Ellen is Adjunct Professor to the School of Law at the University of Limerick. She was the CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre for 10 years between 2006-2016. Previously she worked as a Psychotherapist for 24 years and was the first female President of the Irish Council for Psychotherapy. She is currently a member of the Board of Gaisce, The President’s Award, and is Chairperson of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Legal Aid Board. For 22 years she has been Director of the Annual Bard Summer School Clare Island, Co. Mayo.
Sheila has been a nurse for over 35 years and has been actively involved in the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation for a number of years, holding the office of President from 2008-2012 where she represented members locally, nationally and internationally. Sheila shares the vision of NWCI as a committed and active feminist and currently holds the position of Deputy Chairperson. Sheila is a Peace Commissioner, a member of the Killarney Marketing & Twinning Committee and a founding member of the Killarney Women’s Network for Training & Empowerment (KWOTE).
Sarah is the CEO of Ruhama, the NGO working nationally with women affected by prostitution including victims of sex trafficking providing a broad holistic range of services, including exiting supports, on a free, confidential non-judgmental basis. Previously Sarah managed the National Domestic Violence Helpline with Women's Aid. She has extensive experience of work in the community and voluntary sector both in Ireland and abroad. Sarah is currently also the Chairperson of CAP International, an international network of frontline organisations working in the field of prostitution/human trafficking.
Olwen Dawe is a past President and National Executive Officer of Network Ireland, she chairs the National Campaign for the Arts (NCFA)’s Policy Committee and is a Board member of CoisCéim Dance Theatre. A Policy Analyst and Consultant, Olwen advises the public and private sector predominantly on gender equality and diversity, she is currently completing an MEconScience with the Institute of Public Administration at UCD, on advocacy and public policy decision-making.
In addition to working as Campaigns and Advocacy Officer with the Immigrant Council of Ireland, Catríona is Communications Officer with the Children's Rights Alliance and acts as liaison for the ‘Turn Off the Red Light’ campaign. She is a member of the Executive Board of the National Women's Council of Ireland and is an Outreach Volunteer with Ruhama, an organisation supporting women affected by prostitution. Catríona is passionate about gender equality and combating exploitation in the sex trade, and believes feminism must always be intersectional.
Suzanna has been a long-time activist with the trade union movement and has been recognised for her role in championing women’s rights . Suzanna serves on the Public Administration and Community Division in SIPTU, on the SIPTU Equality Committee and also represents the union on the ICTU Women’s Committee.
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Miriam has over 14 years experience working in the area of women’s human rights in the community sector in a voluntary and professional capacity. She is National Co-Ordinator of the NCCWN which manages and delivers a Women's Equality & Development Programme through its 17 locally based Women's Community Development Projects throughout Ireland. The main aims of the NCCWCN are to help to address poverty, social exclusion and gender inequality experienced by women and to give a voice to community women at local and national level.
Louise Lovett BA Mgmt. (Hons) is the CEO of Longford Women's Link (LWL), a rural NGO which employs 110 staff. Prior to joining LWL, Louise gained extensive experience working in the corporate sector for 27 years, with 5 years in executive management. Louise is Chairperson of Longford County Childcare Committee (LCCC). She is also member of the Midlands Regional Joint Consultative Housing Forum (MRJHCF), the Longford Westmeath Children & Young People's Services Committee (CYPSC) and of Longford County Council's Socio Economic Strategic Policy Committee.
Rosaleen is a long time human rights activist particularly on issues affecting Travellers, Roma, women and people with disabilities. Rosaleen has built her feminist analysis and career from her subjective experiences as a Traveller woman and a woman with a disability. She has worked in Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre for ten years where she jointly managed the Violence against Women programme. She is a playwright and a regular contributor to The Irish Times writing from the perspective of a Traveller feminist. She is currently a PhD candidate in Northumbria University.
Nuala, a dedicated feminist and a long-standing member of NWCI, represented the Irish Federation of University Women for ten years. She has a special interest in European affairs and has been the Irish representative on the European Network of Women (ENOW) and the board of the European Women’s Lobby in Brussels. Currently she is Chairperson of a Prison Visiting Committee. Nuala’s work reflects her concerns regarding women’s social exclusion and her commitment to the importance of education in women’s lives.
Pauline is the founder of DigiWomen, an organisation that promotes and shares the work of women makers and users of technology. DigiWomen are part of the IBM Global Entrepreneur Programme and are working on providing realtime analytics on women in STEM. She is also the owner of Social Zavvy, a digital marketing company, and an integral part of Pauline’s work is lecturing with Dublin Business School. As a member of the Smart Dublin Network Advisory team, DigiWomen aims to provide linkage and collaboration opportunities for solving city challenges and improving city life for all women using smart technologies.