Meet the Team
CMVES Team
The College of Military Veterans and Emergency Services (CMVES) is overseen by a steering group whose members represent the military, academia, 42 Brigade Headquarters North West (HQNW) and the CMVES project team. Everyone involved in CMVES has strong ties to the military and expertise in helping ex-service personnel make a successful transition to civilian life.
Rebecca Steel
Director of the College for Military Veterans and Emergency Services
Rebecca Steel is the Director of the College for Military Veterans and Emergency Services based at the University of Lancashire, she has led the programme of transition and engagement for the armed forces community for the past four years. Rebecca is a strong advocate for education as a pathway to transition.
In addition, Rebecca is from a military family with three service children of her own. Rebecca’s research portfolio involves several studies and focusses on the impact of military mobility/transition on education and the future trajectories of families engaged with military service. Rebecca’s research employs participatory and mixed methodologies to explore themes around education, learning, and employment to ensure a level playing field and sense of agency for those hidden voices of the military community who are seldom heard.
Rebecca is currently leading research on identifying the needs of service young people, veterans, and spouses in Further and Higher Education.
Rebecca is a member of the Service Children’s Progression (SCiP) Alliance Management Group, chairs the North West’s SCiP Hub, a founder member of Lancashire Armed Forces Covenant Hub and is involved in several active research programmes locally, nationally and internationally.
Affiliation: The University of Lancashire
Contact: RSteel@Lancashire.ac.uk
Dr. John Goulding
Engagement Officer
I am a former military service member, having served with the RAF Police before transitioning to higher education. During my military career, I was stationed at RAF Halton, Brize Norton, and Shawbury, and I undertook tours to locations including the Falkland Islands, the USA, and the Former Yugoslavia. Additionally, I was deployed in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, where I served as an Air Transport Security (ATSy) Specialist.
Whilst serving in the RAF, I began coaching the Oxford University Varsity rugby league team. This experience made me realise that higher education opportunities were available for someone like me, which led me to enrol at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) for an undergraduate program in sport development. One of my lecturers was Dr. Gus Ryrie, LJMU’s Armed Forces Champion and a fellow veteran. This relationship further convinced me that I could follow a similar path to Dr. Ryrie and pursue a PhD, ultimately seeking a fulfilling career in education. I later continued my studies at Chester, earning an MA in Education, and returned to LJMU to conduct my PhD research within the School of Education. My thesis, titled “Beyond Incarceration: A Phenomenological Study into the Educational Experiences of Veterans Who Have Been in Prison,” explores the experiences of veterans in the criminal justice system. I collaborated with Veterans HQ, Tom Harrison House in Liverpool, and Healthier Heroes in Burnley as part of this research. I am passionate about improving transition and access to education for the veteran community, particularly for those who have unexpectedly found themselves in the criminal justice system. I advocate for tailored support for military families, especially when children of serving personnel or veterans pursue university education. Reflecting on my own experiences, I acknowledge the challenges my children faced due to our transient lifestyle, having attended multiple schools because of my military postings. Many children of military personnel may also require additional support as they navigate university life. Currently, I represent the student body on LJMU’s Armed Forces Steering Group, working with staff to create better pathways for members of the Armed Forces community entering university.
Before joining the RAF, I served with Cheshire Police in the Northern Division of Widnes, Warrington and Runcorn.
I now join the staff of CMVES at the University of Lancashire as an engagement officer.
Anna Louise Bell
Lecturer in Adult Nursing/Registered Nurse/Former Military Nurse/Project Lead Education: A pathway to Wellbeing
A dedicated and resilient healthcare professional who overcame early challenges, leaving school at 15 with no qualifications and becoming a mother at 17 before returning to education and gaining the necessary qualifications to enter nursing. Training began at the University of Central Lancashire, followed by service in the Royal Air Force, progressing to Senior Non‑Commissioned Officer and leading a team of 20 healthcare staff.
Clinical experience includes Emergency Departments, Medical Assessment Units, and the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, along with deployment to Afghanistan, as an Aeromedical Evacuation Nurse. Successfully completed a BSc in Nursing Leadership during military service.
Post service, continued to work with the British Army at Catterick Garrison as a Registered nurse, supporting Infantry Recruits healthcare needs. Military relocated family to Gibraltar, worked clinically whilst undertaken MSc in Global Military Veterans and Families Studies. Dissertation research focused on the experiences of women veterans as spouses during the military‑to‑civilian transition. On returning to UK, commenced my career in Academia, further consolidated my role with successful completion of Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice & Fellowship in HEA. Current roles include lead for a military spouse project at CMVES, leadership for Year 3 Nursing Practice module, currently co-authoring on first article for publication (investigation serious incidents in healthcare with Alison Ellott & Prof Karen Wright) and teaching on a newly accredited Naval Assistant Practitioners course at DMG Whittington, drawing on extensive experience across military, educational and healthcare environments.
Dr. Celia Hynes
Co-Founder of the College for Military Veterans & Emergency Services
Dr Celia Hynes has over 40 years’ experience in the NHS and Education. Working with vulnerable groups she engaged in transition of military Service personnel and their families formally since 2005 and Co – Founder of the College for Military Veterans and Emergency services at the University of Lancashire which was established in 2015.
Prior to her retirement in 2023 Celia was the Director of CMVES leading the team at the University in a range of projects and working directly with those transitioning from service. She was a member of key strategic groups such as the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committee (VAPC) and local Armed Forces Covenant groups. Her knowledge of military service and those making transition to civilian life from the Armed Forces is extensive and she utilised her background as a health professional to establish good working relationships across a range of partnerships. Since retiring Celia continues to support the armed forces community through engagement in research and armed forces projects at the University of Salford. She also undertakes voluntary activity across several charities.