Jeff is a retired educational publisher with 40 years’ experience and knowledge of UK and international education. He was formerly Managing Director of Longman Education, a leading publisher for schools and further education in the UK, and for many years served as Chair of the UK Educational Publishers Council. During his career he also managed publishing companies in Spain, Italy and France.  Advisory and consultancy roles have included the British Council, the International Baccalaureate Organisation, the Publishers Association, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Council of Biologists. His commitment to the further education sector is demonstrated by his 6 years of service as a Governor of Harlow College, Essex.

Jeff lives in Morebath, a village north of Tiverton on the fringes of Exmoor. He is married with two grown up children and three grandchildren. His interests include golf, walking, gardening and photography.

Martin is a Chartered Accountant and partner in the local firm of Glover Stanbury & Co.

After graduating from University College of North Wales Bangor with a degree in Accountancy and Financial Management, Martin trained and qualified with an international firm of Chartered Accountants in the Midlands.

After marriage to Linda in 1984 he moved to North Devon, joining the Bideford office of Ernst & Whinney.  Following the change to Ernst & Young, a management buyout of the North Devon offices and merger, the firm metamorphosed into Glover Stanbury & Co. where he is a Partner.  Based in Bideford, Martin’s non-client responsibilities include training and Health and Safety.

The firm uses the College for staff training and Martin has previously lectured at the College and the College’s Business Development Centre.  Martin’s daughter attended Petroc and is now working in Plymouth having graduated and his son is studying in Plymouth.  A Past President of Bideford Chamber of Commerce Martin was also a Governor at St. George’s Infant School in Northam from 2000 to 2013. 

Shaun is a former student of the College, having studied business studies and received a BTEC national award for completing his examinations whilst being in hospital recovering from an illness. The College and lecturers were extremely supportive during this time and, without their help Shaun does not think he would have continued with his studies and gone to University.  After University, Shaun returned back to North Devon to start a career at Bray Leino in 1993.

Shaun has worked across the Bray Leino group in market research, digital learning and advertising for the past 20 years working for a range of clients in the corporate and family-owned sectors.   He is a board director responsible for new business, partners and their brand profile.

A native of Middlesex, Ro came to Devon in 1964.  She is married to a local farmer and they have three adult sons, one of whom attended the College’s Food and Fashion Department.  Ro was elected as a Parish and District Councillor in 1976, serving 15 years on the North Devon District Council and 27 years on the Fremington Parish Council.

She chaired a number of NHS organisations both locally, Devon wide and nationally for 26 years, between 1980 and 2006.

Ro’s other interests include being a member of the Westward Group  Board, Church activities (she is currently churchwarden of St. Mary’s Bideford), equine sports, choral singing and being an enthusiastic member and past President of the Rotary Club of Barnstaple.

Laura has worked at Petroc since 1997, originally as a Learning Support Assistant, and for the past 14 years as the Manager for the LSA team. The team works across all campuses, with all levels of learners aged 14 to 70. They support students to overcome barriers to learning which can include learning difficulties, physical and sensory impairments, mental health issues, ADHD and specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia and dyspraxia. Laura is also part of the Additional Learning Support Panel and a member of the EDI committee.

Laura moved to North Devon from Wimbledon in 1982, after studying at art college, and worked for 5 years in the Copy Shop in Barnstaple before having 2 children. When her children were young she worked part-time with adults with physical impairments.  Her children successfully studied ‘A’ levels at Petroc and both went on to University.  Whilst working here Laura has gained various qualifications including a Certificate in Education and a Diploma in Management and a Foundation Degree in Business and Management.

She lives in Georgeham with her husband Peter, who works for the ambulance service in Ilfracombe. Her interests include painting, walking and being part of the local pub quiz team.

David, a native of Northumberland, has recently moved to Devon following a professional life in Further Education.

David was Principal of a large Further Education College in Manchester before becoming Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC) in London.  AoC represented over 95% of all Further and Sixth Form Colleges in England and is responsible for promoting the work of Colleges with all political parties and funding bodies.  Since retiring from AoC, David has run his own successful consultancy firm specialising in providing interim management of colleges who, following Ofsted inspection, need to improve.

David has spent 5 years as Chair of the Governing Body of the Co-operative College in Manchester.

David dreams of travelling the world and becoming a good golfer!

Martyn lives in Barnstaple and is the Chief Executive of North Devon Homes.  He is a qualified accountant and has been working in the property and affordable homes industry across the country for 30 years.  

Martyn specialises in organisational culture, governance and leadership in organisations– he has led North Devon Homes to achieve number 42 in the Times Top 100 Employers in the UK and has established North Devon Homes as a major provider of quality affordable homes, employing 120 staff in North Devon. Martyn is also a Trustee of the Money Advice Trust, who provide free advice across the UK through National Debtline.  

Paul is a Chartered Accountant and a Consultant in the practice of Thomas Westcott.

He graduated from Exeter University in 1973, with a degree in Economics and Geography, before training with a major accountancy practice inLondon.

In 1982 Paul moved to North Devon and married Helena, who was then a partner in a family-run hotel in Croyde.  They still live in the village and are both keen gardeners. They started opening their garden in aid of the National Gardens Scheme in 2008.

Paul has been active in a wide range of community organisations, and has served as President of Barnstaple Chamber of Commerce (1994/5) and Barnstaple Rotary Club (2005/6).

He has three married children, all of whom were educated at Georgeham and Braunton schools and the College before going on to University, now back living and working in North Devon.  At the current count there is one grandson with another on the way.

Originally from Manchester, Andrew moved to Barnstaple as a child, attending local schools and, in due course, the College ~ as did his wife, Hilary. This link to the college was reinforced when both their two sons also attended in the 1990s.

Andrew was first employed locally as an Accountant's Clerk for a couple of years before joining the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary in 1972. His service with the Police was principally in Devon, including Plymouth, Tiverton, Exeter and Barnstaple. He was seconded to a regional role in Bristol for 2 years and was also based in Bodmin, Cornwall for 4 years. The majority of his service was in various roles as a detective, with his final appointment being as a Detective Superintendent, deputy to the Head of the Force's Criminal Investigation Department, based in the Force HQ at Middlemoor, Exeter.  In this force-wide role he held the lead for child protection, the management of dangerous offenders and other sensitive aspects of law enforcement, involving him in the development of national policy.

Following retirement from the Police in 2004 he returned to North Devon and worked for a time as a self-employed consultant, on matters related to his former role, particularly linked to Safeguarding, acting as independent chairman for a number of serious case reviews.

Andrew has been a governor at Sticklepath Community School (which he and Hilary also both attended as children) since 2004, becoming chairman in 2011.  In 2014 he became the interim Chairman of the newly established Three Valley's Partnership (TVP) of a number of schools, including Sticklepath, in North Devon. Petroc is a partner in TVP.  In addition Andrew is the independent chairman of the Safeguarding Commission for Buckfast Abbey, but will be stepping down from this role in 2014.

He and Hilary live in Bickington and attend Grosvenor Church Barnstaple (GCB).  The high spot of the week is acting as tea-boy at "Noah's Ark" the parent and toddler group at the church, for one morning a week.

Andrew has just stepped down after three years as Chair of the Governing Body of Petroc but is continuing on the Board.

Paula has lived with her husband in Barnstaple since 2000 moving into the area for work.  She is now retired but keeps busy with being a Governor of the College and also a local primary school.  A member of a local church she helps in the Youth work and also with care of the elderly.  In her few recreational moments she enjoys patchwork, attending a local class, reading and gardening.

Eirene was born and brought up in North Devon and attended the College briefly in her teens. She has a MA in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University, a PGCE in Physics Teaching from London University and a PhD in Ecological Genetics from Exeter University. She started her career as a VSO volunteer at the Tea Research Foundation in Malawi, continuing to the University of Malawi as a lecturer in Laboratory Technology for several years. She returned to buy a farm in South Devon in the 1970s, and to take up various teaching and research posts in and around Exeter. In the 1980s she obtained a permanent lecturing post at Seale-Hayne College which combined her academic and practical interests in agriculture and the environment very happily for 20 years until the College was closed. She moved back to her original home in North Devon in 2006 with her daughter who then attended the College for A levels.

Eirene teaches on FD modules at Duchy College, and, until 2009, took on the chairmanship of Devon FWAG, and the Vice-Presidency of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management and consequent place on the Board of the Society for the Environment. This is in addition to the management of a large inherited shrub collection, and some heifers and bees. There is still some energy for tennis, surfing and singing. As a Governor of Petroc, now entering her seventh year, she looks forward to helping with the sizeable changes in store and in maintaining excellent standards of FE and HE provision in North Devon.

Diane joined Petroc in November 2011 as Vice Principal/Director for Finance and Funding before becoming Principal in December 2015.

Diane qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte and has had senior finance roles in private sector engineering and service companies.  She has worked in the education sector since 1997 when she gained a PGCE in Mathematics. 

As well as experience of teaching on a wide range of programmes including industry focussed qualifications such as AAT, HND/C in Business and CIMA, Diane has also worked for two of the Government’s FE funding agencies.

Diane lives locally with her husband and three children who are in local primary and secondary schools.