Our Trustees
Meet the board of trustees who provide strategic leadership and governance for Paces Sheffield.
Trustees
Click on any trustee’s photo to read their full biography.
Michelle Williams
Chief People Officer
I joined the Board of Trustees at Paces Sheffield in January 2024 and became Chair in April 2024, bringing more than 20 years’ board-level and executive experience supporting organisations to strengthen leadership, culture and long-term sustainability. As a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, I have held senior roles across a range of sectors and am passionate about values-led governance and purposeful leadership.
I am genuinely humbled by the work of the Paces team — by their skill, compassion and unwavering commitment to the children and adults who use our school and Adult Services. Seeing the positive impact of that work, not only on those who attend Paces but also on their wider families, is what motivates me in my role as Chair.
I am committed to supporting both the Board and the leadership team to ensure Paces continues to thrive and grow, and to ensuring it remains not only a place where children and adults can flourish, but also a place where our team members feel valued, supported and proud of the difference they make.
Alison Roy
Trustee
Alison has over 25 years of experience working in the higher education sector in various professional services roles, including managing staff and students.
Experienced in change and project management, and as a qualified Programme/Project Manager, Alison has previously and currently worked on a number of strategic projects with senior staff across different universities, covering people, estates and IT projects. With over ten years of school governance experience, Alison was a founding member and Director of Lound Academy Trust and worked with several organisations to transfer the Lound Schools across to the Steel City Schools Partnership portfolio.
Alison also holds a Masters’s degree in Education and is experienced in Project Management, Change Management and Higher Education.
Elizabeth Barrens
Chief People Officer
Fundraising and Commercial Director Sheffield Theatres.
Elizabeth is a values-driven senior leader with over 25 years’ experience in income generation across trusts and foundations, corporate partnerships, and high-net-worth giving. Formerly in senior roles at Rotherham Hospice, The Haven and currently the Commercial and Fundraising Director at Sheffield Theatres, and a business owner she brings strong strategic and financial expertise. Originally from Barnsley, she lives locally with her family and out of work enjoys exploring the outdoors with her three dogs.
David Idle
Trustee
David has a Master of Science Degree and a Bachelor’s Science Degree from Sheffield Hallam University. Before embarking on an Information Technology career, David served in the British Army for over ten years.
Emma Dodd
Trustee
Emma’s background is in business management and finance and she is eager to use her knowledge and skills to benefit the School.
She has a bachelor’s degree, a Masters in Business Administration and is ACCA qualified, though not a practising accountant. She has over 20 years business experience.
Emma’s daughter, Mia, has attended Paces since 2011 and she has seen first-hand what Paces School for CE can offer to both pupils and parents alike. She is keen to help the Governing Body in any way possible to make the School an even more outstanding place that it is already.
She is very passionate about this as it has been a wonderful support for herself, her husband and her daughter. Before Mia started in the Nursery they viewed several different options across Sheffield and knew immediately that Paces was the only place for her.
Lisa Swales
Trustee
In my spare time I am kept very busy being a mum to two girls but when I have spare time I enjoy running and catching up with friends.
Keith Hurst
Trustee
PhD from the Institute of Psychological Sciences, University of Leeds, with a lecturing career at Hull and Sheffield Hallam Universities (1999 - 2010). Associate Fellow and Chartered Psychologist of the British Psychological Society, and formerly HPC registered (Health Psychology).
Returned to Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) as Associate Dean to lead on Business & Enterprise in a large, complex College (Faculty). Focussed on positive Graduate Outcomes, Degree Apprenticeship/HTQ, Business Engagement and collaborative research, whilst developing connections in the city, region and beyond. Moving to the Research, Innovation and Knowledge Exchange portfolio and immediately leading significant transformation at a time of extensive sectoral changes has further developed my experience of cross-portfolio working as we tighten our focus on the next REF exercise. Previously SHU Programme Director MSc Health Psychology and Principal Lecturer Business Development, then concurrent PL roles in Psychology, Sociology & Politics as Business Development Lead and Markets and Recruitment Lead, responsible for recruitment, KE/consultancy working with Food Industry re: healthy food choices. Developed 'Psychology Innovations', re: the psychology of creativity and innovation, and its useful impact in both commercial and social enterprise ventures.
I was Assistant Dean in the School of Social Sciences and Law at Teesside University from 2010 providing a strategic lead for the Marketing and Recruitment portfolio, building the successful marketing of a broader offer – including UG/PG, CPD, Research/Enterprise & Consultancy. From August 2014 led on Portfolio Development, focussing on the merger with Teesside University Business School. Appointed as Associate Dean (Business) in Social Sciences, Business and Law in March 2016, and led Business during its 'virtual' relaunch in May 2016 to its decoupling from the School of Social Sciences, Business and Law in August 2017. Then undertook the Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching) role in the new Business School as it established its initial senior team. Returned to Social Sciences, Humanities and Law in January 2018 as AD (Learning & Teaching) to lead the portfolio across four academic Departments (8 distinct subject groupings) and then AD (Marketing & Recruitment) in September 2019 to re-energise that position during significant structural changes in the University’s approach to working in this functional area.
Laurie Cottam
Chief People Officer
Laurie joined Paces as a trustee in 2025. He is Managing Director of Race Cottam Architects - a design studio specialising in education and healthcare design – based in Sheffield. Laurie first got to know the Paces team and the work they do through his involvement in the concept design for a new home for Paces, a new National Centre for Conductive Education. The project took a deep dive into the Paces charity and over a period of months the team at RCA developed proposals to reflect the charities aspirations to be a world leading centre for conductive education.
Laurie also has a personal connection to the work at Paces through his Mum, Phillipa Cottam. Phillipa was a Speech and Language Academic and Therapist at the University of Sheffield. She was passionate about Conductive Education and was influential in its early adoption in the UK in the 1980’s – helping to establish the first centre in Birmingham. Laurie runs a trust in his mother’s memory and is passionate about promoting the work of Conductive Education and Paces.