SARAH KAVANAGH
BA History and Politics 2000, MA Politics 2002
SARAH KAVANAGH
Sarah Kavanagh was appointed Deputy Director of the Human Rights Unit of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Septemb...
Public Policy and Service
PAUL O’BRIEN
BA Philosophy and Economics 1989
PAUL O’BRIEN
Paul O’Brien was appointed Executive Director of Amnesty International USA in April 2021. O’Brien joined the or...
EBUN JOSEPH
PhD 2016
EBUN JOSEPH
In July 2020, Dr Ebun Joseph published her book, Critical Race Theory and Inequality in the Labour Market: Racial St...
CIARA BYRNE
BA English and Philosophy 2006, HDip Business Studies 2007, MMgt 2009
CIARA BYRNE
In October 2020, Ciara Byrne became a member of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council. The purpose of the C...
JAMES O’HIGGINS NORMAN
HDip Education 1996
JAMES O’HIGGINS NORMAN
In February 2021, Professor James O’Higgins Norman led the establishment of Ireland’s first research observatory...
HELENA NOLAN
BA English and History 1989, MA Creative Writing 2008
HELENA NOLAN
In March 2021, it was announced that Helena Nolan, current Irish Ambassador to Belgium, would take up a new appoint...
DENISE CHARLTON
BSocSc 1984, MA Women’s Studies 2000
DENISE CHARLTON
Denise Charlton was appointed CEO of the Community Foundation for Ireland in July 2020. The organisation empowers t...
SHAUN KELLY
BComm 1980, Diploma in Professional Accounting 1981
SHAUN KELLY
In January 2021, Shaun Kelly was awarded an Honorary CBE by Her Majesty the Queen for services to economic developme...
SARAH KAVANAGH
BA History and Politics 2000, MA Politics 2002
Sarah Kavanagh was appointed Deputy Director of the Human Rights Unit of the Department of Foreign Affairs in September 2020. The unit is responsible for ensuring that human rights concerns are mainstreamed into all aspects of foreign policy. It works across government and with other units within the Department of Foreign Affairs to promote and protect human rights, particularly at the UN in Geneva and New York. Prior to this, Kavanagh was a Government Special Adviser.
PAUL O’BRIEN
BA Philosophy and Economics 1989
Paul O’Brien was appointed Executive Director of Amnesty International USA in April 2021. O’Brien joined the organisation from Oxfam. During the pandemic, he worked with Oxfam to change government policies, corporate practice and public opinion. In November 2020, he released a short book, Power Switch, How We Can Reverse Extreme Inequality.
EBUN JOSEPH
PhD 2016
In July 2020, Dr Ebun Joseph published her book, Critical Race Theory and Inequality in the Labour Market: Racial Stratification in Ireland. The book employs critical race theory to discuss the impact of racial stratification. Dr Joseph is a race relations consultant and Director of the Institute of Antiracism and Black Studies. In 2019, she launched the #NoToBrainWaste campaign, which highlights the barriers faced by under-employed and over-qualified migrants and Irish-born ethnic minorities.
CIARA BYRNE
BA English and Philosophy 2006, HDip Business Studies 2007, MMgt 2009
In October 2020, Ciara Byrne became a member of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council. The purpose of the Council is to advance a positive future for the media industry, with a focus on creating an economically sustainable, inclusive and thriving media ecosystem. Byrne is a director at global media company Condé Nast. She spoke at UCD’s Women in Leadership conference in February 2021.
JAMES O’HIGGINS NORMAN
HDip Education 1996
In February 2021, Professor James O’Higgins Norman led the establishment of Ireland’s first research observatory on cyberbullying at DCU. Professor O’Higgins Norman is the first and only UNESCO Chair to address school bullying and online safety. He is the Director of the National Anti-Bullying Research Centre at DCU, Editor of the International Journal of Bullying Prevention and a Member of the National Advisory Council on Online Safety.
HELENA NOLAN
BA English and History 1989, MA Creative Writing 2008
In March 2021, it was announced that Helena Nolan, current Irish Ambassador to Belgium, would take up a new appointment as Consul General of Ireland in New York. Nolan was formerly Director of the Disarmament and Non- Proliferation Unit in the Department of Foreign Affairs. Nolan is also Head of Mission and Partnership at NATO. Nolan takes up her new role later this year.
DENISE CHARLTON
BSocSc 1984, MA Women’s Studies 2000
Denise Charlton was appointed CEO of the Community Foundation for Ireland in July 2020. The organisation empowers those who want to make a difference through a model of philanthropy. It is currently engaged in distributing €5.5m in donations from ‘RTÉ Does Comic Relief’ in response to COVID-19. Charlton is former Co-Chair of Marriage Equality and was a member of the strategic advisory group of Yes Equality.
SHAUN KELLY
BComm 1980, Diploma in Professional Accounting 1981
In January 2021, Shaun Kelly was awarded an Honorary CBE by Her Majesty the Queen for services to economic development in Northern Ireland. In 2020, Kelly was appointed Vice-Chair of the board of directors at The Ireland Funds, Chairperson of the Irish Arts Centre, and non-executive director of Park Indemnity Limited. Kelly is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and a certified public accountant with AICPA.