College Officers

The College Officers are the Principal, the Warden of Cranmer Hall, the Vice Principal, and the Finance & Operations Director. 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

Principal – Revd Professor David Wilkinson

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. 

Vice Principal – Dr Rebecca Bouveng

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). 

Finance & Operations Director – Chris Courtman

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.

Warden of Cranmer Hall – Revd Dr Philip Plyming

As Warden, Philip oversees the life of Cranmer Hall, training men and women for leadership in the local church. Philip teaches leadership and New Testament and has also written on Harry Potter.