The Members
As custodians of the Trust, the Members, ensure that its vision and values are reflected in all its work.
Their role is predominantly to:
Agree and amend the Articles of Association
Appoint and remove Members and Directors (Trustees)
Hold the Directors to account for the discharge of their duties
There is no formal Chair. If the Members decide that a Chair is required for each meeting, one may be elected.
The Members meet twice per year with the Board of Directors and again, separately, if they need to make individual decisions. One of the Members is also a Director (Trustee).
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Stella Blackmore
Member - School and Local Authority leadership and governance.
Stella Blackmore has been a Member of the Trust since its designation in 2016 and was one of the Members supporting the CEO in developing the Trust’s vision and direction. When she was both a Trustee and Create’s first Chair of the Board, she was instrumental in guiding the development of Create as a multi-academy trust and in welcoming Hodge Hill and Brookfields into the Create family.
She has enjoyed a long association with Conway and Greet, having been a Federation Governor since 2009. Prior to that she lead the Interim Executive Board (IEB) at Conway from 2008.
Stella has wide experience in many aspects of education both locally and nationally, including three deputy headships and two headships of primary schools in the north of England. She then worked for Warwickshire Local Authority where she became Chief Inspector and then Deputy County Education Officer.
She was closely involved with the development of the National College for School Leadership, developing its programme for aspiring senior staff Leading from the Middle. Following this, her work as Succession Planning Associate for NCSL in West Midlands Local Authorities led to her interest in supporting schools in Birmingham, and she is delighted to continue in this role as a Member of the Trust. She is one of two Members who undertake to interview all potential Trustees and recommend them to the Members for appointment.
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Sue Egersdorff
Member - Education consultant and early years specialist
Sue Egersdorff has been a Member of the Trust since its designation in 2016 and was one of the Members supporting the CEO in developing the Trust’s vision and direction.
She is an experienced child services consultant with significant experience in early years provision and school improvement. She is currently working with a number of multi-academy trusts and teaching schools across England.
Sue’s experience in education encompasses work as Assistant Director for Children’s Services in Cheshire, with responsibility for schools, early years, governance and family policy. She was also Director at the National College (NCSL/NCTL) with responsibility for early years and multi-agency partnerships.
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Justin Gray
Member - School and Higher Education leadership
Justin Gray has been a member of the Trust since 2016. Prior to that, he worked with Greet Teaching School from its designation in 2011, supporting particularly, its initial teacher training through the partnership with Newman University. He has also been a strategic partner in the Teaching School Alliance, having shared oversight of its extended work beyond teacher training.
Justin is currently Executive Headteacher with the academy trust DRB Ignite and a governor at three different schools. He has wide experience in education as a teacher, headteacher and university programme leader. He was a founder member of the Chartered College of Teaching and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Authority.
Justin also chairs Greet’s Local Advisory Board.
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Mary Higgins
Member (and Trustee) - Governance in Education
Mary Higgins has been with Create since its formation in 2016 and is currently the only Member who is also a Trustee, so she plays an important role in maintaining a communications bridge between the two levels of governance. Mary is one of two Members who undertake to interview all potential Trustees and recommend them to the Members for appointment.
Mary’s experience of education, governance and HR/workforce reform are wide ranging. Further information about Mary’s background and contribution as a Trustee can be found under the Trustees section of this website.
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Sarah Smith
Member - Director of Education and school leadership
Sarah Smith has been a Member of the Trust since 2016. Prior to that she was a strategic member of Greet Teaching School Alliance from its designation in 2011 and worked closely with Greet for many years in local clusters of schools. She has been the Director of Education for the Birmingham Diocese since 2015. Previously she was Executive Headteacher of St John’s CE Primary School in Sparkhill, Birmingham, which was graded as outstanding. She was a member of Birmingham’s School Forum from 2010 to 2014 and Chair of Primary Forum during the same period.
