The UVAC Board comprises experts in higher level vocational learning drawn from higher and further education.  As such, the UVAC Board possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience on higher level, work-based and vocational learning.

• Professor Quintin McKellar (Chair) – Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, University of Hertfordshire
• Professor Jane Longmore – Vice-Chancellor, University of Chichester
• Professor Jonathan Garnett, Senior Research Adviser, Australian Institute of Business
• Professor Margaret House – Vice Chancellor, Leeds Trinity University
• Dr Darryll Bravenboer, Head of Academic Development, Institute for Work Based Learning, Middlesex University
• Dr Ruth Helyer –  Head of Skills, Teesside University
• Mr Conor Moss, Director of Education and Employer Partnerships, Sheffield Hallam University 
• Mrs Debi Hayes – Deputy Provost, Greenwich School of Management
• Ms Rosy Crehan, Interim Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), University of Cumbria
• Ms Sarah Tudor, Director of Employer Partnerships, Staffordshire University

Professor Quintin McKellar CBE – Chair

Vice Chancellor, University of Hertfordshire

Professor McKellar has been the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Hertfordshire since 2011.  He graduated from Glasgow University Veterinary School in 1981, and went on to gain a PhD in Veterinary Parasitology in 1984.  In August 1997 Professor McKellar took up the post of Scientific Director of the Moredun Research Institute and Chief Executive of the Moredun Foundation.  In 2004, he was appointed Principal of The Royal Veterinary College of the University of London.

Quintin is chair of the Biological and Biotechnological Scientific Research Council (BBSRC) Animal Research Club, chair of the Board of Trustees of The Pirbright Institute, and a non-executive director of the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).  He is also a member of the Government Chief Scientist Steering Group on Animal and Plant Health in the UK.   He is co-chair of the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) Food Economy Task Force.   He is a Governor of Queenswood School in Hertfordshire and a member of the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership.  In 2015 was elected as a Board member of Universities UK (UUK).

Professor McKellar was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2011 for services to science.  He was a distinguished researcher with interests in the pharmacology of anti-infective and anti-inflammatory drugs in domestic animals.

Professor Jane Longmore

Vice-Chancellor, University of Chichester

Jane Longmore became the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Chichester in May 2017. Jane joined from Southampton Solent University where she was Deputy Vice Chancellor for seven years and prior to that was Pro Vice-Chancellor, Academic. She had previously worked at the Universities of Reading and Sussex, St Mary’s University College, London, and, most recently, the University of Greenwich. Jane studied history at the University of Oxford; gained a PGCE from the University of Durham; was awarded her Doctorate in 1983 by the University of Reading; and was made a Professor of Urban History by Southampton Solent University at the end of 2007. She has had wide-ranging teaching experience and pursues her interests in pedagogy at a national level through her involvement with the Higher Education Academy (HEA). Jane currently chairs the HEA Forum for historians working in higher education.

As an experienced QAA Institutional Reviewer and a member of the Board of the QAA’s Advisory Committee on Degree-Awarding Powers, Jane combines a firm commitment to the provision of a high-quality student experience with a life-long interest in breaking down the barriers which prevent equal access to all forms of higher education. This is underpinned by a firm belief in the ability of education to open doors to professional opportunities and personal development. She led the University’s major HEFCE-funded Strategic Development Programme which aimed to develop new forms of progression, such as higher apprenticeships, to strengthen links with public- and private-sector employers and to increase flexible forms of curriculum delivery, including employer-based provision.

Professor Jonathan Garnett

Senior Research Adviser, Australian Institute of Business

Professor Jonathan Garnett was, until July 2014, the Director of the Institute for Work Based Learning and Professor of Work Based Knowledge at Middlesex University. Jonathan has twenty one years experience at the leading edge of the development and operation of work based learning partnerships at higher education level (Certificate to Doctorate) and has worked with  public, private and third sector organisations in the UK and internationally. His current research interests include the development of higher education practice and structures to support employer responsive provision and the use of work based learning to enhance the intellectual capital of employers. He is currently advising the Australian Institute of Business and is their representative on the UVAC Board.

Professor Margaret A House

Vice Chancellor, Leeds Trinity University

Professor House was appointed as the Vice Chancellor at Leeds Trinity University on 1st January 2013. Previous to this she was the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic at Middlesex University where she had worked since 1986. She was appointed Dean of the School of Social Sciences in 2000; Dean of Health and Social Sciences in 2002; and became Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic in September 2005. Professor House gained a national and international reputation for research into the management and monitoring of river water quality. She was responsible for the development of the House Index of Water Quality. As Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic she led projects on the student experience and employability in addition to her role as academic leader for the University.

As Vice-chancellor of Leeds Trinity University Professor House leads the University on all strategic matters, ensuring a financial base to allow the delivery of the University’s Strategic Plan including the overall mission, aims and objectives of the University. She represents the University externally at various groups including Universities UK (UUK), GuildHE and the Cathedral’s Group.

Professor House currently acts as the Chair of Higher Education Access Rewarding Transforming (HEART), Yorkshire Universities Audit Committee, Yorkshire Universities Small and Specialist Institutions Network Group and Vice Chair of the Cathedral’s Group. She also serves as a member of various committees and regional groups including: University Vocational Awards Council (UVAC), the UUK Student Policy Network and Teacher Education Advisory Group (TEAG), Guild HE Council, TEAG, Leeds Skills and Labour Market Group, Leeds Citizens Leadership Group and All Party Parliamentary University Group.

Dr Darryll Bravenboer

Head of Academic Development, Institute for Work Based Learning, Middlesex University

Dr Darryll Bravenboer is a Principal Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy and has extensive experience of developing vocational and work-based higher education provision in response to the needs of a wide range of employment sectors in diverse professional contexts. His research interests include the philosophy and sociology of education, higher education policy, fair access, widening participation, lifelong learning and vocational, work-based and employer-responsive higher education. His current responsibilities include building sustainable partnerships with employers and industry sectors to deliver innovative higher-level learning opportunities as well as leading the University’s work in developing Higher and Degree Apprenticeships.He is also Chair of Middlesex University’s Accreditation Board, which includes overseeing the University’s approach to individual APEL claims as well as the accreditation of external courses and training activity. Darryll is also a Trustee and Board member of SEEC credit consortium, Board member of Linking London, a member of the National Skills Academy for Retail HE Group and a member of the CITB Advisory Group for the construction sector.

Before joining Middlesex University, Darryll worked for the University of Hertfordshire in the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies as Director for the East of England Lifelong Learning Network. This included specific responsibility for the distribution of HEFCE Additional Student Numbers across the region, Progression Agreements, Curriculum Development Projects and the Creative and Cultural Industries sector. This involved working with eleven HEIs from diverse mission groups and thirty-five FECs, as well as a wide range of regional and national industry and sector organisations and employers to promote progression to higher education through vocational routes.

Prior to this Darryll was Director of Higher Education at Croydon College with responsibility for all aspects of higher education provision including: quality assurance and enhancement, HEFCE funding, curriculum development and validation, research and scholarship development, as well as significant partnership working with a range of universities. Darryll’s broad ranging experience also includes working as a Senior Graphic Design Consultant with major corporate clients and working in Secondary Schools as a qualified teacher.

Dr Ruth Helyer

Head of Skills, Teesside University

An earlier career of ten years commercial experience with Barclays Bank Plc, has proved invaluable in enhancing Ruth’s current activities, which span the worlds of business and academia. This hybrid profile has encompassed work around widening participation and community learning as well as project management of initiatives which depend on industry partners for successful outcomes. As a champion of work-based learning, she has been instrumental in the University becoming one of the leaders in the sector in business engagement activities. Ruth continues to teach on Teesside’s PgC in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education.

Ruth’s popular text book The Work-Based Learning Student Handbook (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010) appears on numerous reading lists. She is also Editor in Chief of the Emerald published Higher Education Skills and Work-Based Learning – UVAC’s official journal and one of the few peer-reviewed journals publishing material of direct relevance to this growing academic area.

Ruth is a Fellow of the RSA, the Higher Education Academy and a National Teaching Fellow (2013).

Director of Education and Employer Partnerships, Sheffield Hallam University

Conor joined Sheffield Hallam University in January 2013 after a successful period as Head of Learning of the award winning University of Derby Corporate. In May 2015 he was appointed as Director of Education and Employer Partnerships at Sheffield Hallam University with strategic responsibility for Further Education, Transnational Education (TNE) and Employer partnerships.

Conor started his academic career specialising in strategic management, leadership and organisational development. He has extensive experience developing successful educational partnerships with both the private and public sectors.

He is committed to working with employers to break down the barriers between university and business and on creating employability and employment opportunities for students to flourish and grow.

He is passionate about working with employer and education partners to provide learners with access to higher-level skills, regardless of academic background or career stage. He has pursued this passion in both his professional and personal life and represents the university in a number of forums. He leads the University’s RISE programme; an initiative with University of Sheffield and Sheffield City Council to match graduates with growth SME’s. He is the Higher Education representative for Sheffield City Region LEP on the Skills, Employment and Education Board.

Conor is a Senior Fellow of the HEA and a Fellow of the Learning and Performance Institute.

Mrs Debi Hayes

Deputy Provost, Greenwich School of Management

Debi moved to take up the post of Deputy Provost at Greenwich School of Management in September 2013.  Prior to that, under Debi’s leadership, the Centre for Work Based Learning at the University of Greenwich developed a portfolio of programmes designed to support career and workforce development and undertook longitudinal tracking studies of apprentices and vocational learners to explore their progression decisions.

Debi began her career in Higher Education as a lecturer in Marketing and Cultural Industries. She became Dean of the School of Creative Enterprise at University of the Arts and established the Creative Industries Journal of which she remains Deputy Editor. She continues to publish on arts, marketing and social inclusion in the arts and higher education.

Ms Rosy Crehan

Interim Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), University of Cumbria

Rosy Crehan is Interim Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) of the University of Cumbria having joined from her role as Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) at Staffordshire University, where she was responsible for the academic portfolio of the University, learning and teaching, quality assurance and enhancement, management of the four academic Faculties and the portfolio of 23 UK and 19 international partnership partner institutions. Her research leadership included the Staffordshire University submission to REF 2014.

Rosy enjoyed a high-profile first career as a professional clarinetist. She was a founder member of Opera North in Leeds in the position of principal clarinetist and later enjoyed a successful freelance musical career, combining working with many top UK orchestras, west end musical theatre and teaching commitments.

In a second career as a Fashion specialist, Fashion lecturing posts in three London Further Education Colleges led to a position at London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London. Senior Higher Education management posts followed at Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication, at Middlesex University as Head of Department of Art and Design and Acting Dean of the School of Arts and Education, and at University of West London as Executive Dean of the Faculty of the Arts.

Rosy is passionate about industry collaboration in education having secured £1.3M funding for industry linked projects over her career.

She follows her interests in improving learning and teaching and pedagogic development, widening participation and equality and diversity, on a national level as an active member of the Million + Learning and Teaching Group and through a range of Higher Education Academy and Higher Education Funding Council for England projects and working groups. She has recently been appointed as a QAA Institutional Reviewer.

Ms Sarah Tudor