Harrison is a researcher with a background in Political Science. He was born and bred in Nigeria, where he had his BSc (Hons.) in Political Science and Public Administration from the University of Benin, and MSc degree in Political Science from the University of Ibadan.

He joined the Department of Political Science, University of Calabar as an Assistant Lecturer and rose to the position of lecturer before starting a PhD in Government and International Affairs (as a Commonwealth Scholar) at Durham University. Harrison’s research interests include critical approaches to security, militarisation and resistance in conflict-affected areas; the intersection of conflict and security in interstate relations; mainstreaming sustainable peacebuilding in post-conflict states, and governance in the global south (particularly in Africa).

Harrison has ample experience in student leadership and civil society engagements. He is passionate about supporting young people develop their socio-political and leadership skills. He was the president of Durham University Nigerian Society (2016/2017); President, Association of Graduate students of Political Science (AGSPOS), University of Ibadan chapter (2007/2008); and President, Secretary and Public Relations Officer, (2003/2004, 2002/2003 and 2001/2002 respectively) in the National Association of Political Science Students (NAPSS), University of Benin Chapter.

Harrison is a Christian; enjoys travelling and rendering humanitarian services. He is a volunteer with the Nigerian Red Cross Society, and since 2018, with the British Red Cross.

When away from work, you might find him watching football, attending church events, or analysing politics, etcetera. He is married to Mildred Ajebon, and they are blessed with two wonderful  boys. 

Mildred was brought up in Igarra, a lovely town in Edo State Nigeria with a vibrant cultural heritage. She graduated from the University of Benin with a degree in Geography and Regional Planning. She obtained two MSC degrees in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) subspecialties at the University of Ibadan and the University of Leeds respectively and then did a PhD in Geography at Durham University with the award of the Commonwealth Scholarships.

Mildred is currently a Lecturer in Quantitative Human Geography here at Durham. Her central research interest is on utilizing a mix of methods to the study of the social determinants of health risks at different spatial scales, from the international scale down to individual lived experiences of health inequalities.

She started her academic career as a Graduate Assistant in the School of Geography at the Federal University of Technology Minna in 2007 before returning to the University of Benin in 2009 where she rose to the position of Lecturer in Geography and Regional Planning before starting my PhD at Durham. Mildred was a Research Fellow in the Department of Health Sciences, University of York before joining Durham University as Lecturer in 2022.

Mildred shares a passion for student experience and mentorship with her lovely husband, Dr Harrison Chukwuma Ajebon. They have been involved in student leadership and student support for many years. Together, they like to share their culture and Nigerian food with people from diverse backgrounds. They are blessed with two amazing boys.

I was brought up in Ayr, Scotland. After completing a BA degree in History and Italian and a PGCE in Edinburgh, I taught at Steyning Grammar School in Sussex where I met and married my husband Chris.

We taught on a one year Fulbright Exchange in San Diego and then moved to Singapore where we worked at the United World College of SE Asia. Our daughter Caroline was born there in 1986.

We returned to Oxford for a year and then lived in Colwyn Bay, where my husband was headmaster of Penrhos College. When we moved to Durham in 1998, I became a College Tutor and then the Admissions  Secretary at Trevelyan College until 2017. In both roles, being part of the College community, getting to know the students and keeping a continuing connection with them has been something I particularly enjoyed. My interests are many and varied and included all aspects of classical and choral music, as well as Gilbert and Sullivan and musical theatre in general. I have an extensive knowledge all things royal!

I have been a Tutor at Chad’s since 2019 and I am currently the Tutors’ Representative on the College Governing Body.

I grew up in London and Newcastle. In 1988 I returned to live in the North-east and have now spent more than half my life here. I love it for the light and what I want to call the lived solitude of the landscape.

I graduated from Cambridge with a degree in Philosophy and English in 1971 and then did a PGCE at Sussex. Since then I have lived a double life following my two vocations of writing and teaching. I’ve published nine collections of poetry – the last one, wake, launched with a reading in Chad’s chapel in 2018. I’ve taught in Further and Adult and Higher Education and worked in schools as a writer. My two careers really came together when creative writing happened in the UK in the 1980s and I’ve never looked back. I’ve undertaken many community-based residencies, including working with women in the Orthodox Jewish Community in Gateshead and working, with Freedom From Torture, with asylum seekers in Newcastle and Stockton. I was awarded The Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in 2016. Meeting the Queen was a huge pleasure and privilege I never expected to enjoy!

I am really looking forward to tutoring at St Chad’s and will be working with my partner Tom Midgley.

Until recently, Tristan was the Deputy Director Alumni Engagement & Annual Giving at Durham University.

Tristan returned to the North East in 2018 after a 4-year spell working in Melbourne where he led an alumni engagement division at Melbourne Business School, one of the world’s leading business schools.

At Durham Tristan was responsible for communicating and engaging with a global alumni community of almost 200,000 alumni across the world.

Professionally, Tristan has over 17 years business experience working across a variety of functional areas some of which include: marketing and communications, business development, international recruitment and alumni relations and fundraising. He has worked in the Higher Education industry for over 14 years to date and is very well networked with business professionals across multiple industries and companies worldwide.

Tristan is married, has one child and lives in Whitley Bay. His interests are family time and days out at National Trust properties enjoying the history and culture that the UK has to offer.

Travel is a feature of Tristan’s life and having completed a yearlong round the world trip in 2004-5 has forever been pursuing his dream to see more of the world at any available chance. This means that most annual leave from his role at Durham is spent travelling to countries and locations which would not always be your usual summer holiday destinations.

If you would like to view Tristan’s professional profile please visit his LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristanalltimes/

My name is Dr Karis Baker, I currently work at Durham University as a project manager on two linked projects; Physics of Life and a Physics of Medicine. Both these projects aim to get researchers from the physical and the life sciences working together to try and tackle research questions which would benefit from interdisciplinary thinking.

Prior to working on this project, I carried out a PhD and post doc in Durham Biosciences, where I analysed the ancient and modern DNA of animal populations to answer questions relating to population changes induced by human and environmental impacts. Part of this research has involved linking up with archaeologists to map movements of a species of deer, called the fallow deer, introduced by humans across the globe and through millennia. These movements have been used as a proxy to understand more about human trading patterns, cultures and ideologies through time and across space. I have also worked as a teaching fellow in the archaeology dept., teaching on bioarcheology courses about the use of ancient DNA as a tool in archaeology.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my young family and playing the occasional game of football and hockey (when time allows!)

Art history is my profession and my second passion my family are my first, which comprises of one very understanding husband Peter, 3 grown children Fergus, Flora and Ruari and the Labrador sisters Tess and Tig.  Durham is my third passion, I’m a Devon exile and a North East convert, I believe there is no better place in the world to live!

I work for an educational charity, Magic Lantern, using the visual arts to teach in such diverse settings as primary schools and prisons. I love the great outdoors whether walking, skiing or swimming, any artistic or heritage activity and spending time with family and friends.

The Revd Canon Rosalind Brown BA, Dip TP, M.Div.

I have been a member of the SCR at Chad's since 2005 when I arrived at the Cathedral as its first female Residentiary Canon (i.e. resident clergy and member of the Cathedral Chapter) in its 900 year history. I had oversight of the public ministry of the Cathedral as well as its historic library and collections until I retired in 2018.

Having read geography at UCL, I qualified as a town planner and worked for 16 years in the south of England, then moved to the USA to join a small Benedictine Christian community of men, women and children living in a former steel town in the Rust Belt of Pennsylvania. The Community asked me to be ordained and I had three stimulating years at Yale Divinity School before becoming Priest in Charge in another Rust Belt town. I returned to the UK in 1999 and for six years trained people for ordination in Salisbury before moving to Durham. I'm author of a few books on Christian ministry and have several published hymns.

Retirement has meant more time for gardening, reading, theatre, exhibitions, sewing, knitting, concerts etc. I take services in churches where there is a need on a Sunday but otherwise worship at St Chad's Chapel.

I’m a Lecturer in Statistics at Department of Mathematical Sciences.

I arrived in Durham in September 2007 to start my PhD in Maths. I joined Chad’s in 2008 and have been part of the MCR/SCR since. I was then offered a 4-year post-doctoral position in the IHRR/Leverhulme Tipping Points project. After completing my post-doc, I was offered a lectureship here in Durham which I started in April 2015.

My main interests are maths, stats, real-world applications, board/card/PC games, and Lego.

I am the Academic Course Leader for Biosciences undergraduate degrees and lecture in areas related to physiology. I am particularly interested in exercise physiology and the biological effects of ageing. Prior to joining Durham in 1999 I worked for Oxford University carrying our research into the endocrinology of depression. My favourite holiday destination is the Greek Islands but so far  I have only managed to visit 25 out of the 227 inhabited islands.

Paul is a non-executive director of the Co-op Group and serves on a wide range of charity and social enterprise boards, including being Chair of Durham Cathedral Council and a non-executive director of the North East Ambulance Service.  From 2001-2012 he was CEO of Traidcraft, the pioneering fair trade organisation, and was President of the European Fair Trade Association; he remains a board member of the Fair Trade Advocacy Office in Brussels.  In his earlier career Paul spent nine years with Barclays Bank and from 1992-2001 was General Secretary of the Christian publisher and bookseller, SPCK.  Paul studied modern history at Oxford and has an MBA from Henley Management College. He is a Lay Canon of Durham Cathedral, a Fellow of St Chad’s and is also Vice Chair of Governors and Treasurer of St Chad's.

Sarah has been a Chad’s tutor since 2004.

Sarah is a GP, working in Chester-le-Street. She lives in Durham with her husband, Paul,and three daughters - Jo, Kate and Emma - and an assortment of animals.

Sarah studied medicine at Oxford and Guy’s hospital in London, and tropical medicine in Liverpool.  She worked for several years in inner city practices in London and specialised in providing medical advice and support to overseas aid workers and missionaries.

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I’m a Durham graduate, and I have lived and worked in Durham City for more than thirty years. As an undergraduate, I studied Theology, and I then started postgraduate studies in Philosophy, at another university, but only completed my PhD after returning to Durham University. I taught for some years in the Department of Theology and Religion, but then chose to focus on academic management, and in later years I worked as a Deputy Head of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and as the Director of the Liberal Arts programme. Through my work in recruitment and admissions, I visited many schools around the world, and I developed a particularly strong interest in China and South-East Asia. I have provided academic support and guidance to generations of students, working especially closely with  international students, and I hope to continue to help students in various ways through my role as a college tutor.

I’m now self-employed, and combine my work as a Higher Education Consultant with other projects, both professional and personal. My interests include philosophy, religious studies, music, literature, and the arts in general, but also cooking, gardening, and travelling. I’m married to Kathryn, another Durham graduate, and an Educational Psychologist, and we have two grown up children.

Born and bred in Durham City, Sophie holds a BA and MPhil in Theology from Trinity Hall, Cambridge University. Following her degree and a brief stint in a theological publishing house, Sophie moved back to Durham where she worked at the University for ten years managing a range of strategic corporate and research projects for the Executive Team, including a Commission on Creativity and Education with Arts Council England, the Scottish Soldiers Archaeology Project, and the pan-University Covid Lateral Flow Testing programme. In 2021, Sophie left Durham to become Head of Operations at Mindfully Wired Communications, a multi award-winning, Bristol-based communications consultancy focused on issues of environmental sustainability, particularly in the marine sphere. Having worked remotely for almost three years, Sophie returned to Durham for her current role of Senior Project Manager for the Reimagining Governance for a Flourishing Research Culture project funded by the Wellcome Trust.

In her spare time, Sophie is a trustee for Cap-a-Pie, an educational theatre charity which co-creates theatre focused on societal issues with disadvantaged children in the North East and academic researchers. She is also a trustee for Durham-based Multi-Academy Trust Providence Learning Partnership. She is mother to two rambunctious house bunnies (Rufus and Rosie), enjoys delicious food, walks in the countryside, and choral singing. She is delighted to be a member of St Chad’s SCR and a College Tutor.

I was ordained in Durham Cathedral in 1988 and have spent my whole ministry in the diocese. I have served as a University Chaplain (Sunderland) and as Diocesan Social Responsibility Officer, and am currently the Team Rector of Durham North Team of Churches. I am passionate about combatting Climate Change and issues of racism and equality. (I was in the first group of woman to be ordained priests) I love cycling, swimming, walking and cross-stitch!

I am an Astronomer working in the Physics Department.

Having obtained a Physics degree from York and a PhD in X-ray Astronomy from Leicester, I worked in Cambridge and Munich before moving to Durham in 1998. I have a long running connection with St Chad's through Joe Cassidy and am greatly looking forward to working within the college.

Sam first came to Durham in 2008 to study for a degree in Mathematics. After moving to Sheffield for a year and obtaining his PGCE, he returned to Durham in 2013 to complete a Ph.D. in mathematics. Since completing his Ph.D., Sam has worked in the Durham mathematics department, first as a Teaching Fellow, and now as an Assistant Professor of Teaching. Outside of work, Sam is a keen climber and can often be found at the Durham Climbing Centre. Aside from this, he's interested in computing, technology and video and board games.

Kate was born and bred in London, she has a BA in Politics and International Relations from the University of Reading. She moved up to Weardale, County Durham with her husband and children in 1998.  Originally Kate worked in Investor & Media relations for FTSE 100 clients and then moved to headhunting, working across many different industries, including pharmaceuticals, FMCG and finance. She is currently a director of a farming company and runs a property, holiday lettings and catering business.

Alongside working, Kate has held a number of voluntary roles including working as a school governor for 16 years for two schools, where she was responsible for marketing and bursaries.  She is also a member of the Cathedral Council at Durham.

Kate has three children, Issy, Ed & Tom.  Issy graduated from Durham this summer,  and Ed is in his final year.   She also has six dogs.

Julian Fowell left St Chad’s in 1985 with a degree in Applied Physics and Electronics.  Following 2 years as an engineer at British Aerospace, and a spell in the Territorial Army he joined the RAF in 1987.  For the next 20 or so years, he did various jobs including flying and captaining the Nimrod MR2 at Kinloss, and the Orion P3-C with the Royal Australian Air Force in Adelade.  The RAF also helped him obtain a masters degree at St Andrews.  He is a relatively experienced flying instructor, having taught to fly the Tutor elementary trainer at 6 different units.  He undertook 2 ground tours as a pilot poster and a flight trials leader on the ill-fated Nimrod MRA4.  His last tour, in the rank of wing commander was spent in command of a middle-east air base.

He left the RAF in 09 to fly corporate jets, but his timing was very poor and he had to return to the RAF as a reservist within 18 months following the economic downturn.   He is now the Chief Flying Instructor at Northumbrian Universities Air Squadron.   He is married to Heather and has 3 children.   His free time is spent in 2 pipe bands, a brass Band, as an Easingwold town councillor and as a magistrate.  He also likes to imperil himself daily on his motorbike.  Every so often, he also enjoys the supreme pleasure of fast-taxiing Nimrod MR2 XV250 at the Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington.  Although he realises his accomplishments are modest in comparison to the other tutors at Chad’s, he is considered by many observers to be the best table football player of his generation.

Jens is a Professor at Maths. The UK is his fifth country of residence after leaving his native Germany to pursue a PhD in Maryland/US followed by postdoctoral stays in Indiana, Bonn, Barcelona, and Toronto. He joined Durham in 2007 coming from New Mexico where he taught at the town at the valley of the Rio Grande where Billy the Kid was tried! 

Jens is a card carrying member of the Durham bubble and joined the Chad’s community in 2016, initially as an Honorary Fellow. He cares about history and politics and has been supporting Borussia Mönchengladbach since the age of seven. 

Mike Huxtable studied Philosophy and English at the University of York and has obtained Masters degrees in both subjects. He completed a doctorate in 2008 in Durham on the phenomenology of colour and its perception in medieval literature. Mike's research interests include medieval philosophy, theology and the history of ideas; the semiology of medieval art and culture (in particular heraldry), and the influence of visuality on literary creativity.

Probably my greatest area of expertise is drinking coffee and sitting in cafés.  Beyond that, I’m currently doing a PhD in theology, where I’m looking at how people in the Bible handled risk and uncertainty.  But it’s been a journey to get there, since my first degree was in physics and the history and philosophy of science.  After that, I worked as a consultant in the energy industry, became a maths teacher, and worked in a bank before finally going ‘back to school’ to study theology.  One of my favourite things about all of those jobs has been helping people have the information and confidence to make the decision that is right for them.

My parents are American, but I grew up in London and Geneva, and so far have lived in eight countries on four continents.  I love maps, although I still sometimes mix up my right and left, so it’s best not to ask me for directions.  I’m a keen runner, and generally enjoy being outside, ideally in the mountains: walking, skiing, or cycling with my husband.  Indoors, I can be found doing cryptic crossword puzzles, cooking, playing bridge (card game) and being involved at church.  
 

Born in the North East, John studied Law at Durham and was a student at Chads between 1985-8.  After qualifying as a solicitor, he spent 28 years based in the North East (and operating more widely around the UK) as a commercial litigator.  He progressed to the Board of his firm, latterly as Senior Partner, then became Vice Chairman of the new firm created following its merger. 

In 2017 he stepped down and took on a number of Chair, Non-Executive and Trustee roles across the North East.  These include Believe Housing Limited, North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust,  North East Chamber of Commerce, Newcastle Gateshead Initiative, Destination North East England, Newcastle United Foundation and William Leech Investments Limited.  He is also Vice Chair of Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust.  He is a regional ambassador for the King's Trust and a Lay Canon of Newcastle Cathedral.

John has served as both a Tutor and a Governor at St Chads and so stepping into this role he knows the College well.  He lives in Northumberland with his wife Alison and they have two children.

Alastair has recently stepped down as Assistant Editor of The Sunday Times. He set up the newspaper's Good University Guide in 1998 to provide impartial information and rankings for university applicants and has edited or compiled it for 24 editions since. He has worked in national newspapers since 1990. A graduate of Durham University, he moved back to the city in 2012 and lives here with his wife Judith, their three children, and his 94-year-old mother-in-law, Veronica.

Through a variety of roles held at Durham and LSE, Dr Richard Morgan has worked with both undergraduate and postgraduate students from all around the world. In these roles, Richard provided tutoring and support that is adjusted to the individual circumstances and needs of each student; putting the student’s wellbeing and interests at the forefront. Richard is currently an Assistant Professor in Leadership and Organisational Behaviour at Durham University Business School. Richard worked as a Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science from 2021-2023 and is also a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. Richard completed his PhD in 2021 at Durham University Business School as a St Chad’s College student. He lived in Trinity Hall, St Chad’s whilst completing his thesis. His thesis entitled ‘Developing Leaders in Organizations: A Cognition, Identity, Motivation, and Proactive Behaviour-Based Approach Investigated Through Longitudinal Structural Equation Modelling’ won the PhD Thesis Award in 2021 by the Department of Management and Marketing at the business school. Richard also completed his law degree (2015) and masters degree (2017) at Durham University whilst a student at Collingwood College. He was previously the MCR President and a Resident Tutor of Collingwood College.

David is a Chad's alumnus (2011-2017) having studied for a BSc in Mathematics and an MA in Education whilst training to be a maths teacher. He has recently returned from Cambridge after studying Psychology and Education, with a particular interest in mathematical anxiety, and is proud to be reuniting with Chad's as a tutor. 

Outside of teaching, David can be found in the theatre, St Cuthbert's church or running a local pub quiz. He enjoys reading, gaming and baking as part of his downtime but always enjoys an excuse to get to Esquires for a latte! Interests within Chad's look to outreach programs and finding engaging ways for younger pupils to realise their potential, both in their mathematical and general aspirations.

I am an Occupational Therapist in NHS. I have lived and worked in Durham for the last 25 years having been born and brought up in Kenya.  I am married to Remi, who is a hospital Chaplin and we have two grown up children, Marilyn and Jonathan as well as a grand-daughter Zara.

I originally become involved with Durham University via St John’s college where I worked as an Academic Administrator for 5 years before leaving to retrain in Occupational Therapy.  In my spare time I enjoy yoga, Pilates, cooking which allows me to try recipes from different countries and learn about different cultures as well as musicals.   Lately I have started to enjoy walking!

I remember fondly my time in St John’s college and looking forward to being involved in St Chad’s college community as a tutor.

I've lived In Durham since 1994, having moved from London where I was born.  Prior to coming to Durham I spent my early years in Nigeria which is my country of origin. After graduating in 1989 from the University of Jos with a Bachelor of Arts in History, I taught briefly in a secondary school. My teaching experience in Nigeria led to my undertaking a Postgraduate Certificate in Education the University of Durham In 1996.

In 2007 I was ordained as a Priest in Durham Diocese as a Non Stipendiary Minister. I combined this role with my full-time job as a Project Manager, and later as a Pre-Corurt Officer with the County Durham Youth Offending Service. In January 2014 I took up a new role with the now South Tyneside & Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust. I'm currently a Hospital Chaplain based at the Sunderland Royal Hospital.   I took up this position after qualifying as a Psychotherapeutic Counsellor having trained at the Northern Guild for Counselling and Psychotherapy in Newcastle.   I am married to Margaret an Occupational Therapist and we have two children, and a grandchild. My interests include Karate and cycling.

I moved to Durham in 2021 during the pandemic as I have family here. However, I have known and loved the County for many years, so in lots of ways it felt like coming home! I have three sons and a daughter. My middle son studied for both his undergraduate and PhD while a member of St John’s College here in Durham and has never moved away. These days he teaches sciences at an Academy in Darlington.

I am a qualified land use planner and achieved my PhD at Sheffield University in partnership with Doncaster Council’s Housing Services Department in 2004. My research become a part of the evidence based which enabled the Council to transfer their housing to ‘Arms Length Management’ and a Housing Association. Following this I lectured on both the planning and housing courses at the University of the West of England in Bristol for a few years before becoming a Civil Servant.

My Civil Service career developed across some interesting spheres. Initially I worked in a specialist housing unit on the south coast of England within a small team that provided Ministers with the housing demand and need figures for England. However, I moved to London in 2010 to develop my career, with periods working in Planning Casework where I advised Ministers on cases relating to wind turbines and Gypsy and Traveller sites across England and Wales and latterly as a Pension Manager for the Local Government scheme. This is a very large scheme which provides pensions for over six million mainly local government staff across England and Wales. Last year I retired from paid work so now have more time to concentrate on volunteering - something I love and have done for many years.

In the past I have volunteered for Oxfam working in a bookshop in Dorset, for the National Trust as a historic house guide in London and here in Durham I am currently a Cathedral Bedesman. Bedesmen support the vergers at the Cathedral during services and often provide a listening ear to the many and varied visitors. But I am thrilled to have been appointed a tutor at Chads and really look forward to meeting my tutees and getting to know them.

Judith is a writer and journalist. She's written five books (two non-fiction and three thrillers) and used to work for The Sunday Times. She lives in Durham with her family (two boys at uni and one studying for A levels. Also an aged mum and a bonkers poodle.) 

I am the college Librarian and very proud of the wonderful collections that I am privileged to care for and develop. Before coming to St Chad’s I worked as Reference Librarian running Middlesbrough Reference Library service for many years and specialising in local & family history, rare books and special collections. I have collaborated in the writing of a number of local history books and articles relating to Middlesbrough. Working in a library environment has allowed me to indulge my interests in so many fields, particularly history and archaeology.

Outside the library I can be found pursuing my absorbing passion for British archaeology all over the north east of England. I am currently running a project to evaluate and excavate the site of a Roman camp and nearby settlement at Newsham on the River Tees.

I graduated from Durham so coming to St Chad’s has been like a homecoming

Andrew is an alumnus of St Chad’s having read Maths at Durham in the 1990s. He stayed on to do a PGCE and then embarked on a career in teaching, working for twenty years in London and the Home Counties. He now works across Prebends Bridge at Durham School, as Deputy Head and Maths teacher, as well as coaching rowing on a Wednesday afternoon. Andrew was delighted to see the Mr Kipling out on the water recently, having rowed in that very boat over twenty five years ago.

Andrew moved to Durham with his wife, Jenny, and two sons in 2017 and cannot stop taking photos of the cathedral at sunset (or sunrise, or when the leaves on the riverbank turn autumnal…) as it’s a lot more attractive than the Lewisham skyline!

Enid studied medicine, including doctoral research in fetal and neonatal physiology, in Oxford.  She specialised in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and spent most of her career as Consultant at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle upon Tyne, looking after women’s health in that great city. She also worked abroad in USA, Tanzania, Uganda and New Zealand. On retirement, she fulfilled a long-held ambition to study Classics and Ancient History, graduating from Durham University in 2017, and completing a Masters in 2019. Her own experience of the supportive environment for students at St Chad’s has provided the motivation to become a College tutor.

Naomi first learned about St Chad's College whilst working at St Chad's Primary School in Witton Park, Bishop Auckland, and was excited to be involved in the school/college link with the exchange of ideas and skills, and the raising of aspirations.

Following a Geography degree at UCL, a PGCE from Lincoln and a MEd in Education and Development from Bristol University, Naomi has spent her career in education in the UK, Sierra Leone and Jordan, working in schools and in the charity sector.

Naomi is now most likely to be found in the botanical hotspot of Upper Teesdale, raising awareness of the unique and declining flora, or at the warehouse at REfUSE in Chester-le-Street diverting good food from landfill towards plates.

Oliver is a Geography and Water Resources graduate, but in latter years has spent most of his time working in the world of recycling. Oliver works mainly in the charity and public sectors and including some projects abroad in Jordan, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Kyrgyzstan and the Republic of Georgia.

Alongside his current work for REfUSE diverting food otherwise destined for landfill, he is a trustee of a bike recycling charity in Newcastle, volunteers with the Durham Wildlife Trust and is a mentor for asylum seekers in Darlington.

Oliver’s three children have now grown up and fled the nest leaving him more time to work in the garden growing vegetables and experimenting with pickling and preserving. Oliver enjoys food, live theatre, environmental conservation and the great outdoors generally (but nothing too strenuous).

Fred Robinson is a Professorial Fellow at St Chad’s College.

Fred is an expert on social and economic development and the role of public policy in North East England. Over the past few years he has been involved in several regeneration projects across the region; has worked with Durham County Council on the transfer of community buildings to local social enterprises; and has critically examined democracy, accountability and representativeness in the North East’s public institutions. He is currently working as independent evaluator of The Auckland Project, a regeneration scheme centred on the development of Auckland Castle as a major visitor attraction in Bishop Auckland, County Durham.

Fred also has a strong interest in mental health:  for more than 25 years he has served as a volunteer and chair of Waddington Street Centre, a community mental health resource in Durham City. Fred likes walking (he doesn’t drive a car), reading newspapers (The Guardian and the Northern Echo) and eating well (he’s a vegetarian).

I was born and brought up in Co Durham and then returned to Weardale 20 years ago with my husband Simon and our three daughters, now aged 18, 20 and 22. We live on the edge of the moors with various sheep, dogs and chickens where I can indulge my love for all things outdoors.

I read Philosophy at St. Hild & St. Bede from 1991-1994 and thoroughly enjoyed my time at Durham!

Before having children I worked in Financial PR in the City of London for Buchanan Communications. Since moving back up here I have held a variety of voluntary roles including Chair of Governors at our local school. I am currently a Trustee at The British Red Cross where I am particularly interested in volunteer development and youth engagement.  I have also worked with small charities acting as spokesperson for local and national media campaigns.

Richard is a professor in accounting at Durham University Business School and served as Head of Department for Accounting 2016-2019. Richard joined Durham University in 2012, having previously been professor in accounting at Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University. Richard Prior to his academic career, Richard, a graduate of St Andrews University, worked at Price Waterhouse and is a qualified chartered accountant. His core research examines the usefulness of accounting information, to capital market users such as equity investors and analysts. Further, Richard is interested in the way information is presented portrayed  by companies, such as the use of the visual. Outside of academic life, Richard is a club runner with South Shields Harriers, plays Real Tennis and enjoys mountain walking in the UK.

Chris Sparks joined the Durham based Atom Bank in October 2015 as Chief Risk Officer and retired in July 2022. Prior to joining Atom Chris had spent over twenty years in financial services working for HSBC, RBS, GE and Virgin Money both in the UK and abroad where he held a variety of senior roles in Risk and Finance. Chris started his career in academia lecturing at De Montfort University and The University of Birmingham in Information Systems and Operational Research respectively. Chris was educated at the Universities of Sheffield, Southampton and Birmingham where he studied Mathematics and Operational Research and most recently at the Open University where he turned his hand to Humanities. Chris is a Professor in Practice within the Departments of Mathematical Science and Computer Science, conferred in March 2021 for three years. He is a member of the Research Advisory Board at the Credit Research Centre at Edinburgh University Business School and the Computer Science Advisory Board at Durham University. He is also the Chair of governors at Durham Trinity School and Sports College and a member of the Senior Common Room and college tutor at St Chad’s College, Durham University since October 2019. Chris is married with three grown up children and lives in Durham.

David read classics and philosophy at Oxford where he was also an Organ Scholar at Trinity College.  While at university, he abandoned thoughts of a musical career in favour of ordination and instead went to theological training at Cuddesdon College in October 1965. Bishop of the Church (he retired as Bishop of Salisbury in 2010), Chair of the Church of England's Liturgical Comission for many years, David now lives with his wife, Sarah, in Weardale (unless they are wild camping en route to Italy) and as well as being a tutor and Fellow of St Chad's, is President of Affirming Catholicism and Vice-President of the Royal School of Church Music.

I came to Chad’s to study history in 1982 as the first in my family to attend university. (I then didn’t return for twenty years until the 2004 centenary celebrations, when I joined the SCR, later serving on Governing Body until 2022.). After graduating in 1985 I started a career in marketing but realised after six months that I wanted a career using my degree subject. I retrained as an archivist, taking a vocational Master’s at Liverpool University, where happily I also met my future wife. Moving south, in 1990 I became the Archivist for London Transport, establishing the Corporate Archives from scratch. In 1994 I moved to the newly-privatised railway as Head of Records & Archive for Railtrack with a similar remit.  Appointment as Senior Curator at the National Railway Museum in 1998 allowed us to move back to my home town of York, and in 2009 I became York City Archivist, raising £2.5m to build a new city archive and setting up an staff co-operative to run the library & archive service. Subsequently a portfolio career of freelancing and writing a book allowed me time to care for my parents.