The Members are the guardians of the Trust’s constitution, determining the governance structure of the Trust, providing oversight and challenge to the Directors, ensuring the charitable objects of the Trust are being fulfilled.
Mr John Whiteley
Prior to becoming a Member in March 2025, I served for just over 4 years as Trustees, sitting on the Resources and Nomination and Remuneration Committees.
I qualified as a chartered accountant in 1965 and after professional experience in Manchester and East Lancashire, I joined KPMG in Kingston, Jamaica in 1969. During my tenure with KPMG, I lived in both Jamaica and Belize and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. 1969 was also a big year for me, as I married my dear wife, Kathryn.
I became involved in the Trust, as I wanted to give something back to the local community that I have lived in for most of my life. My expertise in finance has allowed me to support the Board of Trustees in ensuring that finances are expended to progress the educational development of pupils within Trust schools.
I have a particular interest in music and have played the trumpet since 1953 in orchestras, brass bands and also traditional jazz bands. I hope to be able to support in establishing a Trust-wide orchestra as I believe the benefits for pupils are wide ranging.
Date of appointment: 10/03/2025
Mr Colin Mellors
Colin Mellors is Chair of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE). He has also been Chair of the Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (YRFCC) since 2015.
He was formerly Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of York, where he is now Emeritus Professor. He has worked at the universities of Sheffield, Southampton, Bradford and York – specialising in local and regional government and political behaviour. He was appointed Pro-Vice Chancellor at Bradford in 1994, subsequently becoming Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of York in 2006 and retiring in 2014. He was the founding Chair of the Executive Board of Yorkshire Universities, a member of the Executive group of N8 research partnership (where he was ‘champion’ for collaborative social science projects), and of the Executive Board of the White Rose University Research Consortium.
He chaired Higher York lifelong learning partnership and also the HE Funding Council’s national practitioner forum.
Whilst a career academic, he has devoted significant time to public service roles focusing on local and regional government, business development, and capacity building with private sector and community partners. He was closely involved with the former Regional Development Agency (Yorkshire Forward) – acting as their strategic advisor on higher education - and was a NED for several years on the Board of Government Office for Yorkshire & Humber (GOYH).
He was a Board Member of the York, North Yorkshire & East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) from its inception in 2011, and chaired the area’s European Structural and Investment Funds sub-committee throughout the last ERDF/ESF programme.
He has served as a Member of South Craven Academy Trust for a number of years and is also a longstanding governor (Deputy Chair) of a large independent school in Yorkshire.
In 2017, he was appointed OBE for his contributions to economic development and, in 2018, he was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in recognition of his research in social sciences and its application.
Date of appointment: 10/03/2025
Mrs Marie Burnham
Marie Burnham is the Independent Lay Chair (Part-time) for the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Joint Committee, which is made up of the 11 clinical commissioning groups and is part of the area’s Sustainability and Transformation Partnership.
Marie brings with her over 20 years of leadership experience from health services, charitable sector, private and public including NHS executive and non-executive roles. She also has a national reputation for performance and governance management both in the public and private sector. Specialising in turning around failing organisations and delivering real measurable change.
More recent roles include National Chair for NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence), where she held responsibility for safe staffing and a part-time role until 2015 as Chief Accountable Officer for the Well Women’s Centre in Wakefield.
Before taking early retirement 2 years ago Marie was a Chief Executive for many years in the Acute Hospital Sector; over that period she also participated in a National Enquiry with the nuclear industry, examining body parts and was head-hunted to lead on Swine Flu out of Manchester, and a number of meetings in London supporting COBRA.
Marie has also been a member on the University of Lancashire research committee as well as a member of Cumbria University Board.
Date of appointment: 21/12/2017
Mrs Alison Malcolm
Date of appointment: 10/03/2025
Karen Buchanan
Karen has lived in Pendle since she was married 36 years ago, has two boys who live and work in London and was a Governor at St Thomas Primary School, Barrowford for almost 20 years. Karen was appointed as Principal of Burnley College and CEO of Themis, its Apprenticeship and Business training arm, in 2018, after a seven-year tenure as Deputy Principal.
Her career in Further Education launched in 1993 when she joined Burnley College as a lecturer in Computing. Karen brought skills and experience from industry to the education sector, having worked as a computer programmer, systems analyst and project manager at some of the region’s leading Employers, British Aerospace, the Prestige Group plc and Leyland DAF.
A keen advocate of developing collaborative links between industry and academia, Karen sits on the Burnley Economic Growth Board and leads a Manufacturing group comprised of local employers and Burnley College Tutors to ensure a synergy between the needs of industry and learners entering the workplace.
During her time as Principal, Karen has led Burnley College to the position of Number One College in the country in the Government’s national achievement rate tables for learners aged 16 to 19 and welcomed ministerial visits and leading civil servants on virtual fact-finding, best practice visits.
She has also welcomed Royal visitors on official visits including escorting Prince Charles on a tour of the College’s new Campus and welcoming the Queen and Prince Philip on their Jubilee tour.
Date of appointment: 28/07/2023