South Eastern Regional College: Appointment of Governing Body
30 August 2011
Employment and Learning Minister, Dr Stephen Farry, today announced the appointment of members of the Governing Body of South Eastern Regional College.
The Minister has appointed five new governors and re-appointed two existing governors whose terms of office had come to an end. The appointments take effect from 1 August 2011 and each is for a period of four years.
Confirming the appointments, the Minister said: “Colleges have an important role in supporting businesses, communities and the Northern Ireland economy by meeting their education and training needs.
“These appointments will ensure a qualified and committed Governing Body is in place to provide strategic leadership for the next four years for the provision of this important local service to learners and employers.”
A Further Education College’s Governing Body is responsible for securing the efficient and effective management of the College, agreeing and monitoring its strategic direction, appointing its senior staff and ensuring that the College acts as a responsible employer.
The new governors are Mr Neil Bodger, Dr Robson Davison, Mr Steven Pollard, Mrs Heather Reid and Mr Mark Graham. The governors who are being re-appointed are Mr Samuel Gallaher and Mr David Lamb.
The position of governor is not remunerated. These appointments are being made by the Minister following a public competition conducted in accordance with the code of practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, Northern Ireland.
Notes to editors:
1. These appointments were made on merit and political activity played no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published.
2. A selection panel, which included an Independent Panel Member, considered the suitability of all candidates and recommended suitable candidates to the Minister.
3. Mr Neil Bodger
Mr Bodger is currently a Trustee Member of the Audit Committee and Member of the Capital Development Committee of National Museums, Northern Ireland. He does not receive any remuneration for this position. He is also Chair of the Audit Committee of Stranmillis University College, for which he also receives no remuneration. He is a member of the NI Social Care Council for which he receives £6242 per annum. He has held various Board positions during the last 10 years including Chair of the Appeals Tribunals for the Southern Education & Library Board. Mr Bodger is retired and lives outside Rathfriland. He has carried out no political activity in the last five years.
Dr Robson Davison
Dr Davison was a senior civil servant from 1994 until his retirement in 2010. Prior to this period he was a member of the Education and Training Inspectorate for 10 years and for 12 years was a teacher in Ballyclare High School and Belfast Royal Academy. He is currently a Member of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Northern Ireland Liaison Committee and is also Treasurer of a church-based voluntary group working with adults and children with learning disabilities. Dr Davison lives in Ballyclare. He has carried out no political activity in the last five years and does not currently hold any other public appointments.
Mr Steven Pollard
Mr Pollard is currently an Associate Lecturer in the Business Institute of the University of Ulster, Jordanstown, and Managing Director of Janus Training & Development which provides consultancy in NI, ROI and the EU on local economic development, especially in enterprise development and skills. He is a Director of Creative Exchange Ltd. He is a Board Member of the Belfast Harbour Commission, for which he receives £12750 per annum. During the period September 2002 to September 2006 he was Projects Director of Conexus Ltd, a social enterprise formed by the then Castlereagh College of Further & Higher Education to generate full cost recovery revenue. Mr Pollard has an active interest in the promotion of a charity called FIT Northern Ireland – an industry-lead initiative that seeks to address long term unemployment. Mr Pollard lives in Bangor and has carried out no political activity in the last five years.
Mrs Heather Reid
Mrs Reid qualified as a teacher in 1984 and worked in a large urban secondary school. During a period of 9 years she held the position of Head of Year, Head of Department, Head of Junior School and Teacher Governor. In 1995 she was appointed Vice Principal of a rural comprehensive school. She was appointed Vice Principal of a Post Primary School from February 1998 – September 2004 and Principal of a Post Primary School from September 2004 – August 2009. She has also been a member of the South Belfast Area Learning Community and was appointed Chair in 2007. In this role she was involved in activities to encourage a more collaborative approach between schools and Further Education Colleges, to provide a more relevant curriculum and make better use of available resources. Mrs Reid lives in Jordanstown. She has carried out no political activity in the last five years and does not currently hold any other public appointments.
Mr Mark Graham
Mr Graham has held the position of Assistant Director for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) since 2002. He was previously an IT Managerin NIHE. His main responsibilities in this role are Business Improvement,Programme Management andFacilities Management. He has led the NIHE through a number of business change programmes. Mr Graham lives in Belfast. He has carried out no political activity in the last five years and does not currently hold any other public appointments.
Mr Samuel Gallaher
Mr Gallaher is ExecutiveDirector ofSkills for Health, the Sector Skills Council covering the entire UK health sector. Originally from a background in constructionMr Gallagher has worked in and around the health sector for almost 30 years. A significant part of his recent career was spent with CHKS, an independent provider of healthcare intelligence, hospital benchmarking and quality improvement services,mainly inthe area of capital/capacity planning andhealth economics.As Regional Director he worked closely with health organisations across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.Mr Gallaher lives in Helen's Bay and outside of work is involvedin youth work. He has carried out no political activity in the last five years and does not currently hold any other public appointments.
Mr David Lamb
Mr Lamb has been the Assistant Director of Finance at the NI Housing Executive since 1997; he previously held accountancy and finance posts in the private sector, with Bombardier Shorts, Harland and Wolff and Northern Publishing Office among others, and has extensive experience of financial management at both operational and strategic levels. He lives in Crossgar and is actively involved in work within the church. He has been a member of the Governing Body of the South Eastern Regional College since 2007 and is currently chair of the Audit Committee. He has carried out no political activity in the last five years and does not currently hold any other public appointments.
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