About the Keynotes
Keynote Speakers
Professor Rebecca Freeman, Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education), University of Warwick.
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Beccy is Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) at the University of Warwick leading on student success and experience for Warwick’s diverse population of 29000 students. She works with students and staff to drive forward Warwick's commitment to inclusive education and embed student engagement across the University. Beccy has long championed student voice and co-creation within Warwick and beyond working in universities and Students’ Unions. Her research focuses on student voice and forms of power in higher education and underpins the significant range of strategic initiatives that she leads. She currently co-chairs the national Russell Group Student Success Network.
Talk Title: Shaping the culture of student voice in a changing sector.
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Since the first RAISE meeting in 2010, our understanding of student voice—why it matters, what it means, whose voices are heard, and how we engage—has evolved significantly within a rapidly changing higher education landscape. Fifteen years on, I argue that embedding authentic student voice into the fabric of our institutions is not only a moral imperative but also a strategic advantage.
This keynote invites you to reflect on the key themes that continue to shape student voice in the UK and to consider a central question: What should the future of student voice look like? Through a whole-university lens, we’ll examine how inclusive and meaningful student engagement can be embedded at every level of an institution. Drawing on diverse examples from practice, this session will offer inspiration, provoke dialogue, and issue a collective call to action: to share, to collaborate, and to co-create the path forward. ​
Dr Jill LeBihan, University of Westminster.
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Until March 2025, Jill LeBihan was Head of Student Engagement at Sheffield Hallam University, where she focused on student voice, co-creation and design, and evaluation of enhancement interventions. She was an active committee member for RAISE between 2017-2024, and was Visiting Fellow on the MA Student Engagement at Winchester from 2019-2024. Jill’s academic background is in English Literature and Women’s Studies, where she has considerable experience as a lecturer and academic leader, with skills in curriculum and programme design. She also has an active interest in teaching innovation and the use of digital technology to support academic delivery in creative ways. Over the last few years, the ethics of using artificial intelligence occupied a lot of her time as did the integration of initiatives aimed at preventing harassment.
Jill is currently working on a QAA-funded project, aimed at understanding student representation in Higher Education.
Simon Varwell, Director of Student Engagement University of the Highlands and Islands Students’ Association.
Simon is Director of Student Engagement and Representation at HISA, the students’ association at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), a unique federal and tertiary institution with campuses across half of Scotland. He leads a team that supports HISA’s work on student voice, advice and democracy. Before joining HISA in November 2023, he spent sixteen years at sparqs, Scotland’s national agency for student engagement, where he led on institutional support, staff development activities, and many different European and international student engagement projects including in Ireland and Armenia. Simon is interested in various topics including models and concepts of partnership, the interface of student engagement and educational development, and student engagement in quality enhancement, on which he has published and presented widely. He has a postgraduate Master’s in Student Engagement in Higher Education from the University of Winchester, and is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Ashley Storer-Smith, Student Engagement Manager & ARUCPD Lead at Anglia Ruskin University.
Ashley Storer-Smith (They/Them) is the Student Engagement Manager & ARUCPD Lead at Anglia Ruskin University. Previous to this role, they had over a decade long experience within Students' Unions across the UK. They are also a researcher in Student Engagement in HE with specific focuses on Academic Voice Systems, underrepresented student belonging, student activism, Students' Unions, commercalisation of HE, and trans & non-binary student experiences. They have an extensive history of blog publishing, podcast guesting, and conference presenting in these areas. Their first academically published work focuses on Trans & Non-Binary student belonging in HE, focusing on peer support and the rejection of traditional engagement structures.
Panel Speakers
Dr Zachery Spire, Public Engagement Research Specialist, Oregon State University
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Zach is currently based at Oregon State University, where his research focuses on community and public engagement. He has held roles in research, teaching, training, and service across universities and NGOs in the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe, with a focus on student and staff engagement, student residences, and university learning environments.
Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor (SUs), Wonkhe.
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Jim is an Associate Editor (SUs) at Wonkhe and takes a particular interest in student experience, university governance, and regulation – and leads our work with students’ unions, including our Study Tours to Europe. His career background is in support for student leadership. He has held senior roles at the National Union of Students – where he led on SU development, campaigns and political strategy – and was the CEO at the SU at UEA, providing strategic management for the union’s charitable and commercial vehicles as well as policy support for the elected student officers. Jim has served as a governor and trustee in both further and higher education and the voluntary sector, and is a regular speaker at sector events and conferences. He is an obsessive fan of the Eurovision Song Contest, and dreams of visiting Moldova.
Aimee Cuthbert, Development Manager of the Highlands and Islands Students’ Association.
Aimee Cuthbert is the Development Manager (Perth and Moray) within the Highlands and Islands Students' Association (HISA). Her role involves supporting HISA's strategic priorities being implemented across the university partnership through supporting her local teams, encourage student engagement, and improving the student experience while nurturing relationships with academic staff and local communities.
Having worked in various students’ associations in Scotland for almost a decade, Aimee's roles in the sector have involved student voice, democracy, membership communications and student engagement. She has also helped shape sector resources such as the Professional Standards Framework for Student Engagement with sparqs and has led HISA's work on its Board of Management Project, ensuring students voices are effectively heard within in UHI’s complex governance structures.
In September 2023, she completed her studies on the University of Winchester in MA Student Engagement in Higher Education, with research interests in students' associations/unions, student voice, extra-curricular activities and SU and institutional governance.
Megan McClellan, Students' Association Co-ordinator, City of Glasgow College.
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Megan has spent the past 4½ years championing student and community representation. After serving as an elected representative within the Students' Association at City of Glasgow College, she went on to work as a Policy and Public Affairs Officer for a Care Experienced charity, before returning to the college in her current role as a Student Engagement Officer. Passionate about amplifying the collective voice of diverse communities, Megan also serves as a Non-Executive Director for Volunteer Scotland. Her career reflects a deep commitment to building inclusive spaces where every community feels empowered to be heard.