Areas of Responsibility and Staff Profiles
Virginia Williams, Professional Liaison Director
Areas of responsibility: Strategy, new initiatives, staff development, professional body and quality reviews, resourcing and research
Virginia joined City staff in 1987, after 15 years in the private sector where she qualified as an accountant before becoming interested in computer systems. Over the next ten years as a Lecturer in Business Systems Analysis and Design she designed and taught a range of modules to Informatics undergraduate and post-graduate students, and Cass MBA students, including operational research, structured systems design, business process re-engineering, accounting, financial information systems and legal and professional issues in IT. She also supervised large numbers of individual student projects at postgraduate and undergraduate level, many involving external clients.
She was Deputy Dean of the School of Informatics for five years and has led on several key School advances, such as creating the Professional Liaison Unit in 1998 to manage the School’s placement and internship activity, aligning with and influencing the professional body practice in this area; building a team of professionally-oriented work-based learning advisors; the expansion of our degrees through professional placement activity based on a HEFCE-funded pilot project, including setting up the Professional Pathway mode of study; a successful Personal Development Planning (PDP) pilot; work-based learning modules; and liaison with professional bodies. All these have had a cross-University influence, and she has also been involved in various University-level advances, for example in setting up the first Foundation Degree. She holds a fellowship of the Higher Education Academy and is currently participating in the Strategic Leaders’ Development Programme and the MA in Academic Practice.
Her interest in the potential contribution of work-based experiences to HE learning resulted in the New Patterns of Learning in Higher Education Conference at City in 2002, and a number of papers and presentations.
She was Project Executive for the City E-portfolio project, and has worked on quality issues across City, by chairing Periodic Programme Reviews and Course Approval Panels. She has a MSc in Business Systems Analysis and Design, and is a chartered member of, and Higher Education Assessor for, the British Computer Society, and occupies that increasingly important space for City – experience of successful academic development and teaching, with a strong professional element and focus.
Donna Davie, Work-based Learning Advisor
Areas of responsibility: IN2015 Professional Development in IT
Donna joined City University London in August 2006 having graduated with a 1st class honours degree in Business & IT, and with a work history spanning five years in the education sector.
Whilst working in further education, Donna's roles were administration-based and focused on widening participation. She also achieved a C&G Teaching Certificate which she utilised to teach IT to adults.
Since joining City University London, Donna's roles have been very student-focused within the School of Informatics. Her first position was Courses Officer, providing course administration and student support at undergraduate and postgraduate level. She joined the Professional Liaison Unit in 2008 as Professional Liaison Coordinator and was promoted in 2009 to Work-based Learning Advisor. Donna chose this career path as she is a huge advocate of vocational learning and is passionate about enhancing the learning and professional development of others. Donna is continuing her own personal development by studying for the Postgraduate Certificate for the Management of Student Work Experience.
In her spare time Donna likes to make the most of what London has to offer, including the music scene, attending as many gigs as she can. She also likes to head back West for some country and sea air and all the socialising that goes with it!
Jessica Flack, Work-based Learning Advisor
Area of responsibility: Undergraduate and Professional Pathway placement schemes
Jessica began her career as a Placements Coordinator for Liverpool John Moores University - where she also studied BA (Hons) Business Studies on a part-time basis. Having completed her studies, she moved from Liverpool to Essex to be with her (now) husband and worked as a Personal Advisor for EST Connexions - an emotionally challenging role. Jessica has also worked within the Professional Services sector of KPMG - where she was responsible for Graduate Recruitment - and Hobsons PLC where she project-managed for a Graduate Recruitment Solutions team.
Jessica’s intention had always been to gain industry experience, and then to move back into Higher Education in a work-based Learning function, so that she could impart her graduate recruitment knowledge to students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
To that end, she joined the Professional Liaison Unit as a Work-based Learning Advisor in 2008.
Away from work, Jessica is a keen traveller and has travelled to some far-flung places such as Peru, Borneo, Uganda, Japan, and Patagonia. In February 2008, she married her husband, Adam in Fiji. Once married, they travelled to New Zealand where they and some of their friends spent three weeks in cramped campervans - non-luxurious but fun!!
Mohson Khan, Work-based Learning Advisor
Area of responsibility: Employer Liaison
Mohson graduated form City University London in September 2006 after spending five years completing his bachelor’s degree in Bsc (Hons) Business Computing Systems. Five years seems a long time to complete a first degree, but Mohson was part of City’s Innovative Professional Pathway Programme; a programme that allowed him to complete two years’ full-time study, undertake a one-year placement and complete the final year of his degree part-time over two years whilst continuing to work in IT.
While on placement, Mohson was employed by the university as a systems developer, specialising in web applications. He continued in this role for two further years on Professional Pathway while also managing the Professional Liaison Unit’s e-systems and supporting students applying for placements.
In September 2006 Mohson was offered the opportunity to coordinate the School of Informatics Professional Skills and Personal Development programme, and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He developed and promoted the programme throughout the School for the following two years.
Mohson has a passion for e-learning, for the technologies used to enhance the student learning experience, as well as using technology to make education available to all - sometimes in a non- traditional way. Mohson has completed a postgraduate certificate in online tutoring.
Mohson is currently employed at City as a Work-based Learning Advisor, supervising and assessing students’ placement and Professional Pathway experiences.
Peter Kogan, Work-based Learning Advisor
Areas of responsibility: Postgraduate Internship scheme; design of information for PLU activities
Peter joined the Professional Liaison Unit in November 2004 having spent the previous fifteen years in a variety of teaching and educational management roles in the UK and Spain.
Peter studied Economics at Queen Mary College (University of London) and then spent a year at BT. Having played his part in digital exchange procurement, Peter left BT to do the RSA Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Afterwards he left the UK - initially for nine months, eventually for seven years - to teach in Spain. During his time in Burgos, Seville and Avila, Peter taught students of all ages, shapes and sizes in a range of companies and language schools, while studying Spanish (at the Escuela Oficial de Idiomas, Universidad de Sevilla) and passing exams including the Diploma Superior de Espanol como Lengua Extranjera.
After returning to the UK, Peter lectured in Communication Skills at the European Business School before becoming Programmes Director for a US study abroad programme in London. Peter’s roles in the Professional Liaison Unit – previously as Placement Scheme Manager and currently as Work-based Learning Advisor – have allowed him to combine his interest in both teaching and academic management.
Outside of work, Peter enjoys cycling (he cycled 4000 miles in 38 days, coast-to-coast across USA in 1980 and coast-to-coast across England in 2007 and to the top of the Shetlands in 2009, with a couple of trips in-between); Arsenal FC (a season ticket holder with a liking for a European trip every so often); the occasional bit of creative writing and – last but by no means least – spending time with his children (Katie, 2005 & James, 2008).