Meet the Governors
Claire Ballak
Chair of the Governing Body
Claire was originally elected parent governor in 2019 and was co-opted in 2022. Claire has many years’ experience managing governance and compliance strategies and is currently the Head of Compliance at a business intelligence company. Claire is a Chartered Fellow of The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI), has a Diploma in Investment Compliance and a LLB (Hons) Law degree. Claire was elected parent governor in 2019 and has a child attending school within the partnership.
Rachael Black
Vice - Chair of the Governing Body
Lead Governor for Safeguarding and Attendance
Rachael is a full-time parent and manages a neuro-divergent household, so understands the everyday stresses for families with children with additional needs. One of her sons has autism, so she invests time in learning how to provide an environment that best supports the neuro-divergent community. Her children attended Hugh Myddelton for 4 years, when her family lived in Amwell Street, before moving to St Albans in 2014.
Rachael keeps busy with other voluntarily work - rescuing food from supermarkets to be given out to a wide variety of groups. She relaxes by cooking delicious vegan dishes and gets the most pleasure when sharing the joy of fantastic flavours with friends or those who think vegan food is inferior!
Rob Casey, BSc. Eng., MCIWEM.
Chair of the Finance & Operations Committee
Link governor for Environment
Rob was a governor for Hugh Myddelton School from 2015 and has chaired the Finance and Operations Committee for the LQP from 2019. Rob has over 40 years of experience in water systems engineering and for 20 years at Thames Water. Rob managed a group responsible for all clean water hydraulic modelling for a supply network supporting over 7.5 million customers.
Rob is a member of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, was Chairman of the Metropolitan Branch in 1999/2000, and Master of the Water Conservators livery company for 2020/21. As a Trustee for the Water Conservation Trust, Rob coordinates the schools programme for the Trust and enjoys supporting water-related science and environmental learning in schools.
Born and bred in London, Rob has a keen interest in the history of London’s water supply and is an ambassador for the Museum of London Archaeology. Somehow Rob has managed to remain a single man, in his spare time he enjoys country walks and is a life-long Manchester United supporter.
Cllr. Toby North
Chair of the Teaching and Standards Committee
Lead Governor for Pupils with SEN-D
Toby was appointed as a local authority governor at Winton Primary School in 2018, and then co-opted as a governor when the Learning Quarter Partnership was formed. He works in public affairs for national children's charity, The Children's Society, and is a local councillor in the London Borough of Islington.
Dan Dombey
Dan Dombey was a parent governor from 2017 until his family temporarily moved out of the UK in 2019. He returned to the board in 2023.
In over two decades at the Financial Times, he has been a correspondent in Mexico, Brussels, Washington DC, Istanbul and Madrid. As Brexit editor during the second half of the last decade, he also coordinated the FT’s coverage of the UK’s departure from the EU. He is now one of the FT's main news editors.
Both Dan's children have enormously benefited from their time at Hugh Myddelton and all his family loves the school.
Sarah Gill
Sarah is the Headteacher at Hugh Myddelton.
Asana Glass
Parent Governor and Lead Governor for Equalities
Asana studied Fine Art at Central St Martins, and has had her sculptures exhibited in London and abroad. Asana started working in schools in 2003 first as a teaching assistant before completing a PGCE in 2006, and has extensive SEND training including a level 3 Elklan Award in Speech and Language.
More recently Asana has been working as a freelance photographer of Art, her photographs have been in the Financial Times and the Guardian, and will be featured in an upcoming book on the Caribbean Artist Movement (CAM).
Asana has a keen interest in inclusion and diversify the curriculum.
Asana has two daughters at Hugh Myddelton Primary School, one in year 4 and the other is in nursery, both are thriving since starting, their confidence shining through. Asana loves to unwind by baking, reading and painting portraits in oil.
Greg Gray
Greg is the Headteacher at Winton.
Jacqueline Harris Baker
Jacqueline was appointed a governor in November 2022. She lives in London. Jacqueline has 30 years professional experience as a solicitor in private and public sectors, including senior executive leadership. Jacqueline has previously served on school governing boards and as a trustee of a BAME theatre charity. She is passionate about education, diversity, inclusion, and social mobility. Jacqueline’s aim is to contribute her experience and enthusiasm to LQP schools.
Jennifer Marfo
Staff Governor
Jennifer joined the Hugh Myddelton team as a HLTA in 2022.
Nathalie Parker
Nathalie is the Executive Headteacher of the Learning Quarter Partnership.
Joti Penrose-Stevens
Joti has been a Solicitor for over 35 years and is a Partner in a global and national dispute resolution firm, working full time, in the City of London office. Joti currently specialises in medical device product liability claims and is busy co-ordinating and working with other law firms in handling numerous claims arising as a result of a global voluntary product recall. This work has involved her in travelling abroad in Europe and beyond, in pre-COVID times.
Joti lives in Islington and has been a governor of Winton Primary School since May 2013 and more recently a governor of the LQP since its formation in 2019.
When not working or attending to her LQP governor duties, Joti occasionally helps out at a voluntary luncheon club for the elderly in Brighton and enjoys meeting with friends and catching up socially over a nice meal.
Carrie O'Halloran
Carrie works at City University of London within their Strategic Planning and Performance Unit and has been a data analyst in Higher Education for more than 10 years. Previously she worked as an accountant. Carrie can usually be found watching quiz shows, drinking tea and trying to wrangle two very naughty chihuahuas.
Megan Phillips
Megan works at a charity which provides professional development to teachers and schools leaders. At the charity, Megan works as a Strategy Manger with responsibilities for developing and implementing the organisation's long term strategy and developing new products.
Outside of work, Megan is a qualified personal trainer and a big Tottenham Hotspur fan.
Elizabeth Knight
Elizabeth has many years' experience as a lawyer, including advising charities and not-for-profits, and working as legal director of a human rights NGO. She currently works for an international development charity on a legal programme promoting human rights in the digital age. Elizabeth has also been a governance adviser and has previous experience as a school governor. Elizabeth is a proud parent of two young children, including one attending Hugh Myddelton, so she sees at first hand the federation's impressive ability to unlock talents. She sometimes attempts yoga.