Non-Student Trustee Profile – Louise Rees
Louise completed her undergraduate degree in geography here at Swansea University (more years ago than she cares to remember!) before moving to Canada to complete postgraduate studies. She worked there for a few years before returning back to Swansea in 2000 when she joined what was then called “Academic Registry”. After working there for 15 years in quality assurance/quality enhancement, she moved to her current role in Swansea Academy of Learning and Teaching (SALT) in 2015. While she does a number of other things within SALT, her main focus is to administer an internal programme which encourages and supports academic staff to reflect on their teaching or how they support student learning and to then put together an application to gain recognition as an HEA Fellow.
Being based on Singleton Campus, she’s always been aware of Discovery and that it provides amazing opportunities for students both to give to others as well as gain great skills, experience personal growth and strengthen future employment prospects. She volunteered while an undergrad at Swansea – back then it was called Swansea Community Action. And a past colleague who has been a previous staff trustee also enthused as to how their involvement with Discovery had been so enriching for them.
So when she saw a request for new staff trustees in autumn 2021, she thought this was a great opportunity for her to support the charity, use some of her previous experience as a trustee of another charity, connect more with students (her role is staff facing primarily) along with learn from the volunteers, student trustees and Discovery staff too!
Since becoming a trustee, Louise has had a great online induction with the other trustees and Discovery staff but is looking forward to meeting others in person when we can. And she’s shortly completing the Start Here initial session also, hoping to be ‘hands on’ and volunteer with an initiative – the problem will be which one of the amazing ones to choose! That’s probably one of her favourite things about Discovery – the range of projects it support is so diverse and inclusive, that there is something for everyone to get involved with.