Elizabeth Vallance, Baroness Vallance of Tummel, (née MacGonnigal; 8 April 1945 – 9 July 2020) was a British philosopher, magistrate and policy maker. She held non-executive roles on various boards, and was

High Sheriff of Greater London The office of high sheriff, as the monarch's representative in a county, is over 1,000 years old, with its establishment before the Norman Conquest. The office of high sheriff remained first in precedence in each county until the reign of Edward ...

in 2009.

Early life and education

Vallance was born to William Henderson MacGonnigal and Jean Brown Kirkwood. She studied philosophy at the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

. She moved to the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 milli ...

for her graduate studies, where she specialised in

political philosophy Political philosophy or political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships between them. Its topics include politics, ...

and graduated in 1968. She was a

Sloan Fellow The Sloan Fellows program is the world's first mid-career and senior career master's degree in general management and leadership. It was initially supported by a grant from Alfred P. Sloan, the late CEO of General Motors, to his alma mater, MI ...

at the

London Business School London Business School (LBS) is a business school and a constituent college of the federal University of London. LBS was founded in 1964 and awards post-graduate degrees (Master's degrees in management and finance, MBA and PhD). Its motto is " ...

. Her early research considered the role of women in society and the impact of women politicians on equality.

Career

Vallance started her career as a lecturer in philosophy at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

. She moved to

Queen Mary University of London , mottoeng = With united powers , established = 1785 – The London Hospital Medical College1843 – St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College1882 – Westfield College1887 – East London College/Queen Mary College , type = Public researc ...

, where she was promoted to Assistant Professor in Government and Politics from 1968. In 1985 she was promoted to Head of the Department of Politics, and was made an Honorary Fellow when she left in the early nineties. After leaving a full-time academic career, Vallance moved into the public sector, and was appointed Chairperson of

St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, formerly called St George's Healthcare NHS Trust, is based in Tooting in the London Borough of Wandsworth, and serves a population of 1.3 million across southwest London. A large numbe ...

. She would later become Chair of the children's charity I CAN, which looked to support children in developing their communication skills. In 2006 Vallance was appointed by

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of t ...

to the

Committee on Standards in Public Life The Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) is an advisory non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom Government, established by John Major in 1994 to advise the Prime Minister on ethical standards of public life. It promotes a code o ...

. In 2009 Vallance was appointed

. She was awarded an honorary doctorate in civil law from the

University of Kent , motto_lang = , mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...

in 2013. She was made Chairman of Governors for

Sutton Valence School Sutton Valence School (SVS) is an independent school near Maidstone in southeast England. It has 560 pupils. It is a co-educational day and boarding school. There are three senior boarding houses: Westminster, St Margaret's and Sutton. History ...

in 2016. Vallance was involved with various

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles Stress (biology), stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-maki ...

charities, serving as Chairperson of the Centre for Mental Health. the National Autism Project and YoungMinds. In this capacity she oversaw the development of the YoungMinds organisational strategy, helping to implement the response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

Select publications

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Personal life

In 1967 Vallance married Iain Vallance, Baron Vallance of Tummel, with whom she had two children. She died in July 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vallance, Elizabeth 1945 births 2020 deaths Alumni of the University of St Andrews Alumni of the London School of Economics Academics of Queen Mary University of London Women civil servants Mental health activists British baronesses Spouses of life peers Member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life