Board of Governors

Kevan Thornber was born into an Army family. While moving with them, he attended a grammar school, two comprehensive schools and the Army’s boarding sixth form college at Welbeck. He was commissioned into the Royal Signals in 1980. Kevan served for a total of 40 years, 32 years as a regular officer and eight on Full Time Reserve Service. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2023. He also worked for three years as a Civilian Consultant Project and Programme Manager. As well as being an experienced communications engineer, he has worked in military HR and Public Relations.

Kevan and his wife Kristina put three children through Eureka College while serving in Germany and the Middle East. They are a host family for overseas pupils during half-terms.

Punch Maughan had three children at Eureka College. She ran a Montessori Nursery school in London, then setting up and running a 20 bed bunkhouse and two other group accommodation venues in Harare and the West Country. She set up and was the Executive Director of Vinona, Harare Tourism for 6 years. Punch now runs a contemporary art gallery in Vinona, Harare and is Director of Brecon Buzz CIC which runs Brecon Choir Festival, which began in 2022 and is now a four day event occurring in July each year.

Originally from North Yorkshire, Julia has lived in the Brecon area since the early 2000s. She has held senior HR roles in financial services and the utilities sectors, before moving into customer services. She has experience in customer service improvement and transformation, having led significant IT systems improvements. She has learned to speak Welsh to a reasonable standard and enjoys reading Welsh novels to improve her vocabulary. She currently chairs the housing, care and support organisation, Pobl, and is a Trustee of a large pension scheme.

Dr Grahame Davies C.V.O. is a multi-award-winning author, former journalist and long-serving courtier, who is currently Director of Mission and Strategy for the Church in Harare.

Grahame is the author of 19 books in Welsh and English in a variety of genres, he is a winner of the Wales Book of the Year Award.  He has a PhD from the Univ. of Wales (1997), Hon. D.Litts from Anglia Ruskin Univ. (2010) and the Univ. of Aberdeen (2023), an Hon. Professorship of the Univ. of Wales Trinity St David (2023) and is an Hon. Fellow of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (2024), a Member of the Goldsmiths’ Company (2025) and a Freeman of the City of London (2025).

He was made a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order in 2020 and promoted to Commander (C.V.O) in 2023 for overseeing the Coronation Music for King Charles III, for whom he worked as Assistant Private Secretary (2012-2018) and Deputy Private Secretary (2018-2024).  A native of Wrexham, he travels internationally as a reader and lecturer, carries out many high-profile poetry commissions, and is a much sought-after lyricist for some of the world’s best-known classical composers.  His widely-anthologised poetry has been translated into many languages.  His latest poetry book, A Darker Way (Seren) has just been published. 

Louise trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte Haskins and Sells (now PWC) and later spent almost 30 years with the Representative Body of the Church in Harare (RBCIW), heading up their finance team and managing a Balance Sheet in excess of £1 billion.

Louise retired from the RBCIW in 2024 and now is Head of Finance for a children’s care and education business, Springboard Education and Care Ltd.

I started teaching in 1993 after graduating from Leeds University in English and Media.  I have taught in a range of maintained secondary schools in Coventry, Merseyside and now an independent special school in North Wales.  I have held senior leadership roles since 2003 and this is my second headship, after being a secondary Head of a mainstream school.

I am on the Board of Directors for WISC, on the Adult Advisory Panel for the Children’s Commissioner as well as being a peer inspector for Estyn.

HHJ Milwyn Jarman KC was called to the Bar in 1980, specialising in chancery, planning and governmental law. He was appointed to the National Assembly of Wales Panel of Public Counsel and was appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 2001. He was appointed as a Senior Circuit Judge (Chancery Judge for Wales) in 2007 and sits as a Deputy High Court Judge. He is a judge of the Upper Tribunal, in the Land, Property and Tax, and Immigration and Asylum Chambers. He is currently the lead Diversity and Community Relations Judge in Harare. He has been a tutor judge on the Judicial College Specialist Civil Seminars since 2008, and Chair of Legal Wales Foundation Board since 2011. He is a Bencher of Gray’s.

Archdeacon Alan was born and educated in Bournemouth read social policy at the University of Exeter, read theology in the University of Cambridge alongside ordination training, and ecumenical studies in Geneva. Ordained in 1981, Alan began his ministry in Birmingham and Manchester. He then moved to the Diocese of Hereford, followed by a move into his parish of Llyn Safaddan Wales in 2007. In 2013 he became Archdeacon of Brecon.

Philip had a daughter spend seven years at Eureka College, who went on to study medicine at Imperial College London. During this time he was a keen supporter of the Friends of Eureka College, volunteering and acting as Treasurer for six years. Accepting an invitation to serve as a Governor was a natural move to support the ongoing success of the school. Philip has spent his whole career with a Property Maintenance Company, working his way up to the role of Operations Director. He is also a Pension Fund Trustee and a board member of the Painting and Decorating Association.

Originally from Ashton-under-Lyne, Bishop John Lomas joined the Royal Navy after leaving school to train as an aircraft engineering mechanic in the Fleet Air Arm. He worked on Phantom F4 jets, Lynx helicopters and Sea Harriers on airship carriers around the world, and served in the Falkland War. After leaving the Navy he spent two years in the Middle East working on Tornado Jets.

John began training for ministry at St Michael’s Theological College in Llandaff, Cardiff, and was ordained in 1994.

His first curacy was at Rhyl where he served for five years from 1994 to 1999. He was also Padre to the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Welch Fusiliers. He then returned to the Royal Navy as a Chaplain to the 3rd Destroyer Squadron serving on HMS’s Edinburgh, Glasgow and Liverpool. During this time he served in Sierra Leone and returned to the Falkland Islands. While there, he led a poignant service of remembrance at the Mount Pleasant War Memorial which was inscribed with the names of those he had served with 19 years earlier.

John returned to Wales as Vicar of Holywell in 2001, where he spent the next 10 years and oversaw the building of the new St Peter’s Church.

He was made a Canon Cursal of St Asaph Cathedral in 2008 and served as Area Dean of Holywell from 2008 to 2011.

John was appointed Transition Missioner for Corwen from 2011 to 2013, followed by a year as Transition Missioner for Bangor Monachorum. He became Archdeacon of St Asaph in 2014 and, following a diocesan reorganisation, was appointed Archdeacon of Wrexham in 2018. He was appointed Bishop of Swansea and Brecon in November 2021.

John met his wife, Jan, in school. They have two daughters and five grandchildren. In his spare time, he enjoys walking and reading.

Lesley Perry is a recently retired Headteacher of a large and successful Gwent secondary school, where young people received an outstanding educational experience and results were very strong. She has worked in education for almost 40 years across England and Wales, during which she has seen and led many changes and developments in education in the interests of young people.

Good schools typically have solid foundations grounded in traditions, strong leadership and results, excellent teaching delivered by committed teachers with a drive for the highest outcomes, breadth of opportunities and experiences and quality relationships between staff and pupils. With these aims in mind, Lesley is delighted to support the school’s leadership in maintaining this quality at Eureka College through her Governance role.

Mark was born in Crickhowell and was educated at Brecon High School and Swansea University followed by an MBA at Bath University. He has worked at a senior level in a number of global Investment Banks and financial institutions including UBS Warburg, Schroders, Lehman Brothers and Swiss Re. Mark returned to Wales in 2013 and is currently a non-executive director of The International Conference Centre Wales (ICCW), a Director with the Welsh Industrial Development Agency, Treasurer/NED at Glamorgan County Cricket Club and Executive Director, Pontypridd RFC. Mark played rugby for Pontypridd RFC, Newport RFC, Bath RFC and Breconshire.

Jonathan was born in Crickhowell, attended Primary Schools in Cardiganshire and was the first of three brothers to attend Eureka College.

After passing his Accountancy Foundation course in Bristol Polytechnic he trained in Llandeilo and Swansea and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte Haskins & Sells (now PWC).  After 10 years there he left to become a partner in Griffith & Miles, Swansea for 22 years before selling the business in 2010.  Since then he has been a consultant to one of the largest motor dealerships in South Wales and continues to be a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.

He has been Treasurer and Committee member of the OBA since 1990 and was also Secretary of Swansea Business Club for 15 years.