The Panel provides independent and effective challenge and assurance around integrity, standards and ethics of decision-making in policing.

As a collective members bring a wealth of knowledge and experience from a variety of different backgrounds and make a meaningful contribution and add value to the policing of South Yorkshire.

Ann Macaskill, Chair

Ann is Head of Research Ethics and Professor of Health Psychology at Sheffield Hallam University. She is a Registered Practitioner Health Psychologist with the Health Professions Council, UK, a qualified psychotherapist, and a principal fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.

Her research interests are in health and well-being, positive psychology and research methodology. She has published extensively having peer reviewed journal articles, book chapters, a widely used textbook on individual differences now in its third edition, and a self-help book on forgiveness.

Ann began her career in psychology at the University of Aberdeen studying for an MA and a PhD.  This was followed by a postdoctoral research post at the University of Edinburgh before returning to  lecture in Aberdeen, and then on to the MRC Applied Psychology Unit at the University of Sheffield. Ann set up the Psychology Department at Sheffield Hallam University. The British Psychological Society approved the degree in November 1992. She was Head of Department in psychology from 1991-2000, building up the department.  She became a Reader in Psychology in 2001, was awarded a Personal Chair in 2005 and became head of Research Ethics in 2004.

Ann is married to Norman, a psychiatrist, and they have two grown up children, Sean and Fiona.

Michael Lewis

Originally from Belfast, Michael trained as a secondary school teacher at the University of York after completing a degree in Modern Languages at Oxford.

He taught for 35 years in comprehensive schools in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Oxfordshire and finally in Sheffield, where, between 1988 and 2008, he was the Headteacher of King Edward VII School, a large, diverse 11-18 school, drawing its students from across the city of Sheffield.

In 2008 Michael was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters by the University of Sheffield.  He has lived in Sheffield since 1988.

Since retiring from teaching,  he has been involved in mainly voluntary activities, including becoming Chair of Governors (2010-2013) of an inner-city primary school, a trustee of a small-scale medical research charity, a member of the Community Justice Panel and working as an Independent Custody Visitor.

He serves as a member of the Professional Conduct Panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency and is also a Lay Member for the Employment Tribunal service.

Michael is married with two adult sons. His personal interests include music, travel and sport.

Janet Wheatley

Janet is Chief Executive of Voluntary Action Rotherham (VAR) supporting over 1400 Voluntary, Community groups, and 49,000+ volunteers in Rotherham. She was born and educated in Sheffield graduated from Warwick University with a BA Hons in History/ Sociology and a MA from Sheffield Hallam University in Sociology. She started her career working for the Department of Employment before spending a number of years working for an International Hotel Chain. She has also worked for a number of years in the NHS in a variety of management roles.

Her involvement with the Voluntary and Community Sector spans 30 years as a Chief Executive/ Volunteer and Trustee for a wide range of charities locally and nationally. She represents the voluntary and community sector on a number of Boards/ Strategic Advisory groups within Rotherham, regionally and nationally. She has been responsible since 2012 for developing a nationally acclaimed and NHS award winning Social Prescribing Service within Rotherham and has spoken nationally at numerous conferences and events on Social Prescribing.

Janet was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for South Yorkshire in 2016. She received a MBE for Services to the Community in Rotherham in 2017. She is married with 4 children and 2 grandchildren.

Mick Hood

For the last 20 years Mick has held several senior Human Resource positions working for companies such as British Steel, UES Steels, Corus, Tata and at present he is HR Director, Steel for Liberty House Group, a role he has held for the last three years.

Mick has experience in a number of non-executive roles including, a member of the Sheffield Hallam Business School advisory board, a member of the Stocksbridge Board for the submission of the Towns Fund Bid and a member of the MakeUK EMPOL Committee (advisory board to government policy and legislation change). Mick is also Chair of the Industry Advisory Board within the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), Sheffield Business School Advisory Board – Sheffield Hallam University and the Steel Valley Project.

Alice Raven

Alice is a researcher at the Centre of Excellence in Terrorism, Resilience, Intelligence and Organised Crime Research (CENTRIC) at Sheffield Hallam University. She has worked alongside multiple police forces across the UK as well as hosting and presenting at an Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) Workshop the principles, guidelines, laws and best practices of digital policing to security and law enforcement professionals.

Alice has undertaken a number of volunteering roles including being a Restorative Justice Panel Member at Rotherham Council, a Peer Mentor to refugees and disadvantaged students in education, as well as a Community Safety Officer at South Yorkshire Police.

Professor Elizabeth Smart

Elizabeth is Head of Law at Sheffield Hallam University. Previously Elizabeth was the national Deputy Director of Legal Practice Course Programmes at BPP University College and was part of the senior management team responsible for obtaining degree awarding powers for a private provider. Prior to this she worked at The University of Sheffield (1997-2003) as the LPC Director and taught criminal litigation and advanced criminal litigation together with all associated legal skills.

Elizabeth has sat on the Quality Assurance Sub-Committee for the Solicitors Regulation Authority and as an External Examiner for Liverpool John Moores University, Huddersfield University and Anglia Ruskin University. She is currently an External Examiner for the University of Law and is an External Moderator for Datalaw with responsibility for the Police Station and Magistrates Court Qualification. She carries out consultancy work for various police forces nationally training Active Defence principles and Courtroom Skills.

Sheila Wright (awaiting photo)

Sheila has worked in senior executive management positions across South Yorkshire, Humberside and Nottinghamshire including the position of Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Operations for Nottinghamshire Probation Trust.

She is a Non-Executive Director of Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and a former Non-Executive Director and Vice Chair of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, providers of Mental Health, Forensic and Physical Healthcare.

Sheila is also the current Chair of Age UK Nottingham and Nottinghamshire and an Independent Member of the Parole Board of England and Wales.   She is a mentor to Black and Minority ethnic university students and a member of a long established Community Group serving the African Caribbean population of South Yorkshire and surrounding Areas.