The Community Board

The University’s Community Plan was approved in September 2020 and included a commitment to restructuring the Community Engagement Programme Board (CEPB).

This change took place so that the membership can effectively deliver on the different commitments in the Community Plan; reflect the cross-University scope of those commitments; and show the University’s commitment to inclusiveness and accessibility by including a representative from a community partner. 

The Community Board is responsible for monitoring the University’s progress against Community Plan commitments, and holds a more detailed implementation plan that outlines how each commitment will be met.  

  1. Ensure the successful delivery of the Community Plan by establishing measures to judge success against, ensuring reporting against these takes place, and helping to resolve potential obstacles to success by influencing colleagues and other action appropriate to their professional role. Provide strategic direction for further priorities if required.
  2. Champion the “whole institution” approach of the Community Plan by advocating for the Community Plan and embedding the Community Plan within campus, College, school, professional group and organisational activities and priorities. If there are gaps identified in Board membership, agree on further representation from colleagues, or community partners, with consideration of equality and diversity.
  3. Connecting Community Plan to priorities and activities of community partners (geographical and communities of interest) across Edinburgh and South East Scotland, with a particular focus on our nearer neighbours and harder to reach communities.
  4. Generate, discuss and evaluate potential new priorities and ideas not within the scope of the currently approved Community Plan.
  5. Receive reports from the University’s Community Team for discussion and endorsement, and providing any further guidance requested by the Team
  6. Work with Edinburgh University Students’ Association and the Community Team to identify ways to increase student representation in university community engagement activities.

  1. Positively contribute to the successful implementation and embedding of the Community Plan in the area of the University or organisation they represent on the Board, which may be broader than that of their day-to-day professional role.
  2. Actively participate in overseeing the progress and delivery of the Community Plan’s implementation plan.
  3. Actively participate in quarterly minuted meetings.
  4. Supported by the Community Team in drafting, provide an annual progress report to the University’s Social and Civic Responsibility Committee and ensure annual public reports are prepared and published online, again supported by the Community Team.

Sarah Anderson, Senior Community Engagement Manager, Social Responsibility and Sustainability

Ruthanne Baxter, Civic Engagement Manager, Heritage Collections

Rachel Bowen, Head of Engagement, College of Science and Engineering

Kate Chapman, Vice President Community, Edinburgh University Students’ Association

Natasha Collinson, head of Engagement and Communications, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science

Bruce Crawford, Chief Executive Officer, Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations’ Council (EVOC)

Dave Gorman, Director of Social Responsibility and Sustainability

Andrea English, Personal Chair of Philosophy of Education, Institute for Education, Teaching and Leadership

Patricia Erskine, Head of Stakeholder Relations & Policy Officer, College Office – CAHSS 

Sarah Ford-Hutchinson, Head of SRS Communications, Social Responsibility and Sustainability

Natalia Gibczynska, Business Services Manager, Estates Business Services

Gemma Gourlay, Head of Social Impact, Social Responsibility and Sustainability

Anne-Sofie Laegran, Head of Knowledge Exchange and Impact, Edinburgh Research Office

Suzanne Hermiston, Director of Open Studies, Centre for Open Learning 

Toby Kelly, Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities 

Hazel Lambert, Head of Engagement, Communications & Marketing, CMVM

Derek MacLeod, Head of Global Partnerships, Edinburgh Global 

Lynn McMath, Deputy Director, Stakeholder Relations, Communications and Marketing 

Beth Munro, Alumni Manager, Engagement, Development and Alumni

Cameron Ritchie, Depute Director and Head of Operations, University Sport and Exercise 

Niamh Shortt, Personal Chair of Health Geographies, School of GeoSciences

Neil Speirs, Widening Participation Manager, Student Recruitment and Admissions

Lesley Stokes, Widening Participation Manager, Student Recruitment and Admissions

Stuart Tooley, Head of Public Affairs, Communications and Marketing

Sarah Ward, Lecturer - Learning in Communities, Institute for Education, Community and Society

If you would like to contact a member of  the Community Board, please email local@ed.ac.uk


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