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Governor Profiles

  • Professor James Crabbe (Chair of Governors)

    Professor Crabbe is Executive Dean of the Faculty of Creative Arts, Technologies and Science and Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Bedfordshire.

    He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Supernumerary Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford, and a Visiting Professor at the University of Reading and Beijing University of China.

    His research interests are in climate change and the environment, particularly coral reef ecosystems and the people who depend on them.

    He sits in the Capital Projects Sub-Committee, Standards Sub-Committee, Remuneration Sub-Committee, Nominations Sub-Committee and Finance and Resources Sub-Committee.

  • Faheem Mir (Vice-Chair of the Corporation)

    Faheem Mir has held senior technology and leadership positions with telecom operators and systems integrators.
    He is a revenue assurance practitioner and an Enterprise Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

    He runs entrepreneurship and leadership workshops for young people and is a trustee of Luton Community Forum.

    He sits on the Finance and Resources Sub-Committee (Chair) and the Remuneration Sub-Committee.

  • Rachel Baker

    Information to follow.

  • Dr Ali Hadawi CBE (Principal and Chief Executive)

    Mr Hadawi is an electronic and computer engineer and has worked in both industry and in education.

    Prior to taking up the post with Central Bedfordshire College, he was the Principal of Southend Adult Community College and helped improve that college to be the first LSIS (Learning and Skills Improvement Service) Beacon in its category.

    In the New Year’s Honours List 2011, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to Vocational Education in Iraq and to Further Education in UK.

    He sits on the Capital Projects Sub-Committee, Finance & Resources Sub-Committee, Standards Sub-Committee and the Nominations Sub-Committee.

  • Donna Hopkins

    Information to follow.

  • Cathy Barr

    Cathy is CEO of The Shared Learning Trust (TSLT), a multi-academy trust currently comprising five schools with collectively over 4,000 pupils across Luton and Central Bedfordshire.  She has been a qualified teacher for 29 years, and has been a senior leader in education since 2003. Although her first year of teaching was in Brisbane, Australia, most subsequent posts have been in and around London.  Prior to becoming CEO, Cathy was Principal of The Stockwood Park Academy for 5 years (2011-2016) winning Partners in Excellence (PiXL) and Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) awards for pupil achievement and progress in 2013.  In that year, the academy was also named the third most improved school in the country. Trust CEO since 2016, Cathy has established strong links with local authorities and local partners resulting in excellent opportunities for staff and pupils alike.  The Shared Learning Trust gained sponsor status in March 2021. 

    Cathy is health and safety trustee for TSLT, a member of Central Bedfordshire College’s standards committee and a trustee of HertsCam – a teacher-led organisation providing non-positional CPD opportunities for staff.

  • Mrs Melanie Kavanagh

    Mrs Kavanagh’s career has included being an Ofsted inspector. Her areas of expertise are general strategic management, curriculum/education, training & development, quality assurance and safeguarding.

    She sits on the Standards Sub-Committee (Chair), Capital Projects Sub-Committee and the College’s Safeguarding Committee.

  • Helen Barnett

    Information to follow.

  • Leon Doherty - Student Governor

    Leon Doherty is a current CBC student, in his second (final) year of studies on Level 3 Extended National Diploma Public Services course, progressing to study Criminology and Policing BA (Hons) at Cambridge in the new academic year.

    Leon holds a number of voluntary and leadership roles within the college.  Namely:  LGBTQ+ Ambassador, Student Ambassador, Social Team representative, Health-Watch representative, Learner Voice team member and Course representative.

  • Devi Kolli

    Information to follow.

  • Angelique Wright

    Angelique is a Chartered Certified Accountant with 24 years of experience in practice. She is the managing partner of her own business based in Buckinghamshire.

    Angelique sits on the following Sub-Committee:

    • Audit (Chair)
  • Agata Kotarska – Student Governor

    Agata is a first-year student at CBC, studying Creative Media due to her love of films and how they create an engaging story for all to experience. She is an animal lover who, in the future would like to volunteer at animal shelters, both home and abroad, as it is important to her to help others in need.

    Agata was interested in becoming a governor to enable her with the opportunity providing insight from a student’s perspective and to assist in shaping the future of the college.

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