Board Members

Fiona leads the Governance Consultancy Team in Devon. As the chair of NAGAS, she brings a wealth of experience, having previously served as vice-chair and co-chair. Fiona proudly calls herself a ‘governance geek’ and her passion for governance is truly infectious.

Fiona is a staunch advocate for the pivotal role of the governing board’s clerk, or governance professional, and she firmly believes that effective governance support can significantly enhance a board’s efficiency and effectiveness.
Her journey into governance began with a robust business background, including with the Northcliffe Newspaper Group, where she worked on various publications and organised both regional and national exhibitions. Later, she successfully led a business in the heart of Devon, guiding her team to achieve the prestigious ‘Committed to Excellence Standard’ from The British Quality Foundation.

John has over 25 years’ experience working in education governance, and successfully leading Local Authority traded clerking, training and development services.

John is elected on the NAGAS Board as the North West regional representative and holds office as Vice Chair, supporting the Chair in the organisation of the national board. John also holds office as Treasurer to ensure regional membership subscriptions are managed effectively through agreed financial management procedures.

Profile Pending

Isabella Byrne is Group Director of Governance and Compliance at University Centre Somerset College Group (UCSCG), the largest provider of post-16 education in Somerset and nationally in terms of apprenticeships. She has over a decade of experience supporting education governance with schools Trusts, Alternative Provision and more recently FE, HE and adult education. Isabella is passionate about learner-centric governance leadership and especially supporting children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

As an experienced leader and regular speaker on AI in governance, she is known for her interest in technology, commitment to empowering school leaders and governors to governor effectively and for her ability to bring people together around shared goals.

Hannah Craggs is a Governance & Leadership Adviser in Hampshire with more than 13 years’ experience as a school governor and Chair of Governors. She leads the Governance and Leadership Advisory Service at Southampton City Council, advising governing bodies and school leaders on strategic leadership, compliance, and improvement across primary and secondary schools.

Hannah has guided boards through a variety of challenges and structural changes, and is known for her clear, collaborative approach. She regularly delivers training on all aspects of school governance and leadership, translating policy into effective practice.

Bec has worked as a Clerk to Governors for over ten years clerking for Primary, Secondary, Maintained and Academy schools and as well as being the Clerk and Coordinator for NAGAS, she is also the Clerk to an Educational Trust in Exeter and the manager in her local seaside cafe.

In her role as the Clerk and Co-ordinator for NAGAS, Bec ensures that meetings are organised and clerked effectively, administers the NAGAS Governorhub page and co-ordinates training and events for the group.

Lisa has extensive experience supporting schools, with a strong professional focus on school governance. She holds a degree in Business Management and has developed a deep understanding of how to help governors and school leaders achieve excellence in governance.

Lisa leads the Governors Support Service for Est Riding of Yorkshire Council, providing efficient and effective guidance to schools and governing boards. Lisa is passionate about delivering high-quality training and development and is committed to enhancing governors’ knowledge so they can carry out their core responsibilities with confidence and clarity.

As a new member of NAGAS, Lisa is looking forward to extending her support on a national level, aligning with NAGAS’s mission to provide a national voice and support to its members, and to promote high-quality governance in schools and academies

With over a decade of experience in the field of school governance, Vicki brings a wealth of expertise and strategic insight to the education sector. As the manager of the School Governance and Data Protection team at Northumberland County Council for the past 10 years, she has played a role in supporting over 130 schools with robust governance structures and ensuring compliance with data protection legislation.

In addition to her professional role, Vicki serves as a co-opted governor at two maintained schools, currently acting as Vice Chair at one. This hands-on governance experience gives her valuable insight into the daily realities faced by schools.

Previously recognised as a National Leader of Governance by the Department for Education, Vicki has supported numerous governing boards to drive improvement, foster accountability, and champion pupil outcomes. Vicki is a qualified Data Protection Officer and School Business Manager.

Profile Pending

Steve Barker is based in Surrey and is South East Representative on the NAGAS board and is also a member of the London Association of School Governance Advisory Services (LAGAS).

Steve is the Head of Governance and Training at Judicium Education. In his role Steve is dedicated to supporting schools and academy trusts in improving the effectiveness of their governance. He has a reputation as a national expert on governance. His experience of governance, across all phases of education, is extensive and he is a regular webinar host for Governors for Schools, a conference speaker on governance topics, has had articles published on governance, and was the creator of Better Governor and the founder of National School Governors’ Awareness Day. Steve is a prolific writer and presenter of governance training across a wide range of topics and delivers in excess of 200 webinars and training events each year to governors, trustees and clerks/governance professionals.

As one of the original cohort of National Leaders of Governance (NLG), and a NLG Advocate, Steve was part of a small team who created and piloted the External Reviews of Governance and has conducted over 150 reviews and quality assured many others. He continues to conduct external reviews for individual schools and Multi-Academy Trusts. As a children’s charity CEO and trustee, combined with his roles as chair in an academy trust board, a maintained school governing body, and a Member in an eight-school MAT, Steve's passion for improving the lives of children and young people is clear.

Michelle has been a governor for approximately 20 years and was a national leader of governance until 2021. Michelle has been a chair and vice chair of governors in both primary and secondary settings and has also been a member of an IEB. She is currently a governor at two primary schools and a member of a multi academy trust.

Michelle works for Wigan Council as their Strategic Lead for School and Academy Governance, with responsibility for a large clerking service, for the borough’s governor training and development programme and for ensuring that all settings have access to good quality governance advice and guidance. Before that, she was an independent governance consultant working across the North West. Michelle has also been an elected member of the NGA board since November 2023.

Profile Pending

Suhaib is a senior education leader with over 25 years’ experience in education, skills, and workforce development. He holds an MBA in Finance and currently leads School Services and Governors’ Services for Lewisham Local Authority, overseeing traded services and governance support across schools.
Suhaib works closely with Chairs of Governors and governing boards, ensuring robust governance that drives school improvement. He leads Lewisham’s Governance Professional / Clerking Service and has established a comprehensive development programme for governors, supporting over 90% of Lewisham schools with training , procedural and regulatory guidance.

He has a strong track record in leadership development, having co-led a successful aspirant leaders programme that produced numerous headteachers and school leaders. Previously, Suhaib was Regional Skills Development Director for the London Learning and Skills Council, managing a £35m budget and leading the Pan-London rollout of the Train to Gain programme.

Mel's journey in education governance began as a Parent Governor and Vice-Chair within a Single Academy Trust, where she witnessed first-hand how effective governance can shape and strengthen school culture. Since then, she has worked across three Local Authorities and within a Multi Academy Trust, as well as serving as an Independent Executive Board (IEB) Member in the primary sector.

Mel is passionate about the power of effective governance to transform outcomes for young people and their communities. With a strategic and collaborative approach, she work alongside Governing Boards, Trusts, and School Leaders to strengthen leadership, embed sustainable structures, and drive improvement across the education system.

Alongside this, Mel brings extensive experience in delivering governance training, Clerking and Development services, and in building professional networks that enable growth, collaboration, and shared excellence across the sector.

Jo’s experience of school governance is wide ranging and started as a clerk to governors in a small rural primary school over 25 years ago. It has included parent and co-opted governor roles within the maintained and independent sector. Jo currently leads Governor Services for Lincolnshire and maintains a clerking commitment as part of this role.

Jo provides support and strategic guidance to Lincolnshire governing boards and clerks/governance professionals, including the County Council Clerking team. Jo also leads on Training and Development for Governors within Lincolnshire and provides guidance and support to the Local Authority Education Locality Lead team specifically focussing on leadership.

Helen has been the lead for school governance within Children’s Services for Norfolk County Council since 2012. She has been a chair of governors in various schools for the past 27 years. The service she oversees supports maintained schools as well as academies with an extensive range of training and resources as well as advice and support, she also manages a large governance professional service (clerking service) which employs over 40 clerks. Helen is the new Co-Chair for the Eastern Region alongside Jo Trotter

She lives in rural North Norfolk and has been a school governor since 1997, in infant, primary, junior and secondary schools within the maintained sector. She has also been a trustee and a chair of a trust board and a local governing board within a MAT.