Equality standing committees

The five equality standing committees are elected during the relevant annual meetings. The committees can send motions to national annual congress and sector conferences.

• Black members' standing committee
• Disabled members' standing committee
• LGBT+ members' standing committee
• Migrant members' standing committee
• Women members' standing committee

Black members' standing committee 2026-2027

• Umran Ali (University of Salford)
• Gargi Bhattacharya (University College London)
• Imoh Collins Edozie (University of Bradford) 
• Shivanti Lowton (Open University)
• Jak Peake (University of Essex) 
• Pauline Rattery (NOVUS)
• Nitin Rajyaguru (Cardiff and Vale College)
• Victoria Showunmi (University College London) (Chair)
• Shiva Sikdar (Keele University)

Disabled members' standing committee 2026-2027

• Cecily Blyther (Petroc)
• Kevin Daws (City of Bristol College)
• Jennifer Dods (Leeds Beckett University) 
• Dan Green (Heriot-Watt University)
• Elane Heffernan (University of Kent)
• Marion Hersh (University of Glasgow)
• Shivanti Lowton (Open University)
• Sophia Lycouris (University of Edinburgh)
• Themesa Neckles (University of Sheffield)
• Bijan Parsia (University of Manchester)
• Christina Paine (London Metropolitan University) 
• Pat Roche (Blackpool and The Fylde College) (Chair)

 LGBT+ members' standing committee 2026-2027

• Lexi Breen (University of Lincoln)
• Peta Bulmer (University of Liverpool)
• Kay Crosby (Newcastle University)
• Peter Evans (Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College) 
• Matilda Fitzmaurice (Lancaster University) (Chair)
• Daryl Hodge (University of Liverpool)
• Guoxin Ma (University of Northumbria)

Migrant members' standing committee 2026-2027

• Maha Rafi Atal (University of Glasgow)
• Ariane Bogain (Northumbria University)
• Minjie Cai (University of Birmingham)
• Michael Carley (University of Bath)
• Penny Oderberg (Open University)
• Vivek Thuppil (Bangor University) (Chair)

Women members' standing committee 2026-2027

• Vicky Blake (University of Leeds)
• Lexi Breen (University of Lincoln)
• Laura Chuhan Campbell (Durham University)
• Jennifer Dods (Leeds Beckett University)             
• Jo Edge (Central Group HE - London and East) 
• Safia Flissi (South and City College Birmingham)
• Poppy Gerrard-Abbott (University of Edinburgh)
• Gillian Jack (The Open University)
• Julie Hearn (Lancaster University)
• Lesley Kane (Open University)  
• Madeleine Moore (University of Loughborough) 
• Themesa Neckles (University of Sheffield)
• Lisa Rull (University of Nottingham) 
• Suzi Toole (Bolton College) (Chair)