About the NGA
The National Governors’ Association represents school governors in England; there are over 300,000 governors, the largest volunteer group in the UK. Follow the links to the right for more information about the NGA Board and NGA head office.
National Leadership of the NGA
Judith Bennett - NGA Chair
Vice-chair of a primary school in Oxfordshire
After 24 years as a secondary teacher, in 1993 Judith left a senior post to work in publishing. At this time she also became a primary school governor and since 1998 she has given increasing time to governance at both the local and national level.
Judith Bennett became NGA Chair in 2006
Baroness Howe – NGA President
Baroness Howe is the NGA president. She is also currently a Governor of the London School of Economics, has chaired the Broadcasting Standards Commission (1993-99) and Business in the Community's Opportunity 2000 initiative (1994-98).
Baroness Howe was appointed a Member of the House of Lords as Baroness Howe of Idlicote in 2001. From 1975-1979 she served as the first Deputy Chairman of the Equal Opportunities Commission. In 1990 she chaired the Hansard Society's Commission, resulting in the publication of the report Women at the Top, and in 1992 she co-authored ‘Women on the Board’.
John Adams - Vice-President
Professor John Adams is Emeritus Professor, University of Hertfordshire.
In an academic career of more than 30 years, John has taught, researched and examined in economics in universities in the UK and overseas, and has written and lectured extensively on a variety of subjects in economics, staff development and governance. He has authored more than 90 books, articles, reports and seminar papers.
John was the first Chair of the newly-formed National Governors’ Association; before that he was the Chair of the National Association of School Governors. In November 2006 he was elected the first Vice-President of the NGA.
In 2002 John was part of a ministerial delegation to the Russian Parliament to advise on the introduction of school governing bodies throughout the Russian Federation, and in 2004 undertook a lecture tour to South Africa under the aegis of the University of Pretoria, to share experience of governance and good practice from the UK.
Phil Revell - Chief Executive
Phil Revell taught for nearly twenty years in secondary schools and served a full four year term as a staff governor before leaving teaching to try his luck as a journalist.
For ten years he wrote on education issues - mainly for the Guardian and Times Educational Supplement - before joining the NGA in July 2007.