Our trustees

John Widdowson

Chair of Trustees, Nominations Committee Member

John began his career as a lawyer but worked in Further and Higher Education for nearly forty years, the last twenty-two of which were as Principal and Chief Executive of New College Durham. 

In addition to his roles in colleges across the country, John has played a leading role in a number of national educational bodies including the Further Education National Consortium and the Mixed Economy Group of Colleges. He has been a Board member and President of the Association of Colleges and was a member of the Higher Education Funding Council for England. 
 
John has published papers and articles on a range of education subjects and has spoken regularly at national and international conferences.  He has a particular interest in the development of college-based Higher Education to provide alternatives to traditional approaches to higher education. 
 
John was appointed Chair of the Board of Trustees in July 2018.

John Widdowson, WEA Chair of Trustees
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