STUDENT TRUSTEE

Xenia Levantis is a mature student, studying part time for a master’s degree in Public Policy. Her research focuses on user-driven policy change and user-centred policy formulation practices.

Xenia is the Bristol Student Housing Cooperative Company Secretary and a member of the Uni of Bristol Labour Club.

Before returning to university Xenia worked in the higher education sector for five years. From 2016 to 2018 she served as President of the Norwich University of the Arts Students’ Union.

STUDENT TRUSTEE

Alex Dunn is a penultimate year Law student and Trustee of Bristol Student’s Union. During his first year, he was Secretary of Orchard Heights JCR, where he formed an interest in the important work of the Student’s Union. Alex continued his passion for the SU by successfully running for Vice President of the University of Bristol Law Club, one of the largest societies at the SU. 

In addition to his roles with the SU, Alex is Editor-in-Chief of Dicta, the University’s Law magazine. He also works with the University’s Student Recruitment team to run events for prospective students. 

Alex is passionate about ensuring the SU delivers on its commitment of the ‘best student life’ and ensuring students are heard by Senior Leaders – even on the most divisive issues. 

STUDENT TRUSTEE

Ellie Lamb is a third-year student studying Politics and International Relations, elected as a Student Trustee in 2022.

This followed her previously held committee roles for STAR and Amnesty International Society. During her time as Vice-President, she participated in both fundraising and raising awareness activities for multiple campaigns such as Let’s Talk About Yes and the Sanctuary Scholars Legal Fund. It was her involvement with the Sanctuary Scholars Legal fund since first year as well as an internship undertaken with a small Bristol-based charity that led to her application for the role of Student Trustee, along with an interest in the workings of student government and charitable causes within the SU. Ellie’s enthusiasm for fundraising and student democracy has been hugely influenced by the Sanctuary Scholars cause, with bridging the gap between student voices and the SU a large part of she applied for this role as well as supporting those from under-represented groups at the university.

Outside of her studies, she enjoys volunteering, socialising with friends and cooking.

STUDENT TRUSTEE

Tala Youhana is an incoming final year law student at the University of Bristol who was elected as a trustee and as the co-chair of the Bristol SU Board of Trustees for the 2022-2023 academic year.  

She was previously the elected Chair of the Volunteering and Fundraising Network in 2021-2022 and worked in that capacity to bring together student volunteering communities and lead fundraising campaigns for charities across Bristol, which led to her being awarded the Bristol SU Volunteering Award in June 2022. She was also the Careers Secretary for the Bristol Bar Society in 2021-2022, where she organised weekly events with legal professionals such as Dr. Tunde Okewale MBE and Dr. Felicity Gerry QC. Further to this, she is a Global Lounge Ambassador, a Bristol Futures Student Advocate, and has recently finalised her roles as a Careers Peer Support Assistant and a Peer Mentor. She has been involved in various volunteering projects such as Zero Gravity and Linkages, and has also helped coordinate Bristol Hub’s Climate Action Bristol programme in 2021-2022.  

Tala became a trustee to help maintain and promote the Union’s commitment to its charitable objectives and to key SU values such as EDI, community, and sustainability.  

CO-OPTED TRUSTEE

Noelle Rumball studied Philosophy and Mathematics at the University of Bristol (BA Hons 2003; MA 2005). She is currently Head of Data Assurance at Uniac, a company that provides internal audit for universities. This follows 10 years in Higher Education in a variety of senior roles.

She has led services of up to 100 people, cross-campus and cross-city. Before moving to HE, she defined and measured success for various public sector bodies and learned to wrangle Excel like nobody’s business.

In addition to her role at Bristol SU, Noelle is a Non-Executive Director at ACH (a refugee-focussed housing association with an education subsidiary). She is also a Trustee for Eastside Community Trust, the charity resulting from the merger of Easton Community Centre, Felix Road Adventure Playground, and Up Our Street.

CO-OPTED TRUSTEE

Rajnish Razdan is the Creative Director and MD of Riggs & Razdan, (an independent integrated advertising agency) and also a scriptwriter with Have I Got News For You. He started his career as a copywriter before becoming a board level Creative Director with various advertising agencies.

Rajnish has worked across both commercial and not-for-profit sectors, assisting the likes of BMW Motors, PayPal, Macmillan Cancer Care and Mencap with their comms. He also sits on the South West regional council for the (BIMA) British Interactive Media Association and part of Chaiwalleh, an new organisation focusing on helping S Asians develop their careers and skills across marketing and comms.

CO-OPTED TRUSTEE

Professor Chris Willmore is an Emeritus Professor of Sustainability and Law. She has been associated with the SU for 45 years as a student and then academic.

She met her husband in the Anson Rooms in 1975. She is barrister by background, and has experience as a trustee of various organisations, including the Gane Trust (an arts charity) and Britain Yearly Meeting (Quakers in Britain) and formerly bodies including the Bristol Old Vic.

She has served as a school governor, Council Leader and as chair of a range of projects including the award winning Armadillo Youth Facility.

She currently chairs a project rescuing and improving a sports facility serving an area of priority social need. She has led projects working with the SU and students which have won national and international awards, most particularly Student Capital, Green Capital which showed students’ role as innovative leaders of city transformation.

CO-OPTED TRUSTEE

Rae Tooth brings experience in higher education policy in particular around improving access, progression, and success for socially disadvantaged and underrepresented groups. She is an expert in effective evaluation of practice and outcomes, and in bringing together practice, policy, and academic discourse in relation to social justice. 

Rae is Chief Executive of Villiers Park Educational Trust, a charity that improves social justice working directly with educational institutions to improve their outreach, and influences Government policy. Rae is also a Governor of the University of Winchester. 

Rae's previous career spans two decades in the Civil Service leading work on higher education and equality. As Head of Strategy and Change at the Office for Fair Access she advised successive Cabinet Ministers on developing evidence led policy aimed at improving outcomes for disadvantaged and underrepresented students. 

She is a graduate of The University of Wales, Cardiff, and was elected Womens' Officer for NUS Wales.  

Rae is neurodivergant and grew up with disadvantage. She lives in Bristol where she is a lone parent to two children, they share their home with two cats and a dog. 

NOMINATED TRUSTEE

Professor Sarah Purdy is Pro Vice-Chancellor (Students) and the former Head of Bristol Medical School at University of Bristol. Sarah is also a Professor of Primary Care at the University of Bristol. Her research focuses on reducing the number of avoidable hospital admissions.

Sarah was appointed as Consultant Senior Lecturer in Bristol in October 2006 and became a Professor in 2014. Prior to coming to Bristol she worked at Hull York Medical School and the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Sarah has a MD from the University of London and a Masters in Public Health from Harvard School of Public Health. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal Colleges of Physicians of London and Edinburgh.

Sarah completed an executive education programme at INSEAD. She was a visiting fellow at Harvard University from 1995-1997. She works clinically as a general practitioner at Sea Mills Surgery in Bristol.