Geographical Association

In accordance with its By-laws, the GA is holding a ballot to determine which candidates will be elected to its Governing Body from 1 September 2012. This ballot is being conducted entirely online.

Online voting will close at 12pm on Wednesday 14 March 2012. The results of these elections will be made known at the Annual Meeting of the GA (3:15pm on Thursday 12 April 2012 at the University of Manchester) and through the GA Magazine and website.

All full personal, life, joint, concessionary and group members are eligible to cast one vote in each of the following three categories. Your votes are anonymous.

A short statement from each nominee appears below.

Junior Vice President 2012-13, to be Senior Vice President 2013-14, President 2014-15 and Past President 2015-16 

Paul Baker

I was a geography teacher for 38 years in a variety of schools before retiring from teaching in 2008. I taught geography from KS2 through to A Level and I was Head of Department in three schools. I have been Chair of the Independent Schools Special Interest Group (ISSIG) of the GA for the past 11 years and am in this post until 2014. As the Chair of ISSIG I represent this group on the GA's Education Committee. I also run Geography Cluster Group meetings for the GA, which aim to promote good geography and help keep teachers involved in improving their teaching.  

I am a well known explorer, having taken hundreds of pupils overseas as well as within the UK over the past 30 years. Expeditions to Wales, Scotland, Borneo, Brazil, Kenya, Morocco, France and India are some of the destinations visited. I believe in improving geographical awareness through expeditions and also believe that fieldwork has inspired many pupils to discover geography and to continue their studies at university.

I now also work as a PGCE tutor for the University of Buckingham and I am a Mentor for NQTs, a Chartered Geographer and a Consultant Geographer.

Mark Higginbottom

I have been a GA member since graduating in 1988. I have been a Head of Geography and Humanities and until 2011 was part of the National Strategies team in a Northwest LA. I am now a School Improvement Officer, working directly with teachers and young people in primary and secondary schools, sharing my passion for geography.

A member of M&PD and Council until 2005, I have been on the Governing Body for two three-year terms up to 2011. I have been involved with the GA's Worldwise initiative since 2001 and it is my passion. Direct contact with teachers and students through the six years we have run Challenge Weekends is a privilege. I have also led the UK team on three recent student International Geography Olympiads.

My experience of curriculum development and implementation through periods of change in education will serve me in good stead if I am successful in becoming President in 2014, a year that promises excitement, opportunity and challenge for school geography. Working with geography educators and young people puts me in an ideal position to advocate the power of school geography, why it matters and how best to support it, as a subject association.

Elected Member of the Governing Body 2012-15

Alan Marvell

I am a Senior Lecturer at the University of Gloucestershire, Vice-Chair of the GA Post-16 and HE Phase Committee, Editorial Board Member of Geography and a GA Teacher Consultant. I have been an active member of the Association since 1992 serving on the Secondary Committee, Chair of the Vocational Education Working Party and Elected Member of GA Council.

A passion for geography has led me to give regular presentations at the GA Annual Conference and GA Branches. As a Chartered Geographer of the RGS-IBG I have been working to bring a closer understanding between university teaching and school/college education.

I look forward to working with the GA at a strategic level as it engages more fully with the changing educational landscape and promotes geographical thinking amongst a wider community. I see the National Curriculum review as an area in which the Association can make a huge impact as well as responding to initiatives such as the Government's White Paper.

Becoming an Elected Member is a responsible position and having spent three years as a Non-Executive Director of Bath Tourism Plus I can offer commercial as well as educational experience to the Governing Body whilst representing the interests of GA members.

Philip Maudsley

I am a primary geographer, currently working as deputy headteacher at a Redcar Primary School. I have been a member of the GA Early Years and Primary Phase Committee (EYPPC) for twelve years and an elected member of the Governing Body for the last three years. During this time I have delivered workshops and seminars at Conference, contributed articles to journals and other publications and have also been involved in several GA projects, such as the recent EYPPC writing weekend on the Olympics and Paralympics. 

Whilst reading geography at university I developed a career-long passion for historical geography, an area which also lends itself ideally to the strong role of geography in cross-curricular primary teaching. I took my PGCE in KS2-3 Geography, which has always encouraged me to build links between primary and secondary geography, for example I am currently involved in a joint GIS and impact project with the geography department of our local secondary school based on the rebuilding of the town's sea defences.

I would look forward to working on the Governing Body in these current times of change in education, to help us to grasp the new opportunities presented to us in fresh and interesting ways.

Named Trustee of the Governing Body 2012-18

John Hopkin

I've been a GA member for about 30 years, getting actively involved through the Assessment and Examination Group, as chair of Education Committee and then President in 2010-11. In my spare time I'm also an active member and trustee of Birmingham Development Education Centre (TIDE~); I've also written a wide range of geography resources. I think these activities reflect my geographical interests and aims for geography:

• To unlock the wonders of our world for youngsters and prepare them for their futures, by ensuring the best opportunities for geographical learning
• To broaden youngsters' horizons, helping them get to know a range of real places through direct experience, quality teaching and resources
• To give students opportunities to think about their place in the world, and responsibilities to it

These also reflect my commitment to GA members: in changing times to fight for geography's place in a broad and balanced curriculum, ensuring the GA remains the most active subject association and, as Named Trustee, ensuring the long-term health and vitality of the Association. I've had the privilege of working with many talented people through the GA, and would be honoured to represent you in this role.

Julia Tanner

I am delighted to have been nominated as a Named Trustee for the GA. I joined in 1977, when I started teaching in middle/primary schools. I worked in teacher education 1989-2010, and have extensive experience of ITT and CPD work. I am an active member of the Association, contributing regularly to Primary Geography, and the Primary Geography Handbook. I have also run many workshops at GA Conferences. Since finishing full-time work in 2010, I have joined EYPPC and the Publications Board.

I believe that I have a wealth of relevant experience to offer in this role. I have significant experience in trustee roles, with Leeds Development Education Centre (1994-2006), and the World Studies Trust (since 1996). My work in senior roles in three HEIs means I have extensive experience of and skills in strategic leadership, and people and financial management.

I believe that the GA plays a vital role in sustaining the geography education community. If elected, I hope to make a substantial contribution towards the Strategic Development Plan 2009-14. In particular, I believe it is vitally important to increase membership and extend income generation activities so that the GA can continue to effectively champion geography and geography educators in challenging times.