeing the challenges faced as students move from school into University. A keen volunteer, Kate leads fundraising activities in her own children's school to enable the school to improve facilities for its pupils and to support the School's strategy for improvement. Kate also supports her local rugby club, volunteering for the youth team as an administrator. Kate spent her early career working in the travel industry, based in locations in France & Holland and has a passion for travel, adventure, food & community, and is now based in Norfolk.
Shima Begum
Partnerships Coordinator - North & East London
Shima is a customer service and education professional. Her career has centered on providing best-in-class customer service and helping others. She is a qualified English Language Teacher, having worked abroad teaching preparatory English at international universities. Shima is very passionate about helping those from disadvantaged backgrounds, having worked with children with special education needs as a Learning Support Assistant and in support services in helping others get access to aid and charitable organisations.
In her spare time, she loves to bake with her two wonderful children and go for long walks and enjoy nature.
Naomi Stokes
Partnerships Manager - East of England
Naomi comes from an administration background having previously worked at the British Heart Foundation. She has an interest in law and is currently studying for a law degree in her spare time. She’s passionate about working to diversify school boards now that her son has started school, which makes her role as Partnerships Manager for the East such a great fit. She believes strongly in helping others and has previously volunteered in the kitchens at a homeless shelter as a way of giving back.
Ashley Callard
Communications and Engagement Manager
As the Communications and Engagement Manager, Ashley manages key marketing projects for Governors for Schools including the annual campaign and conference. Ashley joins the team following a 12-year career higher education outreach and has recent experience of a leadership role within a secondary school. Based in County Durham, she has a degree in Education and History from Durham University and volunteers as a governor at a local primary school.
Enya Battersby
Partnerships Coordinator - South West of England & Wales
Enya comes from a volunteer coordinator and recruitment background and has been volunteering in her local community for 14 years. Alongside her role as Partnerships Coordinator at Governors for Schools, she is currently obtaining her Masters Degree in Human Rights. In her spare time Enya is also the president and co-founder of her local LGBTQ society, leading on community events and comms.
Louisa Hann
Communications and Engagement Manager
Louisa joined Governors for School as Communications Executive in March 2022. She has around seven years’ worth of experience in communications in both in-house and freelance capacities and has spent time teaching in the higher education sector. She has a PhD in English and American Studies from the University of Manchester and continues to operate within the academic sphere alongside her role at Governors for Schools.
Anthony Melia
Partnerships Coordinator - Midlands of England
Anthony joined the team in August 2022 with a background in the education and charity sectors, having recently completed a MA in Medieval and Renaissance Studies. In his prior role, he was on the education team of an LGBT+ charity, overseeing school recruitment while developing resources for staff and pupil-facing programmes across all key stages. Anthony is a strong believer in ensuring every young person has a school experience that gives them access to different opportunities and to feel valued for who they are. In his spare time, he enjoys running, Spanish language cinema, and anything history related.
Charlie Western
Senior Partnerships Manager - North team
Having previously worked in volunteer management, community engagement and trustee recruitment in the education and charity sectors, Charlie is passionate about ensuring positive social impact and tackling educational inequalities. Charlie holds a MSc in International Development from The University of Manchester and is a Trustee of a Rwandan NGO that uses localisation strategies to deliver sustainable access to education. When not working, Charlie is likely away in his campervan or playing hockey for Bradford Hockey Club, where he also volunteers as Welfare and Safeguarding Officer.
Olivia Hinds
Digital Marketing Executive
Olivia joined the Marketing and Communications team at Governors for Schools in December 2022 as the Digital Marketing Executive. For over 10 years, Olivia has been a successful and sought-after private virtual tutor and coach, championing the student voice in all of her endeavours. Olivia is active in the digital, social media and education governance space through her various roles as the creator and co-host of The Governors’ Podcast, website designer, diversity of age trainer, and network manager for Education Governance Solutions and its brands (incl. the National Association of School and College Clerks and the National Black Governors Network). She is also the Committee Chair at a selective secondary school in a medium-sized MAT in Birmingham.
Sean McLean
Partnership Coordinator - North West of England
Sean is a Partnership Coordinator for the Merseyside and Lancashire regions, where his main goal is to build new relationships with stakeholders and to help expand awareness of the charity throughout the North West. He joins Governors for Schools following a five year career in Facilities Management and spent several years living in America. He is excited to bring his passion for recruitment to the role.
Bethany Sturgeon
Partnerships Manager - Trustee Recruitment Service
Beth joined the Governors for Schools team with over ten years of recruitment and marketing experience in the education sector. She has worked with universities, colleges, and schools all over the UK, as well as internationally as a partnerships manager and education adviser. Beth's part of the newly formed Trustee Recruitment Service and is passionate about finding the perfect fit for both the volunteers and trusts we work with.
Tig Poole
Partnerships Coordinator - England East Midlands
Tig is the East Midlands Partnerships Coordinator and joined GfS in June 2023. They have a background in business development and the education sector. They are the co-founder of their town's LGBTQ society, planning and assisting with fundraising events and promoting diversity, inclusion and unity. Alongside this, Tig has over 5 years’ experience volunteering, including supporting rescue kennels by walking and caring for dangerous dogs. Tig believes volunteering your time is incredibly important for both personal and professional development, and enjoys supporting others to develop their knowledge.