Ebor was formed from a merger of Ebor Academy Trust and the Robert Wilkinson Academy Trust. Some of our Trustees and Members joined us from those original trusts and the start dates below reflect that.
Tricia Ellison
Standards Committee; Audit and Risk; People, Pay and Performance
Tricia has a background in teaching and educational leadership in the UK and overseas. She was appointed as English adviser in North Yorkshire in 1989 and joined the new local authority school improvement team in the City of York in 1996, retiring in 2014. Tricia has worked extensively across all phases and led work on the National Literacy and KS3 strategies. She is an accredited Ofsted inspector and School Improvement Partner. In 2006 she established York’s successful independent-state school partnership and continues to jointly chair the strategy group. Tricia was appointed by the Members. Date of commencement with Ebor Academy Trust: 4 February 2015.
Chris Chambers
Resources Committee
Chris was born and raised in south London and after studying International Politics, joined the army in the Royal Corps of Transport. He was latterly with the Royal Logistic Corps. Now retired, Chris is a member of the Strensall parish council and village hall committee, the Foss Internal Drainage Board, a trustee of a charitable trust, a volunteer with York Neighbours and a school governor. He is also a lay member of the York Hospital research and development group. Chris was appointed by the Wilkinson, Cobb, Hodgson Trust (WHCT). Date of commencement with Ebor Academy Trust: 4 February 2014.
Duncan Fraser
Resources Committee
Duncan is a secondary maths teacher and Assistant Head of Department. He has been Chair of Governors at Brotherton & Byram Community Primary Academy since the school was placed in special measures in 2013 and took an active role in the school’s conversion to an academy and joining the Ebor Academy Trust. As a director he now sits on the trust’s policy review committee and the due diligence scrutiny committee as well as a working party developing the role of governance across the trust. Duncan was appointed by the Trustees. Date of commencement with Ebor Academy Trust: 1 May 2012.
Jonathan Cook
Resources Committee and Standards Committee
Jon had a varied career defining and delivering major change programmes in financial services, in the charity sector for Cancer Research UK and, immediately before retirement in 2021, for the Diocese of York. He is the Diocese’s nominated trustee on the Ebor board with a particular responsibility for encouraging the distinctively Christian character of the Church of England academies within the trust. He has experience as Treasurer to a small charity and advises charities on strategy and change management challenges. Date of commencement with Ebor Academy Trust: 16 November 2022
Rachel Totton
Chair of the Board; Standards Committee and People Pay and Performance Committee
Rachel retired from secondary headship in 2007. Prior to that, she gained over 30 years’ experience in teaching and senior leadership. She spent three years after headship as a trainer, facilitator, coach and consultant working with primary, secondary and local authority staff across the Yorkshire & Humber region on a range of programmes, including leadership coaching, school improvement, professional development, change management, impact evaluation, partnership working across children’s services, and effective deployment of teaching assistants. She became a governor at Haxby Road Primary School, and, when it went into Special Measures shortly afterwards, was closely involved in its sponsored academy conversion within the Ebor Academy Trust. Rachel was until recently Chair of Trustees for a small local independent charity, Older Citizens Advocacy York. Rachel was appointed by the Members. Date of commencement with Ebor Academy Trust: 9 December 2015.
Andrew Winters
Audit and Risk Committee (Chair) and Whistleblowing Trustee
Andrew is a business governance, risk and control specialist with 23 years of experience with two of the largest accountancy firms in the UK, advising Boards across all industry sectors on strategic and reputation, regulatory, financial, operational and cyber risk management. He is now an adviser to small and medium sized businesses on their governance arrangements when seeking to grow and enter new markets. Andrew was appointed by the Trustees. Date of commencement with Ebor Academy Trust: 13 January 2020.
Karen Fieldhouse
Resources Committee (Chair)
Karen qualified as a chartered accountant with Price waterhouse Coopers in London and worked in audit and corporate finance roles before joining Burberry. At Burberry, Karen was finance partner to the executive team before managing the financial integration of their licensed fragrance and beauty business. Karen now leads the portfolio and acquisitions team at Pentland Group, which encompasses a number of brands including Speedo, Berghaus and Canterbury. Karen was appointed by the Members. Date of commencement with Ebor Academy Trust: 4 February 2021.
Barbara Nicholas
Audit and Risk Committee and Resources Committee
Barbara practised as a solicitor for over 40 years, specialising in all kinds of property work. Whilst her children were young, she ran her own practice, later combining with a larger practice where she headed the property department and took an active role in management. Following her retirement from general practice in 2012, Barbara was appointed by the Law Society as an assessor for the solicitors’ quality kite mark, Lexcel, and has acted as a consultant on all matters relating to regulation and compliance. Barbara was appointed by the Members. Date of commencement with Ebor Academy Trust: 4 February 2021.
Debbie Clinton
Vice Chair of the Board; Resources Committee; Standards Committee; Audit and Risk Committee and Safeguarding Trustee
Debbie is a freelance education leadership expert specialising in strategic risk, governance, people development, peer review and trust growth. She has been the CEO of two large multi academy trusts and during her tenure, both saw significant improvement in educational outcomes, people development and financial/operational performance. Debbie is a former HMI and Principal of Nunthorpe Academy, Middlesbrough. She has wide experience in leadership development and school improvement, and has supported national projects, conferences and working parties/groups for the DfE, the Institute of Education and many others. Debbie was appointed by the Members. Date of commencement with Ebor Academy Trust: 20 January 2022.
Tracey Dennison
People, Pay and Performance Committee (Chair); Audit and Risk
Tracey has 25 years’ experience as a People Director in national and local public sector organisations, including the London Borough of Camden, the Audit Commission and the London Fire Brigade. A Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, Tracey served as a trustee of the Employers’ Network for Equality & Inclusion. She is currently a Trustee for independent charity, Older Citizens Advocacy York and a Non-Executive Director of the recently created Bradford Children & Families Trust. Tracey was appointed by the Members. Date of commencement with Ebor Academy Trust: 9 June 2022.
Richard Thompson
Finance and Resources Scrutiny Committee
Richard is an experienced senior leader in secondary education, combined with over ten years’ experience in finance roles ranging from multinational firms to owner managed businesses. Richard switched careers to join the teaching profession in 2009 and progressed through a number of roles to become a senior leader with a large multi-academy trust, before joining a York secondary school in January 2021 as Deputy Head. Richard was appointed by the Trustees. Date of commencement with Ebor Academy Trust: 27 September 2023.
All trustees have a four year term of office.
Details of our LGB Committee Chairs can be found on the individual school websites.