Review of higher education in Wales: members
Members of the review of higher education in Wales advisory body.
In this page
Chair
Professor Patrick Prendergast
Professor Patrick Prendergast, FREng, is Chancellor and Chair of the Governing Body of South East Technological University (SETU), Ireland, and was President/Provost of Trinity College Dublin from 2011 to 2021.
At Trinity, he led major work on partnerships, research, innovation and fundraising, including a €400m campaign. He previously held senior academic leadership roles, published over 250 papers, served on the European Institute of Innovation and Technology Governing Board, and currently chairs or co-chairs several cultural and research initiatives.
Members
Dame Nicola Dandridge
Dame Nicola Dandridge is a visiting fellow at the University of Bristol and at the London School of Economics, researching higher education policy and governance. She is also chair of the Council for At Risk Academics. From 2024 to 2026 she was a senior fellow at the M-RCBG Centre at Harvard Kennedy School, and until 2022 was the first chief executive of the Office for Students, the regulator for higher education in England. Before that she led Universities UK, the representative body for the UK’s universities. She first joined the higher education sector in 2006 as chief executive of the Equality Challenge Unit, established to promote equality and diversity for staff and students in the higher education sector. Nicola originally qualified as a solicitor in both England and Scotland, specialising in equality and discrimination law.
Dr Joe Marshall
Dr Joe Marshall leads the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) an organisation dedicated to unlocking UK’s collaborative potential. Working at the interface between industry, academia and governments – NCUB is an independent network that builds the national evidence base, convenes leaders and forms coalitions the enables organisations to act together.
Prior to joining the National Centre, Dr Marshall has worked in roles across government and university institutions. As an academic specialising in education policy and practice he worked with a number of international agencies including UNESCO, WHO and the European Parliament.
A researcher at the University of Manchester, he went onto hold senior lectureship positions at Liverpool Hope University and University of Worcester before working for UK Sport (the government agency for elite sport) and then the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Dr Dylan E. Jones
Dr Dylan E. Jones is an experienced educational leader who has held senior roles across schools, higher education and national education policy for more than three decades. He served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David from 2018 to 2024, leading institutional transformation, academic strategy, research development and partnership building across Wales and beyond.
Before entering higher education, Dr Jones had a distinguished career in Welsh-medium education as a headteacher of secondary and all-age schools, receiving a Distinction in the Wales Teaching Awards. Throughout his career, he has made a significant contribution to education reform in Wales, advising the Welsh Government on curriculum development, qualifications, leadership and school improvement. Since leaving UWTSD, he has continued to support national initiatives, including leading the Welsh Government's review of education partners and serving as Chair of Dysgu, Wales' national professional learning body.
Maike Halterbeck
Maike Halterbeck is a Partner at London Economics and co-head of the Education and Labour Markets Practice. She specialises in the economics of education, with particular expertise in higher education funding and student support systems.
Maike has led numerous analyses of higher education funding arrangements in Wales, across the UK and in Ireland. Her work has informed policymakers, universities and sector organisations, including the Welsh Government, UK Government, political parties, university mission groups, unions, think tanks, charities, further education organisations and the European Commission.
Her projects have included assessing the impact of the Augar Review of Higher Education Funding in England, analysing subsequent funding reforms and their implications for England and Wales, evaluating higher education manifesto commitments ahead of UK and Welsh elections, and examining the impact of the Office for National Statistics' review of the national accounting treatment of student loans.
Bethan Owen
Bethan Owen is a chartered accountant and former deputy and interim CEO of the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW). She oversaw the transition of HEFCW's staff and responsibilities to the new Commission for Tertiary Education and Research (Medr) and was an executive director at Medr in its formative year. Bethan has over 20 years experience of working with and regulating universities in Wales with a particular focus on governance, financial sustainability and risk management. She previously worked for PwC (and its predecessors) where she worked with public, charitable and private for-profit organisations as an auditor and advisor on various financial matters. Bethan is a school governor at a Welsh medium primary school, a charity trustee, and a member of the audit and risk committee for the Welsh Language Commissioner.
Dr Haydn E. Edwards
Dr Haydn E. Edwards is an independent educational consultant following a distinguished career in science, further education and educational leadership. After graduating in Chemistry from the University of Salford and completing a doctorate in radiation chemistry, he held research positions in the UK and USA before moving into educational management.
Haydn became Principal and Chief Executive of Coleg Pencraig and later Coleg Gwynedd, before leading their merger to create Coleg Menai. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Learned Society of Wales, Wrexham University and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, and is an honorary member of Gorsedd Cymru.
He has chaired several reviews for the Welsh Government and held a range of governance roles, including Trustee and Vice-President of Amgueddfa Cymru, Non-Executive Director with Estyn, and Chair of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. His interests include railway history, music and sport.
Louise Casella
Louise Casella is an experienced higher education leader and independent consultant with extensive experience across universities in Wales and the wider UK. She served as Director of The Open University in Wales from 2018 to 2023, leading significant growth in student numbers and expanding the university's reach across Wales. Before this, she was Pro Vice-Chancellor at Wrexham Glyndŵr University and spent 25 years at Cardiff University in senior planning, strategy and resource management roles, later serving on its Governing Council. In 2020, she chaired the Independent Review of A Level and GCSE awards in Wales following the cancellation of examinations during the Covid-19 pandemic. Louise has also held a number of non-executive roles, bringing valuable expertise in governance, strategy and organisational leadership.