The membership of the Board reflects the person centred ethos of the organisation, comprising members, service users, parents and business representatives. All are volunteers and, acting collectively, they must ensure the organisation delivers what it was set up to achieve, upholds its values, remains solvent and is properly managed.
Enable Ireland is delighted to confirm the election of Mr Stephen Haughey as Chairman of Enable Ireland at the Enable Ireland Board meeting held on the 20th May 2021. Stephen was first appointed to the Board of Enable Ireland in 2009 as a Stakeholder Director, representing parents and reflecting his vested interest in the organisation. Stephen is an experienced legal and finance specialist and former Chairman and Head of the Finance Department at A&L Goodbody.
Michael has 25 years of business experience as CEO of the IFA, the largest farm organisation in the country. He is currently chairman of FBD Holdings plc. He has a wealth of understanding of corporate governance, compliance and commercial company experience. Michael joined the board of Enable Ireland in 2010. He regards his directorship on the Board as a privilege and opportunity to make a small personal contribution to the betterment in quality of life for Enable Ireland services users.
Marie Breen is the proud mum of Thea. Thea is a cheeky, smiley, noisy and adventurous four and a half year old. Thea is what doctors call a 'resituated still-born' baby. She suffered a hypoxic brain injury at birth and has Cerebral Palsy and Cortical Visual Impairment. The Brennan family have attended Enable Ireland in Sandymount since February of 2013, when Thea was just six months old. Thea is now finishing up in the 'Little Pals' integrated playschool there and heading off to National school in September.
Marie says that she 'practically lived in Sandymount' for the first three years of Thea's life and the staff and parents there were incredibly good to her and the family. They are what helped them navigate their way through the most difficult years in their lives.
Marie is a Secondary School Deputy Principal with a keen interest in Special Needs Education. In 2004 she completed the Master's Degree in Special Education in UCD and was seconded from her teaching post to the newly-founded National Council for Special Education (NCSE). Marie worked in the NCSE for seven years, initially as a SENO in the South Dublin Area and then as the Dublin Area Manager. In 2011 Marie moved back into school-life and gave birth to Thea in the August of 2012!
Marie feels honoured to be elected on to the Board of Enable Ireland as a parent's representative. Empathy for parents of children with Special Needs is paramount in Marie's mind and she hopes to work to extend the network of parental support in the area.
Jim Bergin is Chief Executive of Glanbia Ireland DAC. He is currently a director of Grassland Kilkenny Ltd and Corman Miloko Ireland Ltd. He is a former Chairman of Dairy Industry Ireland and a former director of Ornua Co-operative Society Ltd. He is a member of the Institute of Directors in Ireland. He joined the Board of Enable Ireland on 8/5/2019.
Liz Barry is a professional independent non-executive director and has a background in the corporate, compliance and governance side of the aviation sector having commenced her aerospace career with the GPA Group plc, and progressed to be the COO of Airbus Financial Services. She holds an MA from Trinity College Dublin and the Higher Graduate Diploma in Corporate Governance awarded by the Michael Smurfit Business School of UCD. She was previously a board member of the Corporate Governance Association of Ireland. She has always had a strong interest in the areas of both development and not-for-profit, having worked as a graduate with the EU in Lesotho on Aid Development projects and been a founder board member of Orbis Ireland, a nonprofit organisation which fights global blindness.
As a neighbour of the Enable Ireland Cork Lavanagh Centre, Sean had long been aware of the great work which goes on there. He subsequently became involved in fundraising for Enable Ireland, and joined the board in 2006. Sean brings a wealth of business expertise to Enable Ireland through his position as Managing Director of Printing & Office Supplies company, with 30 years experience. He was also a founder member and Past-Chairman of TARA, Ireland’s largest Office Dealer Group. Sean's fundraising expertise is drawn from his roles as Past-President of Cork Round Table and Past-President of Rotary Club of Cork.
John is Professor of Applied Psychology in UCC. UCC Psychology Department has had a very strong relationship with Enable Ireland for over 40 years, thanks to the genius of Ann Moloney in connecting the two while she worked with both. She introduced Enable Ireland staff to UCC where they taught students about the practical work of applying psychology and she brought psychology graduates back to Enable Ireland to put their learning into useful practice. That warm relationship continues to grow through clinical psychology student placements, research projects that benefit both organisations, and the lovely annual Ann Moloney Bursary event that recognises the commitment of a student to working in Disability Services.
The knowledge and experience that John brings to the board of Enable Ireland include his organisational experience in Irish education, his research into the design of responsible person-centred technology for care services, and a commitment to relational autonomy for all people in his teaching, research, and practice.
Elected to the Board on 15/9/2022
Elected to the Board on 18/5/2023
