How did your journey bring you to the University of Kent?
I was born and bred in Thanet and moved back to the area last year so working at the University feels like coming home.
Describe your role:
I am the project manager for the Athena SWAN gender equality charter. My role is to work with different areas of the University to deliver on the commitments we have made to advancing gender equality both at School and University level. Our goal over the next two years is for every School to be awarded an Athena SWAN accreditation and for the University to earn a Silver award – a recognition of us making progress in overcoming the barriers to achieving gender equality across the institution.
Favourite part of your role:
Athena SWAN is about looking at how things are done and how they might be changed for the better. I like using the combination of data and people’s real life experiences to get to the root cause of problems and then working with teams around the University to make changes.
It’s great working with the Athena SWAN project team too, alongside Sarah Vickerstaff, Carin Tunaker, Kati Ramsden and Minna Janhonen. We all have a common goal and bring our own ideas and experiences to make it happen.
When you are not at work you can be found …
…either in a swimsuit, on a bike or running around – I’ve been bitten by the Triathlon bug. Quite a turnaround from my schooldays where I was a regular PE-dodger. I’m also a big fan of parkrun and will happily chat about all the good things it brings or will try and convert anyone that can’t get away quick enough.
One interesting fact about you:
I once bluffed Victoria Coren-Mitchell in a poker tournament. I think she’s over it now.
Favourite quote:
From Mark Twain
“What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.”
Something I need to remember whenever I’m on a pub quiz team.