Our Board of Directors

Dr Roger Mason

Chair of Directors Board and Chair of Finance, Audit, Risk and Resources Committee

Before retirement, Roger was a Managing Director of a Specialist Freeze Drying Company. Previously he had managed a large heavy industry factory in Leith with 250 employees. He has experience in small scale manufacturing with a company in South Korea.

Roger has also worked in Research and Development, and Distribution and Warehousing. Capital expenditure and accounts have been a very important part of these experiences.

Roger was a Chair Governors for many years at a local Catholic Primary School.

Damien Callagher

Position Chair of Ethos, Intervention and Standards Committee

Damien is a recently retired Headteacher of a Catholic High School with thirty three years experience in Education. Experience of governance in both primary and secondary sectors, as well as pupil referral unit.

Damien feels that leadership in Catholic education has been a great privilege and has helped him to develop professionally, personally and spiritually. As he begins his retirement, he views the position of Director as one which will enable him to give something back to education in the Diocese.

Rebecca teaches French and Spanish as the Curriculum Leader for Languages at a mainstream secondary school.

She has two young daughters who attend one of the primary schools within the Mater Ecclesiae Multi-Academy Trust.

Rebecca also delivers the children’s liturgy programme for children of her local Catholic parish.

Robert John Deed

Director

After qualifying as a chartered accountant, Bob specialised in the education and charity sector. He is currently Vice Principal Finance & Resources at Cardinal Newman College – a successful Roman Catholic sixth form college in Preston with over 4200 students. He has worked with academies and colleges in a range of financial management and governance roles. He understands that effective financial management is vital to ensuring that teaching, learning and pastoral support are adequately and sustainably resourced, so leaders can focus on the success and welfare of children and young people.

Ken Dennis

Director

Following graduation from Liverpool John Moores University in 1974 Ken had a twenty-two-year career in Project Management working for large national construction companies both in the UK and overseas in the Middle East and Africa. In 1990, Ken was appointed Northwest UK Area Manager for the Costain Group. 

From 1996 to 2009 Ken started and ran his own Property Development business. Some of the projects involved conservation work to listed buildings, many conversion projects, and some new housing developments. 

The business closed in 2009 and in 2010 Ken joined the Lancaster Diocese as Diocesan Property Manager, a post he currently holds. Since joining the diocese Ken has been a member of the School Building Committee and is also a member of the School Buildings Strategy Group.

In his personal life Ken is a committed Catholic, having converted to the faith in 1982. For many years he was a scout leader in his parish scout group. He has been a member of the Catenian Association since 1983 and in 2015/16 served as Provincial President. Ken has also been a member of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre since 2015.

Julie Jones

Director

Julie has 21 years teaching experience in primary/secondary schools with senior management experience in both sectors. Julie has experience working on a wider scale as she helped to shape the national agenda in education where she helped to shape a DfE Government white paper and had resources published.

Julie's current role is Deputy school commissioner for the Diocese of Lancaster and she is a very positive ambassador of catholic education. Julie has also been Chair of Governors at a Catholic High School.

Jacky Kennedy

Director

Jacky is a CEO of a Catholic Multi Academy Trust and formed the Trust in liaison with the Diocese of Lancaster. In the first year of set up and making important decisions, Jacky feels she could bring the experience that she have recently undergone to Mater Ecclesiae Catholic Multi Academy Trust. Jacky has been a teacher since 1987, has been a Deputy Head in secondaries since 2002 and Head since 2016.

Canon Adrian Joseph Towers

Director

Canon Adrian has been a Catholic Parish Priest for over 40 years. He has been a governor at both primary and secondary school level usually serving as a governor responsible for Religious Education. He has experience of teaching moral theology and English. Canon Andrew has also served on the Diocesan Education Commission for several years.

Felix is a lecturer in Marketing at the University of Lancaster.  Previously he worked as a lawyer for leading multinationals and Law firms.  Felix is a Spanish and British national.