Erica Hiorns was a teacher for twenty-five years, of which eighteen were spent in schools throughout Leeds. As such, Erica is committed to the city and to the education of the children who live in the region.

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For the last eleven years of her teaching experience, Erica was a senior leader and gained skills and knowledge useful to a governing body. For the last three years she has been a school improvement adviser based at Leeds City Council, which involves working with senior teams to help schools raise attainment and provide better provision for their pupils.
 
Erica chose to become a governor because she wanted to learn more about the role of a governing body and because it offered the opportunity to work within an academy in Leeds rather than local authority schools. Erica also undertook some of teaching practice at Leeds City Academy when it was City of Leeds School, based in the city centre and has very fond memories of that time.
 
Erica believes Leeds City Academy is unlike any other school in the region, with pupils from a wide range of nationalities and backgrounds, making it both a challenging and fascinating place to be a governor.