Meet the team

Maggie Kalnins

Maggie Kalnins became the leader of governance services after an extensive career as a science teacher and school leader within complex urban secondary schools. Maggie provides strategic advice and support to Chairs of governors and school leaders, across a mixed economy of maintained and academy schools. She has developed an Hackney governance system review and risk assessment to support school boards in developing their effectiveness and also leads and delivers a comprehensive governance training programme and our popular and highly successful annual governors’ conference.

Maggie previously served as the CEO of an education charity which develops alternative models of learning. During this tenure, she introduced the term ‘pushed out’ to provoke a debate amongst practitioners focusing on the weaknesses in our education systems rather than the ‘abnormality’ of the individual child. Aware of the excuses used to explain student disengagement from mainstream education, in 2015, Maggie commissioned the publication of ‘The alternative should not be inferior: What now for ‘pushed out’ learners?’, which called on schools and alternative providers to find innovative solutions that support England’s overlooked pupils.

Maggie has dedicated more than 20 years to serving as a school governor. For the past 15 years she has been a member of the Mossbourne Federation Governing Board in Hackney. With a clear understanding of how strong governance can play a crucial strategic role in supporting and challenging leaders to drive school improvements, Maggie offers knowledge and expertise on how governance can make an exceptional contribution to ensure that no child is left behind their peers.

Maggie Kalnins - Head of Governance Services - Maggie.Kalnins@hackney.gov.uk

Madalina Brockmann

Madalina Brockmann is a leading school governance specialist and author with over a decade of expertise in education complaints management, administrative law, and leadership development. As a progressive voice in the sector, she pioneered the modern Hackney Model Complaints Procedure 2026 - the first of its kind to integrate triage filters to protect school capacity while preserving parental access to natural justice.

Beyond procedural design, Madalina is a trusted advisor to senior school executives and boards. She spearheaded the design and delivery of a cutting-edge governor training programme focused strictly on driving strategic, ethical leadership. Grounded in systemic equity and robust stakeholder engagement, her frameworks equip contemporary leaders to confidently navigate complex socio-political landscapes, manage institutional risk, and foster inclusive educational environments.

Donna Knight-Olds

Donna is a governance professional who brings experience both from educational settings and local authorities. Her earlier work within local government Democratic Services, including for London Borough of Hackney, involved supporting elected Councillors and minuting formal meetings. In addition, she has years of experience supporting school Governing Bodies (primary and secondary, mainly academies) directly as a Governance Professional and administrator. Her work with the Schools Team of the Diocese of St Albans offered her insights into the specific circumstances of Church schools.

Donna served as a co-opted Governor at her own children’s primary maintained school so she also understands the roles and responsibilities of a school Governor personally.

Donna is an advocate for the importance of strongly supported strategic governance as vital underpinning to the work done in schools to ensure the fulfilment of children’s potential.

Joanna Murray

Jo has worked in education settings for over 24 years. Since graduating in Media Communications, she has worked on various projects, ranging from company CPD to University recruitment within the UK and internationally. Jo is also a school governance clerk supporting several outer london schools and Hackneys SACRE.

Jo joined Hackney Education’s School Improvement Team in 2008 and has had varying roles. She is currently the Project Officer for Hackney’s literacy projects, Destination Reader, Daily Supported Reading and The Lit Programme, The Literacy programmes are used by schools across the UK, China and Denmark and at times funded by the SSIF/EEF. Jo also provides administration support for our School Governance team. She works with colleagues across all areas to ensure a high level of support across all aspects of the programmes and services.

Jake Rubin

Jake is a Governance Officer at Hackney Education with over three years of experience supporting the borough’s leadership networks. Jake facilitates the Hackney Education Governors Forum and the regular Chair of Governors updates, ensuring clear communication to governing bodies. 

Having previously supported both primary and secondary headteacher forums, Jake also works closely with schools to enhance their wraparound care, helping them develop high-quality before and after-school provision.