EKC - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive of the Thanet & East Kent
- Member - Local College Board
David is the Chief Executive of the Thanet & East Kent and Dover District Chambers of Commerce. He is a Director or Chairman of eleven UK registered companies, a trustee of two charities and an active member of a variety of community organisations including two hospital trusts and the Care Leavers Progression Partnership.
He is also Chairman of Mersham-Le-Hatch Cricket Club and East Kent Business Advice Clinic and a founding director of Academy FM community radio station. Formerly, David was Managing Director of an international company, increasing its export markets from 27 to 53 countries.
Until 2018, he provided commercial advice direct to the Chief Executive of the Post Office during a period of turnaround from annual losses of £120 million to a profit of £60 million.
David is happily married with three children. Along with his wife, they have also fostered 43 children to date, mostly refugees from overseas war zones.
Job Titles:
- Chairman - Local College Board
Dr Peter Troke joins EKC Broadstairs College's Governing Body with significant experience in primary and secondary educational governance. A former Pfizer microbiologist, Dr Troke has always had a passion for education, having served as an external lecturer at the University of Kent. He first experienced governance in 1982, helping to guide a Ramsgate primary school. Since then he has served on a range of school governing bodies, developing a wide skillset and undertaking training as a Local Leader of Governance during 2015/16.
As a Thanet resident for more than 35 years Dr Troke has seen EKC Group grow exponentially from just a single College in Broadstairs, to the family of five colleges and three business units that now serve the whole East Kent community.
Whilst retired from his professional commitments, Dr Troke remains an active member of the scientific community with an Honorary Fellowship at the University of Liverpool, and also writes science publications.
Emily currently holds the position of Principal at Broadstairs College, bringing with her a wealth of experience with a distinguished career in education spanning over 14 years. Having previously held roles such as Deputy Principal and Assistant Principal, Emily has established herself as a leader with a passion for educational excellence, student success, staff and student well-being and community engagement.
With the increase in awareness and importance of good mental health and wellbeing, Emily has dedicated much of her career to developing her knowledge in this area. With an MSc in Professional Practice relating to education, Emily has a deep commitment to ensuring the College delivers an outstanding study program, removing barriers to learning, providing wraparound support for students, enabling them to reach their full potential. Her vision extends beyond the academic boundaries, emphasising the development and importance of soft skills and community engagement. Actively engaging with students, staff, and stakeholders, she collaborates with them to shape a curriculum that goes beyond the academic qualifications, preparing students for their future next steps.
Simultaneously, Emily is dedicated to fostering a supportive working environment for College staff. Recognising the importance of career progression, flexibility, and work-life balance, she strives to create conditions that enable staff to thrive both professionally and personally.
Job Titles:
- Staff Member - Local College Board
Before joining the East Kent Colleges Group in 2016, Gillian's working career was in the private sector working within the travel and digital print sectors.
As a branch, regional sales and sales and marketing manager she held a key responsibility for the recruitment and selection of staff. She would class this, along with customer service as her areas of particular interest.
Gillian's first role within the East Kent Colleges Group was as a Job Broker, supporting adults to overcome barriers to gain employment, matching skills to employer needs and vacancies.
She completed her teacher training qualification in July 2020 and joined EKC Broadstairs College in December 2020 as a Business Lecturer.
Job Titles:
- Staff Member - Local College Board
Karen has worked at EKC Broadstairs College in several different roles since November 1994.
She started teacher training in September 1994 with her expertise being in Beauty and Holistic therapies, although she is also a qualified hairdresser and barber.
Karen has worked at the college for almost 30 years and has seen a lot of change as well as seven Principals during her time here.
Her role in the college also includes the position of senior learning coach, leading a team of coaches who help support and develop teaching, learning and assessment throughout the college.
Job Titles:
- Member - Local College Board
Kim has nearly reached 40 years in education, teaching and leading in some of the most challenging schools in Thanet, including both mainstream and special educational settings.
She is a retired Executive Headteacher of St George's C of E Foundation School; leading the school through a "challenging period" and on leaving the school, it was the most oversubscribed school in Kent which OFSTED recognised as Good with Outstanding features.
One of the most rewarding experiences of her educational career was leading St George's to become an "all through" school, with primary provision opening in September 2016.
Kim was a KLE (Kent Leader of Education) and became Interim Executive Headteacher of a further two secondary schools that were facing significant challenges. In her role as Executive Headteacher she worked collaboratively with many stakeholders; the Diocese, the LA, PixL, the Regional Schools Commissioner, politicians, local councillors, police and Social Services.
She has presented at numerous National Conferences for CAPITA and Canterbury Diocese on Leadership. Kim is also a Chair of Governors of a secondary school in Canterbury, a Member of a local junior school and an IEB member for a school in Snodland. She is ambitious for all students in our care and passionate that every student and every member of staff is able to succeed.
Job Titles:
- Member - Local College Board
- Retired Chartered Mechanical Engineer
Michael is a retired Chartered Mechanical Engineer with past experience in healthcare, animal and human pharmaceutical development.
He has 3 adult children who have benefited from excellent local schooling and Michael himself has 10 years' experience as a school governor.
He hopes his initial practical training (EITB apprenticeship, university and post graduate experience (PhD) will be of use to EKC Broadstairs College going forward.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Principal ( Support )
Nicola Kelly is responsible for leading the support functions at EKC Broadstairs College. This includes Additional Learning Support, Marketing, Estates. A large part of her role is leading the pastoral support for our students, including overseeing services for counselling, wellbeing, and the bursary. Nicola is passionate about the underpinning functions which support students while they study at College and is an advocate for ensuring all learners have an outstanding experience during their time with us.
Nicola has worked in education for over 20 years and has held a variety of roles, giving her a broad knowledge both in terms of supporting students and leading staff. Nicola first worked for the College as an assessor in Health and Social Care and went on to be a course leader for Hospitality and Retail.
Nicola then took a break from further education to run her own training agency for foster carers which built bespoke packages for completing the mandatory training requirements and ensure they met national minimum standards. From working with residential care homes and children in care to fostering, Nicola developed a vast knowledge of the needs of young people which she took back into further education. Working on many successful pilots, Nicola helped to launch a traineeship scheme with OCR and worked alongside Barnett College and Harrogate Council to help young people who were not in education to get started on care apprenticeships before returning to work at the EKC Group.
With her knowledge of special educational needs and higher need learners, Nicola became the Head of Additional Learning Support at Broadstairs in 2016. During this time Nicola was at the forefront of positive change within ALS and SEND initiatives, including leading on the change over to EHCPs and raising the level of support for students across the College. After four years in this job role, Nicola proceeded to become the Head of Supported Learning in 2019.
Nicola has gained much experience during her career and is always looking for opportunities to share best practices and make a difference to staff, students, and stakeholders.
In her spare time, Nicola likes to stay active and during the 2020 lockdown, she formed the EKC Running Group alongside her colleague Jonathan Smith. Nicola also is part of an amateur dramatic society and has been involved in plays and pantomimes at different venues in Thanet.
Born, raised, and continuing to live in Thanet, Nicola is an ambassador for the local community and supports many different ventures in her spare time. From shopping local to supporting charity events, Nicola loves to support the regeneration of our local towns.
Nicola Tumber is Deputy Principal at EKC Broadstairs College. Nicola oversees the strategic development of the College's provision, working with Curriculum Heads to ensure the offer meets local, regional and national skills needs.
Nicola firmly believes in the importance of the educational journey that every student takes. She feels that with high teaching standards, enrichment opportunities and dedicated pastoral care, each student has the tools they need to progress and be the best person they can be within the local community. Her overriding philosophy is that every person can make a difference in whatever they choose to do and in whatever field their passion lies.
Nicola started her career in early years education after completing her Childhood Studies Diploma at Canterbury College. By the age of 21, Nicola had started her journey into management, becoming the manager of a Thanet-based nursery. By 24, Nicola was a regional manager for a large national nursery chain. This position gave her the chance to travel across the country, developing the quality of education and care in nurseries and managing the business operations for a cluster of nurseries within the company. During this time she successfully completed an Early Years Education degree.
In 2009, Nicola started a family and soon decided that a job with less travel would offer a better work-life balance. After a spell at a children's centre in Ashford, she realised that her passion lied with teaching and in 2013 she applied for a job at the College as an early years lecturer.
During her time at the College, Nicola helped to design and set up the on-site nursery and became a freelance Ofsted inspector for early years, alongside her teaching role. Nicola subsequently progressed to Programme Director, before being made Head of Early Years and Health and Social Care, and later joined the Senior Leadership Team, in 2019.
Nicola left Broadstairs to join EKC Ashford College as Deputy Principal in November 2020. She overcame unforeseen challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and worked to resolve unprecedented issues to ensure the College's high standards were met. She returned to EKC Broadstairs College in June 2022 to take on her current role as Deputy Principal.
Nicola has always lived in Thanet and enjoys a busy family life with her two boys and partner, Mark, who is in the construction trade.
Job Titles:
- Member - Local College Board
Rob works for "The Education People" at Sessions House in Maidstone. The Education People is a one-stop shop for education services, supporting the full age range from early years to young adults. Their mission is to support early years and childcare settings, schools and colleges, to improve learning, wellbeing and children's development in Kent and beyond.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Principal ( Curriculum )
Sarah is responsible for enhancing the student experience, engaging with local employers and key stakeholders to underpin curriculum activities and ensure the best possible outcomes for students and staff. Sarah implements the latest educational research and best, evidenced-based practice to support staff in delivering an outstanding experience for our learners.
Sarah's driving motivation is to challenge the socio-economic environment and reduce the education and skills gap for those most vulnerable and disadvantaged in the local area, having worked closely with the Education Endowment Fund (EEF) on numerous initiatives.
Sarah first came to the College after finishing school to study A Levels, a BTEC and an Access to Science qualification, which enabled her to progress to University to read Biochemistry, specialising in Endocrinology. After graduating, she went on to work as a Cross-trained Biomedical Scientist in Pathology for the East Kent NHS Hospitals Trust. During this time, she gained her Master of Science from the University of Westminster.
Sarah's passion for teaching first began when she was given the responsibility of training and supporting new Biomedical Scientists. After a period working as a Product Specialist for a global Pathology IT company, she took the decision to follow her calling and went on to study at Canterbury Christchurch for her Post Graduate Certificate in Education, gaining qualified Teacher status in 2011.
As a keen collaborator, Sarah has been involved with local Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and TeachMeet programmes. Through this, she has teamed up with educational staff from a range of backgrounds to share best practice. As an Advanced Skills Practitioner, she loves to keep pace with the latest educational research and is a highly recommended TES contributor. Always the first to try out and evaluate new initiatives, Sarah is passionate about the sharing of resources across provisions to promote dialogue, discussion and drive progress.