I am a Lecturer in Leadership and Human Resource Management and the Course Lead for the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship.
My previous career was in Third Sector (voluntary and charitable) Organisations, managing support services to families in conflict. As Service Manager I had responsibility for the range of services delivered by our main office in Scarborough and also the outreach services that we provided to neighbouring towns. During my time in this role, I developed both national and local partnership agreements, in response to identifying local need, and the value of collaboration and exchange of knowledge has been a key priority throughout my career and is particularly important in my current role at York St John.
I was a member and subsequent Chair of the east coast multi-agency Domestic Abuse Forum that brought together people from a range of public, statutory and voluntary agencies to drive forward improvements to the response to those impacted by domestic abuse. I also headed a steering group that informed the service provision of the first stage of the government SureStart delivery in Scarborough and was influenced by experiencing first hand the value of consulting with service users when developing and delivering services within communities.
As a mature student I returned to university to pursue my academic interests at York St John graduating with a BA (Hons) in Business Management (York St John) followed by a MSc In Leadership and Management (York St John). It was during my time as a student that I recognised the positive impacts (such as increased confidence and wellbeing) that university life can have, and how in providing choice and opportunity to people through supporting their studies, and beyond, that positive changes can be created and sustained - this became the impetus for becoming a lecturer.
Courses I teach on include:
- Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA)
- BA(Hons) Business Management
- BA (Hons) Events and Experience Management
- BA(Hons) Sports Business Management
My research focuses on student and apprentice belonging, identity, and success within higher education. I am particularly interested in how learners navigate the intersection of study and work, and how support structures, relationships, and organisational cultures influence engagement, resilience, and achievement.
My current work explores degree apprenticeship experiences, student identity development, work-based learning, and organisational belonging. Alongside this, my PhD by Published Works examines leadership through a feminist ethics of care perspective, exploring the role of care, relationships, and emotional labour in leadership practice.
I am an active member of the People in Employment Settings Research Group.
Recent publications
Membership of professional bodies
- British Academy of Management (BAM) - Member
- British Education Leadership Management and Administration Society (BELMAS) - Member
- Chartered Management Institute (CMI) - Member
- University Forum for Human Resource Development (UFHRD) - Member
- Higher Education Academy (HEA) - Senior Fellow (SFHEA)
- United Kingdom Advising and Tutoring Association (UKAT) - Recognised Practitioner in Academic Advising
Conference leadership, planning and organisation
I have undertaken leadership roles on the organising committees for the following international academic conferences:
- Vice-Chair of the Organising Committee: University Forum for Human Resource Development (UFHRD) Annual Conference 2026, 17-19 June, York St John University, York, United Kingdom. Please click here for further information.
- Organising Committee: Leisure Studies Association Annual Conference 2025, 8-10 July, York St John University, York, United Kingdom (please click here for further information). Please click here for further information.
External examining and quality assurance
I undertake external examining at an institution within the UK have been the external panel member at the validation of awards for other UK Universities.
