Members

• Mark Mitchell
  Member
  Mark Mitchell

  Mark Mitchell, Member, a former Chair of Trustees for Solent Academies Trust, standing down from this position upon retirement in the summer of 2022. During his working career Mark had been a member of academic staff at the University of Portsmouth as Head of Department for six years and Dean of Faculty for a further eight years. Previous governance experience had been as Chair of Governors in mainstream secondary and two special schools. In 2003 Mark was asked by the local authority to chair the shadow board of what became Mary Rose Academy. Mark was appointed as a National Leader of Governance in 2024 and Chair of Portsmouth Governors forum.

• Maria Dawes
  Member
  Maria Dawes

  Maria is passionate about education and how the collective power of partnership working in education can be the catalyst to deliver educational excellence and great outcomes for all children and young people.

  Her career in education started as a maths teacher in East Sussex and she has held a wide range of senior educational leadership positions in schools, university and other organisations including as one of Her Majesty's Inspectors for Schools and as Deputy Regional Schools Commissioner in the South-East.

• David Wyatt
  Member
  David Wyatt

  I worked in education finance for 33 years before retiring in August 2024. My final two roles, each spanning ten-years, are particularly relevant to Solent Academies Trust

  I worked for the RNIB as Head of Finance at a School and Children's Home in Coventry. The establishment provided full-time care and education for young people with profound multiple disabilities. I actively participated in the lives of the young people as the 'official photographer,' capturing their celebrations and joining them on residential holidays. This was, without a doubt, the most personally and emotionally rewarding part of my 55-year career.

  My final role was as Chief Financial Officer for the Leicester-based Multi Academy Trust. During my ten-year tenure, the Trust grew from two schools to thirteen.

• John Robinson
  Member
  John Robinson

  I am a former senior civil servant, having spent most of my career in the Ministry of Justice as a Prison Governor and, latterly, as Head of Learning and Development for HM Prison and Probation Service. I am a qualified executive coach and leadership mentor. I am a trustee of Citizens Advice Basingstoke, for whom I lead on governance and people management. I have previously been Chair of Governors at a primary school, and I was a Member at Dove House Academy prior to its incorporation into Solent Academies Trust. I believe passionately that all young people should be given every opportunity to fulfil their potential.

• Dr. Calvin Pike
  Member
  Dr. Calvin Pike