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Maxine Room, currently at the Park Lane Campus of Leeds City College, has been appointed as principal Lewisham College, replacing Dame Ruth Silver. In getting this high profile role, Maxine has also made a major breakthrough in the capital city, becoming the first BME principal of a "mainstream" London college since incorporation in 1993. She joins Satnam Gill, longstanding principal of the Working Men's College, a specialist designated college, and ends a worrying enigma because London, home to 50% of the country's Diaspora communities of African, Asian and Caribbean origin, seemed to be inexplicably lagging behind the more progressive colleges in the regions able to spot and appoint Black talent.
Robin Landman, chief executive on the Network for Black Professionals, said "Maxine is already one of a small but illustrious list of 11 Black principals in English FE, and her appointment at Lewisham will automatically place her in the spotlight, and hopefully be the precursor to a number of senior appointments in London colleges that can at last provide the capital's Black (and White) learners, with role models that reflect the demographics of modern Britain". The failure of London's college corporations to appoint Black talent to the top jobs has been something of a mystery, and certainly sent a very negative message to London's Black staff in particular, and its BME communities in general.
Maxine has always worked in FE and was the second Black woman principal to be appointed in the UK, and the first in Wales. She is passionate about education, training and skills and has a wide range of related qualifications. She began her career at Bridgwater College, moved on to Somerset and Filton colleges in management roles before being appointed as principal at Swansea College.
Maxine represents her current college on the 157 Group Board, is on the Common Purpose and Leeds Cares boards and is a mentor for the Black Leadership Initiative, as well as a range of other boards and committees.
Maxine says, "Becoming a principal has given me the opportunity to really make a difference to learners' lives and has focused my energies on ensuring that the values, beliefs and behaviours in the organisation enable staff to work together to achieve the highest standards for our learners with a clear focus on quality and excellence. During my career I've had the pleasure (and pain) of working with all types of of staff and managers, men and women, who have provided me with a range of role models. I have learned from all of them and, I believe, have grown from those experiences into the leader and manager I am today.
Race and Gender are two aspects of equality I've had to tussle with in my progression up the career ladder, but they make me what I am and I believe have made me stronger in my resolve to be the best I can be to the benefit of learners and the staff I work with. Being a woman in a leadership role is one thing - being a Black woman in a leadership is another. The two are inextricably linked for me as an individual, and make me determined to challenge any inequalities both within my organisation and outside it by what I do and how I do it. There are always those who will deny that in our 'equal' society that there is no problem for anyone in rising to the top in their chosen career, but the statistics don't always bear that out. However, there are opportunities that need to be seized, and grasped with vigour to help all succeed, and within FE we need to coach, mentor and support wherever we can, raising aspirations".
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