Chair/Vice Chair

Janet Orchard

At a career stage when I am looking to take on new and different leadership responsibility, I wish to shift focus from being an institutional leader to that of an esteemed learned society, in a field to which I have been committed for nearly 30 years. Rooted personally in the analytical tradition, through a formative period at the IOE, completing my PhD under the supervision of John White, since 2010 I have developed my philosophical thinking within the world leading Comparative International Research in Education Centre (CIRE) in the School of Education at Bristol. This, combined with opportunities to travel widely, have led to engagement with and interests in philosophical perspectives and traditions outside Europe/ North America.

As a citizen of PESGB, I have served continuously on the Development Committee for over 20 years, similarly the IMPACT Editorial Board. I have served on the Oxford Conference Committee as a reviewer and co-led 2 local PESGB branches. I ran the PESGB Teacher Education initiative for a decade, establishing conference bursaries for teachers, Philosophy for Teachers (P4T), and the Philosophical Perspectives on the Future of Teacher Education seminar series. This culminated in an edited book (by Ruth Heilbronn and Lorraine Foremen-Peck, 2015) and an IMPACT pamphlet co-authored with Chris Winch, which continues to be cited widely. I served previously on the PESGB Executive for 10 years before stepping down to explore other professional opportunities.

I am an Associate Professor (Reader) in the School of Education at the University of Bristol. I have worked there since 2010, following previous employment at Oxford and the Institute of Education, UCL.  My philosophical approach to work on teaching and ethics is well known in the field internationally, collaborating with philosophers of education in Europe, South Africa, North America, Hong Kong, Taiwan, New Zealand and Australia. I have good institutional links with PES, PESA and INPE. I was recently appointed to the Editorial Board of Studies in Philosophy and Education having served previously on Educational Theory.

I have extended relevant leadership experience, for example in my 6th consecutive year on the Senior Leadership Team in the School of Education. I also influence PGR policy and practice at Bristol university through working party membership and committees. For the past 5 years I have served on the Journal of Moral Education Trust (JMET), also serving on the Executive of the Association of Moral Education (AME) and the Editorial Board of the Journal of Moral Education.

My first priority, should I be elected, would be to consolidate and build on the excellent work undertaken by the current Trustees to re-set the constitution of the PESGB after a period of turbulence. As my international links indicate, were members to honour me with their support, I will also look for opportunities to negotiate incremental changes to custom and practice where clear opportunities to do so present themselves and foster inclusion of the rich and valuable interests and commitments to philosophy of education across the PESGB as an organisation.

Qasir Shah

As the oldest philosophy of education society, PESGB has a strong tradition of rigorous scholarship, intellectual pluralism, and collegial debate. Founded in the post-war period and shaped by figures such as R. S. Peters, the Society helped establish philosophy of education as a field concerned with conceptual clarity, moral reasoning, and the ethical responsibilities of education in democratic societies. This history gives the Society not only authority but also responsibility.

PESGB itself emerged in the shadow of early twentieth-century catastrophes, when the dangers of ideological distortion and unexamined authority were painfully clear. That origin continues to place a responsibility on the Society today. It reminds us that philosophy of education matters most when public reasoning is under strain.

PESGB now works amid political polarisation, contested standards of truth and judgment, and the growing influence of misinformation and artificial intelligence on public reasoning. These conditions sharpen the responsibilities of the Chair: to protect serious inquiry, support principled disagreement, and sustain a trusted intellectual space.

They also shape the Society’s priorities. Cross-cultural partnerships with sister societies are therefore essential. As Chair, I will strengthen conferences, publications, and seminars as forums for serious philosophical engagement across traditions, disciplines, and educational contexts—places where disagreement can be argued, tested, and refined with mutual respect. While PESGB is international in membership and reach, its intellectual culture remains largely Anglo-European. I see this not as a failure, but as an opportunity to extend pluralism through sustained comparative and intercultural engagement. My own work here includes the co-founding of Philosophy of Education Sans Frontiers, alongside long-standing engagement with East Asian philosophical traditions.

Like many long-established learned societies, PESGB faces the challenge of balancing a strong internal culture with the need to remain outward-looking and intellectually open. As Chair, I will approach this balance with care—valuing collegiality while encouraging generous, critical exchange.

The Society’s vitality depends on an engaged membership. As Chair, I will endeavour PESGB remains intellectually compelling, inclusive across career stages, and responsive to the pressures facing educators in politicised environments.

I have been a member of PESGB since 2014 and a teacher for over twenty-five years, with direct experience of the Society’s core activities and governance. My academic work spans philosophy of education, citizenship education, and comparative and intercultural philosophy. I lead the MA Citizenship programme at UCL and developed and lead the UK’s first postgraduate module in East Asian Philosophies of Education. I have served the Society as a conference student helper, peer reviewer, elected Executive member, and member of the Large Grants and Inclusion Committees.

As Chair, I will respect PESGB’s institutional history and provide careful, collegial stewardship, while leading with intellectual ambition and clear purpose. I will protect philosophical standards, support a plural intellectual culture, and strengthen international engagement, ensuring PESGB remains a place where difficult educational questions can be addressed with integrity and mutual respect.

If this vision resonates with you, I would be grateful for your support.

Secretary

Michael Hand

I’m pleased to accept my nomination for the elected office of PESGB Secretary.

I have served the Society in a range of capacities over the last 25 years. I have held the elected offices of Chair (2020-24), Vice-Chair (2019-20, 2024-26), Secretary (2007-13) and Conference Organiser (2004-07), and completed a ten-year term as IMPACT Editor (2013-23). I am Secretary of the PESGB Birmingham branch, where I have organised and hosted monthly research seminars since 2012. I am a member of the JOPE Editorial Board and publish regularly in the journal.

My reason for standing in this election is simple. Over the last three years I have led the Society through its transition from an unincorporated charitable association to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). I have worked closely with the Society’s solicitors in drawing up our new constitution and governance structure. I have consulted with, and provided detailed reports to, the trustees and the membership throughout the process. Incorporation has put the Society on a much stronger legal footing, by limiting the liability of trustees and members and by addressing some troubling ambiguities in our previous constitution. But it has also involved extensive changes to our governance structure and ways of working that will need to be closely monitored, and perhaps further adjusted, in the years ahead. I believe that I am uniquely well qualified to guide and support the Board of Trustees in navigating these challenges, and I would very much like the opportunity to do so.

Because I have previously served as PESGB Secretary, I have a good understanding of the requirements of the role. I have a proven track record of managing the Society’s meetings, records and correspondence. In my earlier stint as Secretary, I was principally responsible for designing and launching our highly successful Large Grants Scheme, which builds capacity in the UK philosophy of education community by funding doctoral studentships, seminar series and seedcorn activities.

I would be grateful for your vote.

Additional Elected Member

Alison Brady

As a long-standing member of the Society, I have actively contributed to PESGB across multiple roles and would welcome the opportunity to continue doing so in this new capacity.

I began working with the PESGB London Branch way back in 2015 after I had just started my PhD, and served as the London Branch Secretary until 2025, where I focused much of my energy on getting our attendance back to pre-pandemic levels, and on ensuring our activities cater to established academics (both institutionally-affiliated and independent) as well as post-graduate and under-graduate students and practitioners. Since 2022, I have served on the Large Grants Committee, where I like to think that I have been able to support the rich diversity of scholarly work being done in philosophy of education. I have also been part of the review committee for the PESGB Annual Conference every year since 2018, and I served a term as an Elected Member of the PESGB Executive Committee from 2016–2019. I am also a regular reviewer for the society’s Journal for Philosophy of Education.

As Additional Elected Trustee, I am committed to listening to and representing the wider PESGB community, and I approach the role primarily with two main ambitions: firstly, with the intention of encouraging a rich diversity of theoretical approaches and areas of scholarship by ensuring that, as a society, we continue to take and welcome a more international outlook; and secondly, in advocating for those in the early stages of their academic and educational journeys, with a sensitivity to challenges within our wider sector.

Indeed, I firmly believe that, as a society, we should continue to celebrate our vibrant international community, something that is particularly important in the post-Brexit era and in the current state of global politics. It is undoubtedly the case that my own continued involvement with international communities has enriched my thinking, writing and understanding in immeasurable ways. As an Elected Trustee, I will seek to further incentivise such kinds of collaborations by re-establishing our wider networks through an equitable distribution of our resources. I will seek to forge even stronger links with existing philosophy of education communities worldwide, including PES, ECER, PESGB, PESA, and INPE, among others, and in doing so, promote a diverse, inclusive, and intellectually rich community for all our members.

Secondly, I will ensure that we are a society that caters to its future researchers. This means, for instance, supporting early-stage researchers and PGRs in navigating some of the challenges associated with university life today. As someone who is keenly aware of the various inequities stemming from casualisation and the wider precarity of our sector, I am committed to advocating for such colleagues, to supporting them by facilitating collaborative spaces as well as rethinking our resource allocations as a society with this in mind.

It is no doubt the case that the role of philosophy is under threat in many ways and yet I believe it will become ever more important in the future. I will do my utmost in representing the interests of the wider society in light of these challenges, and I thank you in advance for your consideration!

Doret de Ruyter

After more than six years since my last period as elected member of the board of PESGB, I miss the close connection to the society that I had for almost fifteen years. I thought it wise to leave the board after a long period of membership to make way for a fresh wind. I still believe it was, but I also think that I have things to offer that could be beneficial to the organisation, so I have decided to put myself up for election.

What do I bring to the Society? People who know me or have served with me on the board or one of its committees know that I take such positions very seriously and take great responsibility. This could turn into taking oneself too seriously or becoming authoritarian, but I think it is fair to say that I am a serving leader, although certainly one who stands for what I think is good for the society and its members. 

What do I believe is good for the Society? There are three things that I believe to be essential. First, the society is at its best when there is variety in the membership – philosophers of various philosophical paradigms, young and old(er) members, members from around the world. Second, the society thrives on good philosophical discussions, but only if everyone has the opportunity to express their views and that they experience that they are heard and belong. This is not always easy when people have strong convictions based on their research and to which they are deeply attached. Third, the society flourishes through its many activities in the branches throughout the year, its magnificent journal and its exceptional conference. Many people are involved in organising these activities and they need to be cherished. The society is made by and the responsibility of all its members but needs a board to enable them to do so. It should therefore be exemplary in its composition and leadership.

I hope you will vote for me, and I promise that the eastern wind from continental Europe won’t be icy but brings warmth and a spirited enthusiasm to the board and the entire organization.

Dustin Webster

I feel fortunate to be part of the philosophy of education because of the strong and collegial community it offers. Even at this early stage of my career,  the relationships I have been able to build are ones I expect will sustain me throughout my professional life and, in many cases, beyond it. Contributing to the continued development and vitality of the philosophy of education community is very important to me, and it is this work that I hope to continue as an Additional Elected Member of the PESGB Board of Trustees. In the past, I have worked toward this goal as an executive committee member of the North American Association of Philosophy and Education (NAAPE) and member at large and then treasurer of the North Eastern Philosophy of Education Society–both comparable organizations in the United States to PESGB. In these roles, I helped to grow and strengthen these organizations, support members, and organize and run their annual conferences. I also helped to form the graduate student committee of the Philosophy of Education Society, and have served on the boards and/or committees of parallel organizations like the Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization, and the American Philosophical Association Committee on Pre-College Philosophy–both devoted to bringing philosophy out of the academy and into primary and secondary schools.

2025 was the first year I was able to attend the PESGB Annual Conference. I was so thoroughly and immediately impressed that I resolved to make it a regular part of my conference participation. As a newcomer last year, I was struck by how openly I was welcomed, the quality of the scholarship I encountered and the conversations I had, and, frankly, how simply fun the conference was. Since then, I have already been an ambassador for PESGB, encouraging any colleagues that I can to attend, and I would be happy to serve PESGB in an official capacity.

I am currently a postdoctoral research associate at the Institute for Social Concerns at the University of Notre Dame in the United States. I work mainly on a project called “Virtues and Vocations” which has the mission of bringing virtue and virtue cultivation into pre-professional and professional education. Prior to this, I was a post-doc at the University of Pennsylvania where I helped to run Penn’s Project for Philosophy for the Young, which brought philosophy into K-12 public schools in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Ultimately, I seek to join the PESGB Board because I believe deeply in the value of this community. I am excited by the prospect of contributing my time and energy to help sustain the welcoming and rigorous environment that I feel defines the Society. Thank you for considering my candidacy.