Dr Ann-Marie Houghton took up the brand-new position of Dean for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) at the start of January 2020, reinforcing the University’s commitment to EDI for all at Lancaster.

Ann-Marie’s appointment follows that of Carolyn Jackson who was appointed as the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) Associate Dean for EDI and People in August 2019.

Speaking after the first term in her new role, Professor Jackson commented that “I’m delighted that Ann-Marie will be the University Dean for EDI, and I very much look forward to working closely with her. The creation of both of these new roles is a very significant step, and signals the importance of progressing further the EDI agenda at Lancaster”.

On hearing of Ann-Marie’s appointment, Professor Paul Ashwin (Head of Department) commented that “Educational Research is delighted that members of the Department are making a significant contribution to this very important aspect of the University’s work. As a Department, we take EDI very seriously and look forward to learning from Ann-Marie and Carolyn’s involvement in these key institutional roles”.

Reflecting on her membership of the Department, Ann-Marie commented that “A considerable source of my own learning and research work around EDI has been informed by my colleagues in Educational Research, that includes those colleagues who have worked in the department in the past and those who continue to champion like myself issues of social justice, many of whom are internationally renowned for their research in this area. I am pleased to be able to draw on their experience and to have the opportunity to work alongside them as I take up this new role.”

Dr Ann-Marie Houghton has, over 25 years, become an integral part of Lancaster University, having worked in a variety of roles across Academic and Professional Services. Throughout her career she has consistently championed equal rights and inclusion for all students and staff.

Temporarily bowing out of an Educational Research reading group video call, she says, “I don’t think there has been any aspect of my work so far that hasn’t related to EDI. I initially joined the university working to enable access to education. I moved on to research the many ways which people could access higher education, and once here, how inclusive teaching and learning could enable them to get the most from their learning. My teaching, from undergraduate through to doctoral study, has been closely related to my research and evaluation work undertaken with colleagues from the Researching Equity, Access and Participation (REAP) group.”

Since then, she has been involved in numerous roles, committees and working groups relating to equality, disability, inclusion, and widening participation - recently establishing the Inclusive Learning Network with Disability and Inclusion colleagues. Today, if you look up her profile on the Staff Directory, you will find that she currently holds not one but four positions: Director of REAP, Teaching Fellow, Training & Educational Development Advisor, and Course Consultant.

Reflecting on her varied career, Ann-Marie says, “I come from an academic department (Educational Research), but in my Educational Development role in HR, I’ve had the opportunity to work with Academic and Professional Services colleagues across the university to improve access to learning too.” It’s this holistic view of the university coupled with her breadth of experience which she hopes to consolidate as the new Dean for EDI – a position created in response to the recommendations of the Gender Pay Gap Task Group.

Ann-Marie commented that “I am extremely pleased to be offered this post because it feels to me to be a fruition of all my work so far. It’s going to allow me to draw on all the good ideas I’ve gained from people over the years, and take forward the things I feel are important - not just those that might appear to relate to me such as disability, gender, or age, but issues that connect across the entire equality agenda. I saw this new role as an opportunity to give back to the university and contribute to an agenda I consider important personally, institutionally and societally.”

When asked what work will come first when she takes up the new role, Ann-Marie demonstrates a considerate, collegiate approach: “We already have a highly committed EDI team, so one of the first things will be to establish my role in relation to the existing strategy of this team and its working practices. I need to identify how I will plug in to their way of working, so that we can work well together.”

So how does Ann-Marie feel about becoming the university’s inaugural Dean for EDI?

“I am looking forward to it. I think this will be an exciting, challenging adventure! This role will be a fruition of all my work, and a chance to explore new ideas. I will never stop learning. Speaking of which, I should get back to my reading group…”