The board consists of nine voting members, five elected (in a cycle of three years) for a term of three years at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), and up to four co-opted (by those elected) for a term of up to three years. Board members must be Devon Association of Governance (DAG) members.
At the first board meeting after the AGM the board elects a Chair and Vice-chair from within its voting members for a term of one year.
The board appoints a Clerk, Treasurer and officers as deemed appropriate, and they are ex-officio board members.
There is an Executive Committee (The Executive) who are responsible for the general management of DAG and for determining its Standing Orders. The Executive comprises of the Chair, Vice-chair(s), Clerk, Treasurer and other officers as deemed appropriate.
When governors represent DAG on groups created by the Local Authority we ask that they adopt associate board member status.
There are board member vacancies and anyone interested in becoming a board member can email [email protected]
Ian represents DAG on Schools Organisation, Capital and Admissions Committee (SOCA) and Devon Education Music Hub. His background is in commercial legal and local government corporate accounting'
Jill is the Clerk to the Board of Devon Association of Governance (DAG), updates the DAG website and carries out the administration for the organisation of the DAG Community Networks Chairs and Clerks Forums and other DAG events. Jill is a Director of Blackdown Education Partnership. She is also Clerk to the Governing Board of the Exmoor Link Federation and the Governing Board of the Federation of Tiverton Schools. She is a DAG Academy Secondary Representative on Devon Education Forum, a Governor Representative on Devon Safeguarding Children Partnership Education Advisory Group and a Substitute for School Finance Group. Jill is a bookkeeper and Clerk to four Parish Councils.
Amanda was a school governor for over 18 years in a maintained schools federation, she was also a co-operative trustee for many years and served on the Devon Education Forum. Amanda has worked with The Devon Association of Governance (DAG) for many years and is currently Web Content Consultant for DAG, writing articles and creating resources to support governors throughout Devon.
Adrian is Chair of DAG, secondary academies representative on Devon Education Forum, and a member of the Schools Finance Group. He has many years’ experience as a governor, spanning both local governance and multi-academy trust board roles. He previously participated in the Local Leaders of Governance network, and is currently a Climate Ambassador. Adrian is Vice-Chair of the Board of the Education South West multi-academy trust, within which he chairs the Finance Committee, and sits on the Audit and Risk Committee. He is also Chair of the joint Local Governing Hub for Darite, Lanlivery, Blisland, Harrowbarrow, and Copper Valley Primary Academies within the Bridge Schools multi-academy trust in Cornwall. Outside of school governance, Adrian is a Facility Director at the Science and Technology Facilities Council, having previously spent many years at the Met Office leading teams of scientists and software engineers, and participating in committee work at local, national, and international level.
“Alex Walmsley represents secondary academies at the Devon Education Forum and DAG at Devon Schools Finance Group. He is the elected Vice-chair of DEF. Alex is a chartered accountant and economics graduate and was for many years managing partner of a Devon accountancy practice. He is an experienced non-executive director and business advisor. He is a chair of Trustees at The First Federation Trust, a multi academy trust comprising 29 primary schools and has specific director responsibility for finance. He is also a trustee and chair of finance and resources committee at The Ted Wragg Trust, a multi academy trust comprising 11 secondary, 3 primary and two all through schools and chairs Fusion School Services, their trading subsidiary company. He is a member of Exeter Diocesan Board of Education Committee. Alex has experience of a wide range of governance structures, including both maintained and academy schools, and particular experience in school financial management and MAT governance. His wide ranging experience as both chair and non-executive director in commerce and education enables him to take a strategic view of the challenges facing trusts, schools and governors. He was awarded an MBE in 2024 for services to Education.”
Faith is a trustee of SENtient, Chair of the governing board of Marland School, Safeguarding Governor and CiC Governor. Faith represents DAG on Devon Education Forum (DEF) as the Special Schools Governor Representative and School Finance Group (SFG) as Special Schools Governor. Faith is the elected chair of DEF
Niki is Vice Chair of Decoy Community Primary School where she holds responsibilities on the Business and Management Committee and represents DAG on Devon Education Forum as Maintained Primary Schools’ Governor Representative. Niki Is the Emergency Planning and Business Continuity Officer for Teignbridge District Council, with a varied career history having previously worked in Central Government and the Private Sector. Niki is an experienced leader in governance and board roles across a range of sectors and has a strong emphasis on driving up standards and championing community strengthening initiatives.
Lorraine is a secondary academies representative at the Devon Education Forum. Lorraine is Chair of the Local Governing Board at ISCA Academy. Lorraine has had a varied career in education and governance, encompassing the role of a leader and teacher in an inner-city secondary school, a strategic lead for governance in a London local authority, and more recently Head of Governance in Ted Wragg Trust before joining a national organisation, Trust Governance Professionals Ltd. Lorraine has a passion for all things governance and at her core are her values of social inclusion whereby all students thrive in the school environment; supporting others in strategic governance, both in local authority schools, special schools, faith schools and multi-academy trusts to achieve this. This experience enables Lorraine to take a strategic view of the challenges faced by our schools, trusts and governors.
Christina is a Diocesan Education Adviser for the Diocese of Exeter and has responsibility for Governance, School Admissions and School Organisation,
Fiona Collier, Governance Consultancy Team Lead, Devon Education Services Fiona has extensive experience within the governance sector, working with maintained, academy and independent schools, and is a staunch advocate for the pivotal role of governance professionals. She was instrumental in creating the National Association of Governance Advisory Services (NAGAS) Clerking Handbook, is editor of the Devon Governance Today magazine and has created a suite of training for governance professionals. Fiona also chairs NAGAS and the Southwest Association of Governance Advisory Services. Fiona was approached by the Association of Education Advisers (AoEA) to contribute a chapter to their book, exploring the role of strategic governance in delivering schools effectiveness.
Zoe has a wealth of experience in governance at a variety of different settings including sitting as the Chair of an early years education charity, and holding Chair roles within both the maintained and academy sectors; having chaired a 5 school federation and co-chaired a local board within a large trust. She has also governed as a trustee of a local Trust Port and Harbour Authority. Currently Zoe is Vice Chair of a large and growing south west based multi academy trust that has schools in both the primary and secondary sectors. Zoe’s background in strategic leadership and management follows a 17-year career as an officer in the Royal Navy. During which time she held a variety of posts including command of her own warship, teaching at post graduate level, and serving on operations in the Middle East. Her final role in the navy saw her responsible for the training and education of future leaders at Britannia Royal Naval College. Following her military career, she has worked as a governance advisor with Devon Education Services, supporting schools across Devon and beyond in all governance matters and delivering training for governors and trustees. As a trustee, Zoe is passionate about improving the outcomes for all children in our schools, but particularly those with disabilities and less advantaged. In her spare time she enjoys being out on the water and keeping the peace between her two boys on the family boat.
Nicola has been Chair of Governors at Hayward's Primary School in Crediton since 2020. She is a DAG representative for maintained primary schools on the Devon Education Forum. Outside of governance she is Head of Impact, Insight and Learning at Devon Community Foundation.
06-05-2025