Governor Profiles

Melany Knowles – Chair 

I have been a governor is various schools in Stevenage for nearly 30 years. I originally became a governor to support my children’s primary school and enjoyed it so much I carried on long after they finished their school journeys. I passionately believe that all children deserve the best education possible and to be supported to achieve the best possible outcomes. My background is in early years and my day job is working for Hertfordshire County Council. I have only been involved with Longmeadow since April 2022 and I have been impressed by the hard-working staff and their drive to support children.

Jo Dawson

I am a working mum and have been employed by Hertfordshire County Council in my current role as Schools Financial Sustainability Manager since March 2022, prior to that I was employed by HFL Education as a Schools Financial Adviser. My background is finance and human resources, and in 2009 I completed a Masters in Human Resources Management. In my spare time I play netball and compete in flyball competitions with my dog. I also spend a lot of time on the side line of various pitches throughout the year supporting my son in his sporting endeavours! I am also a Governor at Hartsfield School, Baldock.

Lynne Wilson-Leary

Lynne has extensive experience in education. Her former roles include two primary headships in Hertfordshire and education advisory work in three local authorities. She developed her knowledge and understanding of multi academy trusts through involvement as a member of a project team working to establish the Herts for Learning MAT and is a former CEO of the Agora Learning Partnership. She holds the professional qualification for school inspectors (PQSI).

Darren Lovelock

Darren works for a large Retail Bank as a Technology Transformation Manager. His role looks at what Technology can be deployed or improved to help customers and colleagues. He will own the end-to-end process from idea to delivery. He has scale leadership experience from his time as a Branch Manager. He has been a Governor since 2010 and is the current lead on Health and Safety as well as the lead for GDPR. His outside interests include Running, Football and Music.

Emily Clarke

As a new member of staff, when I joined Longmeadow in September 2022, I wanted to be fully involved in such a wonderful school. I am a second career teacher, previously working in retail buying and design. 7 years ago, I decided to put my original BA in drama and classics to good use and retrained to be a teacher following the schools direct route. Since qualifying, I have mainly taught across lower Key stage 2.