MEET THE CREW

JO MALONE

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Jo is passionate about the transformative power of education and combatting inequalities across the system.

She believes that inclusion should be at the core of education policy and practice.

Jo brings vast national and global education experience to this role, having spent 17 years as a secondary teacher and school leader in three schools across the country, and a decade as senior education adviser at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.

As well as this role, Jo is a Foundation for Education Development Executive and Co-founder of a group of female education consultants and advisers.

She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a school governor, and a member of Horwich Visiting Service.

EMMA MCNEIL

HEAD OF EDUCATION

Emma McNeil is a Primary School Teacher, STEM specialist and Head of Education for Operation Spitfire 4 Schools. She has developed the OS4S curriculum whilst working at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery. Previously she held roles at The Museum Of Science and Industry, The National Trust and Catalyst Science Discovery Centre and Museum. Throughout her career she has taught lessons within museums which combine historical knowledge with scientific enquiry. She is a strong believer that through scientific enquiry young people begin to understand the world and by learning about the past they can find out how new discoveries have been made.

Julian Mitchell, DL

Chair of Operation Spitfire

Julian is the Great Nephew of Spitfire designer Reginald Mitchell. Operation Spitfire was originally established to restore the Mk 15 Spitfire which is housed in the Potteries Museum. Now this has been completed and a new gallery built he has moved the focus to education.

Julian is passionate about making history relevant and using it to inspire students to follow careers from STEAM based subjects. Understanding the history of flight and the world events that culminated in the Spitfire are important from both an historic and engineering point of view.

Julian lives locally and is a director of local pharmacy chain Cornwell’s Chemists Ltd.

Ray Johnson, MBE

RESOURCE CREATOR

Ray is an independent filmmaker, actor, and writer, and Emeritus Professor of Film Heritage and Documentary at Staffordshire University. He is Director of the Staffordshire Film Archive, a Director of the Media Archive for Central England and former Director of Screen West Midlands. Ray’s documentaries have been widely broadcast and he continues to supply archive film material to television and to make documentary videos. His theatre work includes the West End, regional Rep and touring, the Edinburgh Festival (with a Fringe First award) and the 1995 Royal Variety Performance. Ray is Vice President and Chair of the Arnold Bennett Society, a Fellow of the Film and Video Institute and a long-service member of Equity.