Our team

Jill Stevenson

Chair

Jill is Director of Student Life at Robert Gordon University.

She has been the Chair of AMOSSHE for the last four years. Here are her priorities for 2023-2025 to build on previous achievements:

• Represent our members and continue to build strong partnerships to proactively influence strategy, policy, and investment in Student Services.
• Build a proactive narrative to convey the positive and vital impact of Student Services on students and institutional success.
• Lead the development of a new communications strategy for AMOSSHE. This will enable us to communicate our core message more proactively, ensuring we influence at the right fora at the right time, and that we are equipped to respond effectively to emerging issues.
• Lead the Executive team to refresh the AMOSSHE strategy. I will ensure that this represents the views of our diverse membership and positions us strongly to be financially sustainable and effective, whilst continuing to be agile enough to support our members through the inevitable changes and challenges ahead.

She pledges to collaborate with our members and partners to position the student experience and Student Services at the top of the agenda for university leaders, policy makers, funders, and regulators. She will continue to dedicate strong vision, great passion and energy, coupled with 15 years of experience in higher education, laterally as Director of Student Services and Dean of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Jill truly love leading AMOSSHE and believe in the power of strong collaboration and an inclusive approach in all that she does. 

Sarah Sweeney

Vice Chair

Sarah is Head of Student Support and Wellbeing at Lancaster University.

She has over 20 years of experience in leadership and service-design, within Student Services, academic departments, research and engagement.

Sarah currently co-leads the development of the new AMOSSHE strategy for 2025 onwards and during her time as an AMOSSHE Executive Member, she's represented AMOSSHE at sector-level and led the work of two other AMOSSHE strategic workstreams: resources and member engagement.

As Vice Chair, here are her priorities:

• Deliver our new strategy for 2025 onwards.
• Ensure AMOSSHE takes an inclusive approach to all activity, creating a strong community where diversity is celebrated and innovation can flourish.
• Raise the profile of AMOSSHE, growing our role as a key influencer at national and international level in best practice in Student Services.
• Lead evidence-based approaches to strategy delivery and demonstrate the impact and value of AMOSSHE for members.
• Develop our new AMOSSHE communications strategy, creating new opportunities to enhance member experiences and raise the visibility and impact of AMOSSHE work.
• Grow the benefits we deliver to members and strengthen member networks.
• Innovate: support members to lead change and use digital solutions for service delivery.

Emma Bales

Vice Chair (Operations)

Emma is Director of Student Services at the University of Cumbria.

She has worked in higher education student support services for over 20 years and is currently the Director of Student Services at the University of Cumbria (UoC). She's been a member of the AMOSSHE Executive team since July 2021 and I was honored to have been elected for a one year term as Vice Chair in July 2023.

As Vice Chair (Operations), here are her priorities:

• Support the National Office in the launch of our new strategic plan, ensuring they have the capacity, resources, and operational enablers to deliver our strategic priorities for the benefit of AMOSSHE, our members and the sector.
• Support the continued growth of AMOSSHE to ensure our sector profile is maintained and our members are well supported to meet the ever evolving challenges of the higher education student support landscape.
• Work collaboratively with the Vice Chair to develop and diversify our income streams to ensure the ongoing financial sustainability of AMOSSHE for the benefit of our members.
• Work collaboratively with the Vice Chair (Professional Development), National Office and wider Executive team to re-commence the further development and implementation of the Professional Recognition and Career Development project to raise the profile of the value of Student Services in the sector and ensure our members have access to impactful and inclusive professional development pathways.

Chris Warrington

Vice Chair (Professional Development)

Chris is Director of Student Experience and Support at the University of Leeds.

As Vice Chair (Professional Development), here are his priorities:

• Support our membership, following the pandemic, to engage with CPD (continuing professional development) to enhance their professional practice and remain up to date and informed on the challenges and issues facing higher education.
• Collaborate with the membership and with key sector stakeholders to curate an engaging and innovative CPD programme that meets the needs of our membership.
• Ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion drive our approach to CPD and are evident in our CPD programme.
• Continue to contribute to the work of AMOSSHE and the Executive team and the AMOSSHE National Office to drive our ambitious strategy.

Aleata Alstad-Calkins

Executive Member

Aleata is Director of Student Support & Success at the University of Roehampton.

I have worked in higher education for over ten years and have gained a wealth of experience that I hope to offer the AMOSSHE community, with the aim of giving back to a network that has supported me to navigate many challenging circumstances.

My role as Director of Student Support & Success at the University of Roehampton and a counselling psychologist by trade brings many assets to the role. Furthermore, I am a board member for three separate organisations including a mental health charity, and I've been involved in a regional AMOSSHE working group that has been developing essential annual sector benchmarking plans, which can be used to establish standards for strategic planning. Experience of having operational oversight and understanding

I am excited about continuing to shape the support provided to students in the sector with innovation and collaborative partnerships.

Andy Shanks

Executive Member

Andy is Director of Student Wellbeing at the University of Edinburgh.

I passionately believe in the power that higher education in transforming people’s lives, and I would be hugely honoured and grateful if you voted for me to continue as a member of the AMOSSHE Executive team. I am very excited about the opportunity to shape and contribute influentially to the future of our profession. I am keen to ‘put something back' into (a) the organisation that has been so supportive during my seven years working in my current role; and (b) the sector that provides us with opportunities to enable students to flourish and achieve great things. I have enjoyed my six months on the Executive immensely, focusing on engaging members with discussions on important policy areas, as well as sharing good practice and representing AMOSSHE within the Mental Health Implementation Taskforce.

Before moving to my current role as Director of Student Wellbeing at the University of Edinburgh, I worked for twenty years as a mental health social worker and then a senior manager within statutory mental health and social care services in London and Edinburgh. I learned a great deal during that time, and I have brought with me into higher education an awareness of (a) the value of taking a strategic approach; (b) the benefits the person-centred model brings within our work in Student Services; and (c) the significant, positive impact that working effectively in collaboration and partnership across team, departmental and organisational boundaries brings to people’s lives.

If elected to the Executive, I will bring passion, energy, enthusiasm and commitment to the role. I have a keen interest in the areas of student mental health and wellbeing; tackling gender-based violence; access and inclusion; widening participation and tackling discrimination; student engagement; continuous service improvement; and the positive impact that physical activity and sport can play in enabling students to thrive.

I will focus on how best we can deliver on these agendas, with a strong emphasis on ensuring we work closely with sector partners (for example UMHAN, Universities UK and HUCS). Edward Peck’s work on student support and the interest of the devolved governments in student mental health and wellbeing provide significant, current opportunities for positive change within the sector. I am deeply committed to ensuring AMOSSHE continues to play a key role in shaping and influencing this work.

Angela Scanlon

Executive Member

Angela is is Director of Student & Graduate Success at Ulster University. 

As a Professor of Higher Education and Director of Student and Graduate Success at Ulster University, I have over 30 years’ experience as a practitioner and educational leader. Throughout my career, I have established expertise across both further and higher education sectors, which includes employability and skills, widening access, and student wellbeing. Driven by a passion for student and graduate success I take pride in growing informed and confident leaders in both staff and students while respecting individual differences. I believe that education provides an incredible opportunity to overcome barriers and challenges throughout a person’s life.

As an AMOSSHE Executive, here are her priorities :

• Representing the professional community, ensuring that we maintain a sector leading position as a national network.
• Respecting member needs and celebrating achievements.
• Influencing and enabling members as change makers, in Student Services excellence to effect positive developments and impact on future generations of students.

Ian Munton

Executive Member

Ian is Director of Student Services at Aberystwyth University.

After being elected to the AMOSSHE Executive Committee in October 2023 I would love the opportunity to extend my time in representing the views of our amazing membership.

I can't quite believe it, but this is my 20th year working as a Student Services professional. In that time, I have done most things from Student Support Assistant to Director and lots in between. Leading brilliant services, amazing practitioners and professionals has been a huge privilege and something I wouldn’t have expected when starting out all that time ago.

AMOSSHE has played a significant role in my professional development. The organisation and you as a leadership network have continually and positively influenced my work and that of my teams and colleagues. The output from the National Office, Committee and our sector network has kept me informed and energized and I have benefitted from the opportunities that the Executive and National Office have enabled. Just this week for instance I am speaking at the Universities UK conference for Pro-Vice Chancellors for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion about the intersection between mental health and harassment / violence - I take each opportunity such as this seriously and do all I can to represent the views of a diverse community and bring back learning that will benefit us and the communities we support.

Through this time, I have, alongside friends and colleagues and with partners, within and beyond Student Services and higher education, developed practice that is student-centered, professional and which has driven forward the standards that we set individually and collectively. I have seen a lot, but importantly I continue to be excited every day, by the changing nature of the student and university experience and in wanting to do what is right and meaningful for our communities.

Having moved to Wales two years ago to take on the role of Director of Aberystwyth University I have gained a greater sense of how the same issues can perhaps play out differently depending on where we are, who we are and what is going on for each of us.

Keith Houghton

Executive Member

Keith is Head of Student Support and Wellbeing at The University of Law. 

I’ve been an AMOSSHE member for “several” years and have greatly valued the opportunities for learning and collaboration that the organisation facilitates. I have also worked with AMOSSHE colleagues in the past couple of years on the development of member resources and have chaired several AMOSSHE LASER (London and south east region) leads meetings.

I’m currently Head of Student Support and Wellbeing at The University of Law (ULaw) which was the first alternative provider in the UK to gain degree-awarding powers. Prior to this I spent nearly 20 years at a post-92 university, latterly in a leadership role, co-leading the Student Services function. ULaw is quite a unique organisation in that it does not have a single main campus but a geographical dispersed delivery model, which brings some fairly unique challenges in delivering effective support.

I am a really keen advocate of exploiting technological solutions to enhance the support offered to students, whether that be through apps to deliver supported self-help resources or implementation of robust management systems for handling casework and reporting. Working in a “for-profit” higher education provider also allows me to view support through a slightly different lens whether that is working effectively with third party providers or using alternative methods to deliver services whilst ensuring excellent student outcomes.

Paul Rossi

Executive Member

Paul is Head of Student Advice & Safeguarding Support at University of the Arts London.

I have been a manager in Student Services at University of the Arts London since 2002, during which time Student Services have had to respond to so many challenges and changes while remaining focussed on our students and their requirements.

During my professional life I have been fortunate enough to have been on the boards of both NASMA (National Association of Student Money Advisers) and UKCISA (UK Council for International Student Affairs), as well as the occasional visit to regional AMOSSHE meetings and regular AMOSSHE conference attendance.

I'd now like to be part of AMOSSHE's mission directly. I will bring to the Executive an interest in institutional collaboration, future ways of working, staff training and development, alongside a passion for access to our services for both under-represented groups and international students.

I've been fortunate enough to have been involved in delivering staff and volunteer development, training events and conferences, and I would hope to be involved in these within AMOSSHE. As an example of this type of activity, I was a presenter at the recent AMOSSHE / UKCISA event on institutional responses to the conflict in Ukraine.

I was pleased to have been able to go to the European Conference for Student Affairs and Services (sponsored by AMOSSHE) in November, after which I briefed AMOSSHE staff on potential future collaborations and interesting initiatives, as well as providing sector event feedback for the AMOSSHE website.

I have also been a school governor (with a safeguarding link role) and have been a Trustee in a local charity, so am comfortable with the governance requirements. I am a Fellow of the RSA (Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce - nominated for my work in international education) which has given me access to broader conversations. All valuable for an AMOSSHE Executive member.

Sally Lambah

Executive Member

Sally is Head of Student Support and Wellbeing at Wrexham University.

I have worked in education for over 25 years and have worked in a university setting for the last four years. I connect with AMOSSHE to support the running of the department I work in and the knowledge and information gained by being a member of AMOSSHE helps my team and I provide the best service we can, and therefore being a Executive Member will support my university, but I can also bring my experience and knowledge to the AMOSSHE team. I also feel that to have a representative from Welsh universities on the Executive would add a different perspective, as we have different funding and requirements, that can be shared with other universities across the United Kingdom, and they share with us. So I would like to contribute to AMOSSHE and support all our universities across the UK. 

Sammy Li

Executive Member

Sammy is Assistant Director of Student Affairs (Postgraduate and Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) at the University of Birmingham.

I have had the privilege of twice being elected by AMOSSHE members to the Executive Committee over the past three years. I would value you placing your trust in me for re-electing the Executive Member position and continuing to serve alongside colleagues to support the development of Student Services and our students. AMOSSHE has played a pivotal part in my transition from an academic to a Student Services leader. I am grateful for the collegiality of the AMOSSHE community, and I am committed to contributing to this community through my elected role.

As an Executive Member, here are his priorities::

• Co-chair, 2024 National Conference and continuing professional development events.
• Leading the development of the new AMOSSHE strategy 2025 to 2030.
• Overseeing the development of the new AMOSSHE website and member engagement campaigns, such as early career reduced conference delegate fees.
• Representing AMOSSHE to share insights with UK sectoral bodies and EU universities.
• Serving as an AMOSSHE representative at the Living Black at University Commission and the Higher Diversity Coalition.
• Diversifying speakers from the UK, Europe and Asia to present at AMOSSHE events.
• Developing a new AMOSSHE EDI policy and inclusive events guidance.