Governors

Acting Chair (temporary appointment)

Eric Lunt BA, MA, AKC, PGCE, NPQH, ARSM

Eric is a teacher of Modern Languages by trade and has taught French and German up to and including A Level throughout a career of some 38 years in the state sector. Until retirement, he was Deputy Headteacher (and, for a time, Acting Headteacher) in a large 11-18 mixed comprehensive school. His particular areas of expertise and interest are in teaching and learning, safeguarding, inclusion, staff and student welfare and support, professional development, performance management and human resources.

Eric and his wife worship regularly at Lichfield Cathedral and have two children and three grandchildren. He has a deep love of choral and organ music, singing regularly in Lichfield Cathedral Chorus and still having weekly organ lessons (where he has much still to learn!). For the past few years he has been a Cathedral Volunteer, supporting Cathedral musicians in a variety of ways, including organising Choir tours and writing programme notes for concerts and recitals.

First appointed: October 2021

Nina Dawes OBE

Nina began her career studying business, and was a Management Trainee at Unilever and Cadbury Bros Ltd. After teaching, researching and travelling she joined Local Government where she served for more than 30 years.

She undertook various roles for Walsall MBC in housing and neighbourhood management, became a Director of a large West Midlands Housing Association, before joining Lichfield District Council in 1997. She became Chief Executive in 2001, and retired in 2012.

At Lichfield District she oversaw a considerable programme of change, and she also actively involved nationally, regionally and within the County. At national level she was Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Local Government Association’s District Council Network, the body which represents the interests of the 200+ District Councils. At Regional level she was elected to the position of Deputy Secretary of the West Midlands Local Government Association, the body which represented 38 Councils in the West Midlands region. She was also Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership, whose remit included targeting funding at improvement programmes within Councils and the Fire & Rescue services. At County level was the Districts’ representative on The Children’s Trust, becoming Vice Chairman, and she also served on county-wide Boards concerned with Health and Social Care on behalf of the District Councils in Staffordshire.

She became a Non Executive Director of a tenant owned and managed Housing Association in Walsall, serving for 10 years, chairing the Remuneration and Appeals Panel, which was concerned with Personnel matters. She was also appointed to the Board of Business Link West Midlands, on which she served for 2 years.

She was awarded an OBE in 2008 for Flood Rescue in Staffordshire, and Services to Local Government. Nina had headed the multi-agency emergency response in the 2007 floods, which affected large parts of Lichfield District.

She has two children, who she says have brought her up very well, and two grandchildren, from whom she continues to learn.

First appointed: June 2014

The Rt Revd Jan McFarlane BA, BMedSci, DipMinStd

Bishop Jan is currently the Interim Dean of Lichfield Cathedral and an Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Lichfield, and will be installed as the new Dean in September 2024. She was ordained 30 years ago in Lichfield Cathedral and following various ministries in Stafford, Ely Cathedral, Norfolk and Derbyshire, where she served as Bishop of Repton, she rejoices in ‘coming home’ again. She is committed to doing all she can to enable the Cathedral and School which bears its name, to work together in close partnership for the benefit of the staff, pupils and choristers.

Bishop Jan is a former Speech and Language Therapist and communicating well is one of her passions. She served for many years as a Director of Communications in the Church of England (including a spell with the Archbishop of Canterbury) and has enjoyed helping to bridge the gap between the church and the media. She enjoys writing and has had two books of prayers published by Church House Publishing, and she has recently been invited to write for the national newspaper, the Church Times. When off duty, she enjoys heading out in her campervan with her husband and her mischievous Schnauzer, Edith.

Jennifer Mason BA (Hons), PGCE, ABSM, FRSA

Jennifer Mason was born and educated in Birmingham. She trained as a teacher through Birmingham University studying general classroom subjects and specialising in primary/secondary music and RE. She later graduated in singing performance from Birmingham Conservatoire.

After working in schools in Worcestershire and Warwickshire, she was appointed to the Staffordshire Music Service. Here, teaching county-wide, managing a large team of staff, strategic development of instrumental and choral work in schools and ensembles, delivering CPD for teachers and building relationships with Music Hub partners helped to develop a wide range of skills. She is a passionate advocate of the power of music for whole school improvement and the cultural, spiritual, and social development of young people.

Jennifer Chairs the Governance group for MusicShare - a partnership between Lichfield Cathedral School, Lichfield Cathedral, and the Music Partnership. The project engages with schools across Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent and Telford, and is supported financially by all three partners and funding from the Arts Council.

First appointed: March 2012
Link Governor for Safeguarding and Music

Joe Morris

Joe spent twenty years as a real estate lawyer (and three years as a partner) at Gowling WLG (previously Wragge & Co) in Birmingham. He specialised in landlord and tenant matters, acting for household names on acquisition programmes and portfolio asset management matters.

In 2021, he became a business development consultant for the firm's real estate group, and helps grow the business and profile through a range of marketing initiatives.

He graduated with a bachelor of arts law degree at St Catharine's College, Cambridge in 2001 before completing his legal practice course at Nottingham Law School. After some time spent travelling in Thailand, Australia and New Zealand, he started his training contract at Wragge & Co, where he qualified.

In his spare time, Joe plays football, walks his dog, drums and writes and performs stand-up comedy, in addition to spending time with his wife and two daughters. He also organises the Midlands Property Quiz – an annual event that raised money for local organisations such as the Birmingham Children's Hospital. 

James Neville

James Neville is passionate about education and has a breadth of experience in both senior and middle management, having served several of the country’s leading independent and maintained schools. He is a graduate of both Oxford and Cambridge universities, and held Choral Scholarships at Magdalen College (Oxford) and King’s College (Cambridge). He enjoys history, music and travel, and he is very happily married with two children.

First appointed: April 2022

Robert Oakley

Rob is currently the managing director of a property development company based in the West Midlands.

He graduated with an honours degree in Law from Leeds University in 1994. Following a year at Guildford College of Law, and another year travelling to the West Indies and Greece, he joined Putsmans Solicitors in Birmingham on a training contract. In 1998 he joined Eversheds where he spent three years in their property team in central Birmingham. After another year travelling, this time to the Americas and Australasia, he joined Pemberton Group Ltd as an in-house solicitor for their commercial, property and trusts team.

In 2005 Rob co-founded, and co-owns, the property development company where he now works.

Rob spends much of his spare time with his wife, two daughters and son whilst also pursuing his interests in cycling, football and karate.

Link Governor for Property Management 

Clive Rickart BA (Hons), PGCE

Clive Rickart joined Stamford School from Manchester University to teach History, Politics and Games. He was appointed as a Boarding Housemaster and since then has held a number of headships, as well as having extensive leadership experience. He has been Principal of Lincoln Minster School since 1999. He is passionate about educating young people and ensuring the very best start in life. Clive became the General Secretary of The Society of Heads in September 2015.

Interests include walking, cricket, football and gardening. He is married with three children.

First appointed: December 2011 

Nicola Roy

Nicola is currently Chief Operating Officer of Accident Exchange Limited.

She is a qualified accountant and her finance experience began in a small Birmingham based accountancy practice where she qualified three years later. Nicola spent a further four years in practice as Audit Manager before moving to be Company Accountant at Accident Exchange Ltd in 2004. In 2005 she was appointed Finance Director, and more recently, in 2012, became Chief Operating Officer.

Over the last 12 years she has been heavily involved in the listing of the business on AIM, a move to the full list and a subsequent de-list to return to a privately owned business. The business is complex in nature and requires dynamic management. As a result Nicola has gained significant experience of managing a business through a recession and through industry wide commercial challenges.

Nicola has an operational board of 8 directors who between them manage a team of 400 employees. Her skills lie in using her commercial and operational experience with her financial acumen to understand and exploit business opportunities and to reduce and control costs where appropriate. She has a reputation for being logical, driven and straight talking.

Nicola is married and has two daughters.

Chair, Finance & General Purposes Committee 

Revd Canon Andrew Stead

Andrew Stead holds the office of Canon Precentor at Lichfield Cathedral. Prior to his time at Lichfield he has spent much of his working life as chaplain and teacher of Religious Studies in Schools. His present work as a Canon means that he serves as a member of the Cathedral Chapter and that he has the responsibility for the liturgical, choral and musical ministry within the life of the Cathedral and is the Cathedral’s representative on the governance team of MusicShare.

Link Governor for Early Years Foundation Stage 

Senior Academic Staff