I have been elected as City Councillor within Leicester since 2011 and I am very proud to represent the Saffron Ward in the south of the city.  I live locally to the school and will see all three of my children attend Fullhurst, a choice I couldn’t be happier with (in fact I couldn’t believe how lucky we are)!  At the City Council I have a broad experience and attend many committees, some of which I have chaired; these include Children and Young People Scrutiny, Neighbourhood Scrutiny, Planning, and Overview Select Committee.  I am currently the chair of the Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Commission and am therefore working closely with our health partners across the city and county, a role that I find very challenging and rewarding.  I have a broad experience sitting on many voluntary management boards; these include a variety of local residents groups and Saffron Young People’s Project, a detached youth work organisation.  I have also been the Chair of Governors at a local Infant and nursery school and faced many challenges in what was a very turbulent time for the school.  I have lived in Leicester all my life and have personally benefited from attending local community schools that truly represent the diversity of our city and communities.  I could tell as soon as I first visited Fullhurst that I share the same values as the school’s staff and leadership team; I look forward to supporting all to achieve the school’s vision.

Leicester City has been my home since I arrived to continue my education at the University of Leicester. I am delighted to serve as a governor at Fullhurst Community College. In my current role as Teaching Fellow at the University of Leicester's School of Business, I teach a range of modules across undergraduate and postgraduate courses, provide pastoral support to students, and undertake research consultancy work. Alongside being an academic I am a sports enthusiast, with a keen interest in football and table tennis. I am also the director of sports in a local church RCCG (Covenant of Grace Parish), and my role includes, among other things, organising annual table tennis tournaments for children and adults. As Nelson Mandela said, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world". I am convinced that young people, particularly secondary school pupils, are integral to this change, and I am keen to use my experiences to inspire pupils to dream big and work hard to achieve great things.

My involvement with Fullhurst Community College began as a parent when my daughter joined the school aged 11 in 2005.  Fullhurst had been our first choice and it was definitely the right choice as it gave her an excellent foundation to build on, and she is now at university studying French and Russian and continuing to do really well.  During her time there the college went from strength to strength and I was really impressed by the commitment, dedication, hard work and vision of staff, so when in September 2010 the opportunity arose to become a governor it was an easy decision to make.  I wanted to be involved as the incredible transformation continued and see where that would lead, as well as to put something back into the school which had given my daughter such a great start and it was the right decision.  I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect but it has been interesting, exciting, inspiring and rewarding and I would not have wanted to miss out on being part of it.  I came to Leicester University many years ago and have stayed here ever since.  I have always worked in social care and believe that everyone should be given the opportunity to realise their full potential. This is also one of Fullhurst’s objectives for all students so I am pleased to be able to play a small part in supporting the college to achieve its ambitious goals for all students.

I moved to Leicester when I started at university and have lived here since. Since leaving university I managed and worked with several local businesses. Alongside my commitments at Fullhurst I manage Dock, Leicester's hub for high growth technology businesses. Other roles that I hold include being a member of the Joint Audit, Risk and Assurance Panel for Leicestershire Police, a board member of Saffron Young Peoples Project, running a business consultancy business specialising in supporting growing businesses and being a Princes Trust mentor.

I have been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the School Development Agency (SDSA) for 10 years, before which I was the Principal of one of the most successful schools in the City of Leicester.  The SDSA is a company created by central government to work with schools and local authorities and other government organisations to promote improvement within schools. Over the past 10 years the organisation has flourished and I have been instrumental in creating the conditions for an effective social enterprise model for improvement through the collaboration and partnerships with schools, which has gone on to improve the life chances of children in Leicester and beyond. I also combine my chairmanship of the SDSA with a strong interest in the promotion and development of physical activity and sport.  I have been the Chair of the Leicester Sports Alliance and the Cultural Strategy and have worked with professional sports clubs and local organisations. In recent years I have specifically encouraged the development of an international collaboration which has led to the early stages of developing partnerships with schools and governments in other countries.  Building on my experience as a head teacher in one of Leicester’s diverse communities, I am enthusiastic to maximise the opportunities of strong relationships between Leicester and India. My work has also focused on developing the legacy of the Special Olympics held in Leicester in 2009.  My ultimate aim is to take the Special Olympics to South Asia, particularly to India and Africa.