Richard Atkinson was consecrated as Bishop of Bedford in 2012. He has been Chair of the Diocesan Board of Education since 2013 and is a Director of the Diocese of St Albans Multi-Academy Trust. He has at times been a governor of various schools, including an inner-urban all-through academy, a housing estate primary and a Hindu free school.

He was an Assistant Curate in Abingdon before becoming Team Vicar and Team Rector in the Sheffield Manor Team. For five of those years, he was also an honorary member of staff at Ripon College, Cuddesdon. Richard was then Vicar of Rotherham before becoming Archdeacon of Leicester.

He is currently Chair of One YMCA which operates in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, Chair of the Luton Roma Trust and the national lead Bishop on disability . In the Diocese he is Chair of the Diocesan Mission and Pastoral Committee Executive and the lead Bishop for safeguarding.

Indira is currently serving her curacy within the Bishop Hatfield Team, focusing primarily on the churches of St Etheldreda and St Luke. Her ministry includes a strong emphasis on working with children and young people in diverse settings. She serves as chaplain to the junior choir of St Etheldreda’s and to the Hatfield and de Havilland Squadron Air Cadets. Additionally, she dedicates one morning each week to Countess Anne School, a local Church of England primary school, where she leads collective worship and actively participates in school life.

Indira also maintains a meaningful connection with Southfield Primary School, which supports children with learning difficulties. Although Southfield is not a Church of England school, its staff value their relationship with the clergy at St Etheldreda’s, and Indira makes termly visits to foster this partnership. Before training for ministry, Indira worked as a school counsellor at Sponne School in Towcester, supporting students dealing with a wide range of emotional challenges. This role gave her profound insights into young people’s perspectives and the challenges they face in accessing education. It also deepened her understanding of the growing pressures on school staff to deliver strong academic outcomes amidst an increasingly demanding environment.

Lucy began her teaching career in 1998 at a large Junior School in Somerset, following the completion of her Religious Studies degree at Exeter University. She continued to teach in urban Junior Schools until she took a teacher’s post at Sutton VA Lower School in Central Bedfordshire. She became Headteacher at the school in 2015 and is proud to serve her community in this role and make contributions outside of school for the Local Authority and as Chair of CBC SACRE.

In September 2024, her Lower school converted to Primary status – an exciting and significant development in the school’s history. In her personal life, Lucy has been married to Ian for 26 years. Theyhave three sons ranging in age 18 – 22; Emmanuel, Fin and Dylan who make them proud every day!

Jo is currently the Head of Edwinstree Church of England Middle School in the rural town of Buntingford. She feels privileged to have held this position for the last 8 years. Prior to this she was the head of a secondary school in Turnford Cheshunt, where she brokered and completed the vulnerable Turnford school, joining with the private school of Haileybury Turnford to sponsor school improvement. Her career to date has been always working in challenging schools that require significant improvement, as a teacher, middle leader and then senior leader and finally a Head in two settings.

Since coming to Edwinstree her faith has reawakened and grows year on year as a she invites God into her life as an individual and as a Head. From the outset of attending Edwinstree, she felt as if she had come home as the values she had been upholding as a secular head were clear, and understood and explained in a Church of England school and are sourced from God.

Jo is year on year astonished that such ancient guidance can be so exceptionally relevant to the modern world and bible stories and the parables are used to support both staff and students to reflect on modern day society and how we might navigate our life with god. For example the first shall come last and the last shall come first has steered their PP and SEND work for the last 4 years. The good Samaritan story held Jo close during COVID, with the reminder that the most helpful people are not always the people you expect to help. The Church of England guidance steered them beautifully that health and wellbeing were the first priorities that they needed to focus on for their students and their families. Jo is very much looking forward to learning from the Diocese team and supporting their work.

Pauline has spent her working life in 16+ education and has loved it – being an A level specialist and currently working as a senior examiner for a major examination board but also having had a period of lecturing at university. She has been based both in the classroom but also in senior management – latterly as Deputy Head at The Bedford Sixth Form. Although some colleagues choose not to have an educational focus to their leisure, she has enjoyed being able to use her educational background as a focus for mission service and leisure – hence her role on the DBE.

Pauline is currently Chair of Governors at Holywell Middle School where they are grappling with the complexities of re-structuring and is also the Vice Chair at Kimberley College. To widen her educational range, she is also her PCC representative on the management committee of the Pre-school at St Mary’s Wootton which is her home church – a sharp learning curve for her! Pauline is national Chair of Festive which is the only organisation supporting the development of Christian Unions in Further Education – which is seen as the Cinderella service in education.

Chris was a Barrister and a Wine Merchant prior to ordination. Having trained in Wales, he is now an experienced priest, having ministered in England, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. He has served on three Diocesan Synods, various Diocesan Boards, one General Synod and a Provincial Committee, so he is also an experienced committee appointee.

He firmly believes in life before death – bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth so that all may live the best life they can now, not just in some future paradise. This is coupled with his growing concern for the environment, climate change, and global inequality because these issues affect the quality of life of people – especially poor people – across the world now.

Passionate about scripture, especially the Gospels and the Book of Revelation, Chris delights in exploring these texts within their original historical contexts and applying them to today’s world where God is at work. A primary goal of his ministry is to guide others into a dynamic and liberating relationship with scripture, leading them to encounter Jesus Christ, the living Word made Flesh. His ministry and preaching aim to empower people to connect with Scripture.

Janet Mackenzie was collated as Archdeacon of Hertford in September 2016. She has served on the Diocesan Board of Education since 2009 and currently chairs the Diocese of St Albans Educational Trust and is Chair of the Members of the Diocesan Multi Academy Trust. She has served as a Governor for a number of schools. She has also been a member of Luton SACRE.

Before ordination, Janet trained as a teacher and worked initially in a secondary school in Stevenage teaching mathematics and music. She then held a number of roles including Deputy Headteacher and Acting Headteacher in special schools, working in Stevenage and Kempston. Her next role took her to Luton Borough Council Education Department where she became Primary Strategy Manager and also served as an Acting School Improvement Adviser.

Janet trained for Ordination at Westcott House in Cambridge. She served her title post in Sandy in Bedfordshire and became Vicar of a parish in Luton in May 2010. Janet became Area Dean of Luton in October 2012, which was a rewarding and interesting role working with colleagues from across the theological spectrum. She has taught on the ERMC Introduction to Pastoral Care training course and is passionate about pastoral theology and its contribution to parish life.

Dot is in her 10th year of headship. She has been been working for a year at St Catherine’s in Hoddesdon and was previously head at Ponsbourne St. Mary’s VC Primary School in Newgate Street Village.

Dot is an active member of Christ Church in Ware, and has at various points been involved with leading baptism preparation, toddlers, children’s church, being a foundation governor and currently plays in one of the worship bands.

She has been married to Richard for 26 years and they have three (adult) children.  They also have a lively labrador, Ruby, who works part time as a school dog, and a rescue cat, Lily.

Liz has been Headteacher of Codicote C of E Primary School since 2004, and considers it a pleasure and a privilege to be both in this role and part of the Church and village community. Committed to being the head of her school, she believes the ‘teacher’ part of her title is important too, and has a weekly teaching commitment in the Reception Class.

Her career in Christian education started as a Sunday School Teacher, whilst still at school. Since qualifying as a teacher, she has always worked in Hertfordshire Church of England schools, and values the opportunity to be part of the Diocesan family. Alongside her role as headteacher, she enjoys working in partnership with schools across Hertfordshire. She represents her colleagues in a range of different capacities with the local authority, and mentors new headteachers.

Having served on the Diocesan Board for a number of years, she is delighted to be able to continue this journey for a further term.

Christina Singh trained as a professional musician at the Royal Nothern College of Music in Manchester. Having gained a Post Graduate Certifcate in Education, she became interested in the educational provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

In 2001, she began working as the Hertfordshire Local Authority Adviser for Children with Down Syndrome. There she wrote a Secondary Transfer Guidance document, adopted nationally to support the transfer of pupils seen to be vulnerable at the point of transition. In 2002, she became a member of the Down Syndrome Association Education Consortium; consisting of five specialists, the group produced best practice materials and training for the inclusion of children with Down Syndrome in mainstream and special schools. The Support Pack won the NASEN/TES ‘Books for Teaching and Learning Award’ in 2009. From 2005 to 2009, she worked as an SEND Adviser in schools, In 2011, she served as a member of an All Party Parliamentary Committee, contributing to a guidance document on the inclusion of pupils with Down Syndrome and other complex needs.

Since April 2012, Christina has been the Headteacher at Nascot Wood Junior School, a two-form entry school in Watford with 240 pupils on roll. In the Sunday Times top 100 schools list for the past 10 years, In 2023, the school was the highest attaining Junior school in the country.

In 2017, Christina was in the first tranche of Hertfordshire Headteachers to be invited to train as an Executive Headteacher. Christina has been worshipping at St Albans Cathedral for twenty years, when her son became a chorister. She leads the Parish Orchestra, playing at monthly services.

David White has been Diocesan Secretary for the Diocese of St Albans since October 2021, the senior lay role in the diocese.

Prior to this he was Chief Operating Officer of the Anglican Consultative Council, the secretariat for the global Anglican Communion. His earlier career was in management and leadership of not-for-profit organisations, including charities working in the UK and internationally, predominantly in the health and development sectors.

He has a career long pattern of trustee and chair roles in not-for-profit organisations and has been a school governor. He is currently a trustee of the St Augustine Foundation. For thirty years he has led children and young people’s residential youth work at Church Pastoral Aid Society summer camps and house parties.

Ordained in 1990, Tim has always been active in all the schools in and near the parishes he has served near Bridgnorth in Shropshire, Margate & Ashford in Kent and now in our 2 VAs & 1 county primary schools in 5 small villages north of Bedford (Wilden with Colmworth and Ravensden, and Bolnhurst with Keysoe).

He served twice on Canterbury DBE for a number of consecutive terms; latterly on behalf of Bishop’s Council, working on a number of projects re Small Schools, RE syllabi & annual DBE Heads & Chairs conference planning & inputting.

He was twice on ‘Shadow’ Full Governing Bodies (FGBs) opening new schools and continuing as a Governor in Margate & Ashford; 2nd time Chairing a new CofE/Methodist VA Primary. He was also Governor for 2 Secondary Schools in Ashford; a boys VC Grammar & a CofE Co-Ed Academy. Tim hopes to bring both experience and openness to new creative ways forward for growth in all schools to St Albans DBE.