Ann, who was born in Manchester, is a former Principal and Chief Executive of Milton Keynes College. Since 1986, when she came to the city to take up that post, she has made her home in Milton Keynes and was recently commissioned by the Queen to serve as Deputy Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire. Ann was appointed as a member of the Milton Keynes Partnership Committee when it was established in June 2004 and took over as independent Chair in April 2008.
“I loved Milton Keynes from the moment I set eyes on the new city all those years ago” said Ann, “and I try to champion our community’s vision, dynamism, partnership working and entrepreneurial spirit in all I do. That my passion and endeavours should be acknowledged by an honour is a wonderful way to mark twenty-five years here. I have hugely enjoyed my work as Chair of Milton Keynes Partnership and greatly valued the support given me by colleagues, the business community, Milton Keynes Council and the Homes and Communities Agency. Now that Milton Keynes Partnership’s role is fulfilled and we move into the next phase of city development and recognition, I am optimistic that the Council will take Milton Keynes forward in a positive and creative way.”
Commenting on Ann’s honour, Conservative Leader of Milton Keynes Council, Councillor Andrew Geary said, “I am delighted that Ann has been acknowledged in this way. She is an enthusiastic ambassador for our city and plays a key role in helping Milton Keynes receive the recognition we deserve nationally and internationally. She led both Milton Keynes Partnership and our World Cup football bid with integrity, transparency and commitment and we look forward to her continuing involvement in the building of our community.”
Ann, who lives in Stony Stratford, is not planning to put her feet up! An avid supporter of MK Dons and the work of its Sports and Education Trust, she is a keen advocate that Milton Keynes should develop into a world-renowned international sporting city. With the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee to celebrate next year, she hopes that 2012 in Milton Keynes will be a year that focuses on the city’s strengths in the related areas of sport, arts and health.
Through her wide range of roles from Chair of Destination Milton Keynes, the city’s official tourism body, Chair of Milton Keynes IF2012, the city’s highly acclaimed international arts festival, Chair of Milton Keynes Arts for Health, Chair of the Higher Education Board UCMK and first Patron of the Women & Work Group to her business activities as a Non Executive Director of successful Milton Keynes companies DRS plc, Skills2Learn and BriteYellow, and the long established MK-based National Energy Foundation, Ann will continue to champion Milton Keynes as one of the greenest, diverse, and culturally vibrant places in the UK to live, work, visit and invest.
