Our Members

In my 37 year career in the NHS, I held positions in clinical nursing and executive management and leadership. Before retiring in 2008, I held the post of Chief Executive for the former East Riding of Yorkshire Primary Care Trust for 2 ½ years. During my professional career, I became adept at developing, interpreting and implementing strategy; able at meeting deadlines and targets and competing priorities; and flexible and resilient to the ever- changing policy agenda.

Over the years, I have held voluntary positions in the community as a youth leader in 2 local churches, a member of an Independent Monitoring Board for a local prison, a Trustee for a national Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Charity, a Magistrate and a Parish Councillor. This varied experience has exposed me to different organisational systems and cultures, given me new networks, knowledge and confidence, and allowed me to transfer my skills to support and challenge leaders in different fields.

My interest in education began in 2009 when I coordinated a team of 12 mentors supporting GCSE maths students at Sydney Smith School. This prompted my pursuit to become a school governor, which I did first at Sydney Smith and then at Kelvin Hall. I was elected Chair of Governors at Kelvin Hall in 2014. It has been a real privilege to be a governor in an outstanding school and to support the co-operative values of the schools seeking to become partners in the Thrive Trust. Whatever new changes are ahead for education, I am keen to work with local leaders to develop the best possible environment for our students and staff to be successful.

John Smith is Chief Executive of Hull & East Yorkshire Credit Union (HEYCU), the social enterprise that he helped to found, with a group of colleagues at Hull City Council in 1999. He has seen HEYCU develop and grow from a small savings club serving a single employer's workforce into a multi-functional community-wide business helping over 11,700 adult members and 1,300 junior savers to manage their money wisely and looking after collective savings of over £8.8 million.
John is a Chartered Secretary by profession and is passionate about the values and ethics of the co-operative movement. His lifelong service to the movement included a decade as a non-executive director of The Co-operative Group.

John was born and brought up in the Hull area, where he lives with his wife, daughter and son. He is a member of the Governing Body of a local primary school in the area.

Peter Draper is Professor of Nursing Education at the University of Hull, and also an ordained priest in the Church of England.

Peter has worked in the nursing profession since 1976. As a clinical nurse he specialised in the nursing care of older people. In his current academic role he leads the team who deliver the undergraduate nursing programme, supervises PhD students, develops and promotes learning and teaching in the University and publishes research on a wide range of professional and educational topics. Peter is a distinguished teacher who holds a National Teaching Fellowship and is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

In his ordained role, Peter serves as Associate Minister in the parishes of South Cave, Broomfleet and Ellerker. Peter is also a keen Park Runner, and regularly represents his local archery club at competitive events.

Chris is a proven Chartered Manager and accountant with a BSc in Accounting and Financial Management. He has past experience in the public-sector having led multi-agency work and been a member and chair on a number of commissioning, strategy, partnership and delivery boards including being a regional steering group member to Lord Bradley.

Chris is experienced in safeguarding issues with previous responsibilities for missing persons. He has performed the legal role of Designated Officer in ascertaining and promoting child welfare and best interests. He has been responsible for a number of organisational policies, risk management and business continuity planning, along with a number of organisational projects including restructuring delivery through modernising workforce and process improvements and comprehensive spending review re-modelling.

Chris is a previous board member with the trust and also a local father of two children, community volunteer, a keen runner and avid football supporter.

Professor Becky Huxley-Binns was appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) in January 2019. As Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education), she is responsible for the delivery of the Education Strategy 2020-2025. She is Chair of the University Education Committee and University Student Experience, Employability and Engagement Committee, both of which are committees of Senate. She is also Chair of the Education Planning Committee which is responsible for strategic academic portfolio planning and development, and she also has strategic oversight of the Hull Online programmes in partnership with the Cambridge Education Group (Digital). 

Professor Huxley-Binns is Chair of the Advance HE Teaching Excellence Awards Advisory Panel, a member of the Advanced HE Teaching and Learning Strategic Advisory Group and a member of the Employment and Skills Board for the Hull and East Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership.   

Prior to her appointment at Hull, Becky held the role of Vice-Provost, Academic Enhancement, at the University of Law. She studied Law at the University of Central Lancashire and then Education at Nottingham Trent University. She was appointed Head of Law at Franklin College, Grimsby, in 1996 and, in 2002, was Senior Lecturer in Law at Nottingham Trent University. Promoted to a personal Chair in Legal Education in 2013, Becky was Co-Director of the Nottingham Law School Centre for Legal Education at Nottingham Trent University. She was also Law Teacher of the Year in 2010, an accolade nominated by students. She was Chair of the UK Quality Assurance Agency Law Subject Benchmark Statement Review Group in 2015 and was a main panel member of the TEF Subject level pilot in 2018 and 2019. Becky became a National Teaching Fellow in 2012 and Principal Fellow of the HEA in 2017. In 2020, Becky was the Independent Reviewer of the Bar Standards Board 2020 Online Examinations. Very experienced at teaching all levels of legal education from GCSE to Doctorate level, Becky has also been a senior examiner for ‘A’ level law, Principal Examiner for Criminal Law for CILEX and an experienced external examiner to University Law Schools.