I am an experienced researcher, clear thinker and strong communicator with a wealth of leadership experience delivering operational improvements in Higher Education and impactful governance and oversight of policy development in local government. I worked at the University of Bedfordshire as a lecturer then senior lecturer from July 2015 - July 2024 having been involved in teaching research methods at the university since 2012. I taught students at undergraduate, post graduate and doctoral levels, often with a focus on research methods and data analysis. I worked as part of the Childhood and Youth Studies undergraduate teaching team and was instrumental in developing our vision to be a learning community focused on marginalised children and those who miss out on the intergenerational transmission of advantage.I have experience of teaching in a variety of educational settings in particular working with pupils marginalised and excluded from mainstream schooling. This was the focus of my doctoral research which sought to explore the educational experiences of those who attend alternative provision settings (schooling from pupils excluded from mainstream) and the impact of these experiences on their future development. Since publishing based on my thesis I have undertaken further studies focused on post-16 transitions from alternative provision, long-term destinations of pupils who attend these settings, and the use of local authority fair access protocol policies to support reintegration back into mainstream schools. I also completed a large-scale literature review of studies reporting research in English alternative provision settings and have written collaboratively with other academics exploring the types of knowledge deployed in this body of research.I was a locally elected councillor on Luton Borough Council from 2011 to 2023. I was lead member for finance from late 2015 until May 2022 and Chair of the board of directors of Luton Council’s airport company from late 2015 until May 2021, a period of significant change and development followed by the challenges of the pandemic. In this role I articulated a commitment to environmental responsibility which became embedded in the organisation, drawing like-minded individuals into the business, reshaping our vision, integrating this commitment into multi-million pound developments and putting us in a strong position to respond as environmental challenges came to the fore of public debate.