Our Structure

The College Officers are the Principal, the Vice Principal, the Warden of Cranmer Hall, and the Director of Finance and Operations. They comprise our College’s senior management team, reporting to our College Council and its sub-committees, and work to sustain the ethos of our College, fulfil its mission and implement its strategy.

Meet the team

Revd Professor David Wilkinson, Principal (Outgoing)

David Wilkinson is the Principal of St John’s College and Professor in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University. The role of the Principal is to lead the College and develop St John’s as a distinctive academic community. David’s background is research in theoretical astrophysics, where his Durham PhD was in the study of star formation, the chemical evolution of galaxies and terrestrial mass extinctions such as the event which wiped out the dinosaurs. He currently leads the ECLAS research project on science, faith and Christian leadership.

Dr Rebecca Bouveng, Vice Principal

Rebecca’s role as Vice Principal is to foster a positive environment for college social life and wider learning and promote student wellbeing and personal development. Her team looks after the whole student journey from when you think about applying (recruitment and admissions), to current students (student support, accommodation, social and academic life) through to keeping graduates engaged in college (alumni relations and development).

Chris Courtman, Finance and Operations Director

As Finance & Operations Director, Chris is responsible for the financial management and operational sustainability of the College, human resources, compliance and risk management. Chris manages the Catering, Housekeeping, Finance and Maintenance teams. It’s his job to oversee the health and safety of staff and students, including critical incident planning, and business resilience.

Revd Dr Philip Plyming, Warden of Cranmer Hall