Patron and board members

Our Board members include the following:

Patron

Michael D. Higgins, TD.
Michael is the Labour Party President and Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, and is a current sitting deputy for Galway West. He is a former Minister for Arts, Culture, and the Gaeltacht (1993- 1997), was first elected to the Dáil in 1981 and has been a deputy from 1987 to present. He was a senator for the NUI constituency from 1982-1987 and was a taoiseach's nominee to the Seanad between 1973-1977.

Board members

Donal Toolan, Chairman
Donal is originally from County Mayo in the West of Ireland. He is an actor and Broadcast Journalist whose own life experiences have shaped and informed his involvement with groups interested in the progression of human rights. His work as a Journalist and writer has sought to highlight the inequalities that disabled people meet on a daily basis.

He founded of the Forum of people with Disabilities in Ireland in 1990 and was instrumental in negotiating with the Irish Government the establishment of a Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities.

He has worked in RTÉ Radio (National Radio station) presenting Not So Different and was awarded National Broadcast journalist of the Year in 1993. He also received a Jacobs award for his work on the documentary series In From the Margins.

He has served as a member of the executive of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, a member of the Democracy Commission and the Information Society Commission, is a board member of the European Anti Poverty Network and is Chairman of International Service Ireland.

John Maxwell, Treasurer
John has extensive senior management experience in the areas of corporate governance, finance / accounting, information systems and change management.  A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and MBA John is Treasurer of International Service Ireland.  Prior to joining International Service Ireland  John worked for Concern Worldwide as Director Corporate Services with responsibility for corporate governance, risk management (including legal matters, internal audit), information technology and facilities management.

John previously worked in the energy and aviation sectors.  Management experience includes Group Corporate Control Manager, Six Sigma Continuous Improvement Manager and IT Manager in FLS Aerospace.

Mike Greally
Mike is a senior executive manager with an in-depth knowledge of and extensive experience in international development and humanitarian issues gained over twenty years working within organisations including the Irish State’s Aid Agencies (APSO and Irish Aid), Civil Society Organisations (Misean Cara) and various Educational Institutes.

Has experience of living in Lesotho, Southern Africa for a four year period from 1984-87 and again in 1992. Has also travelled extensively throughout much of Africa, Latin America, South East Asia, Australia as well as Europe.

Education qualifications in areas including  Education (Science), Anthropology and Community Development. He is married with two children.

Matthew Snell
Matthew is Chief Executive of International Service, based at the head office in York, England. International Service is one of the oldest volunteer sending agencies in the UK and focuses on building the capacities of partner organisations in West Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. 

Matthew has spent most of his development career in sub Saharan Africa. Most recently, he was a Regional Adviser with Oxfam GB in West Africa. Prior to this he was Country Director for Kenya and regional adviser with Oxfam Québec in East Africa. He was also Chief Executive of Students Partnership Worldwide, a volunteer Engineer with Water For People in Guatemala and has carried out a number of consultancies in Mauritania, Sudan and the UK.

Matthew joined the board of BOND in November 2008. He is Chair of the British Volunteer Agencies Liaison Group and a member of the Disability and Development Group.

Edel Hackett
Edel has a recognized track record in public relations and advocacy. 
A journalism graduate, she has worked almost exclusively with NGOs and campaign groups over the past decade, supporting them to help bring about progressive change in Irish policy and legislation.

In 1996 she completed a Master’s Degree in International Human Rights Law at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, NUI Galway, where she concentrated on freedom of expression, children’s and minority rights.  She also explored the Irish Disability Act 2005 from the perspective of economic, social and cultural rights.

Edel was previously an executive director with Montague Communications.  She has also worked with international public relations companies, Fleishman Hillard and Hill & Knowlton, both in Dublin and in London. 

Edel has a practical understanding of the workings of Government.  During the 2002 general election, she worked as press officer with a political party helping to increase that party’s representation significantly.  She also worked as a press officer on the 1997 General Election and on that year’s Presidential Election. 

Dr. Nata Duvvury
Dr. Duvvury has more than 20 years' experience in international research, field programmes and teaching in gender and development, with particular emphasis on women's livelihoods, domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, rights-based approached to development, and civil society participation and accountability. 

She has authored numerous research reports, peer-review publications and papers in edited books. She currently lectures in the Global Women’s Studies Programme in NUI Galway.

Mary Van Lieshout
Mary is Head of Research and Standards Development at the National Disability Authority (NDA).

Previously she has worked as Service Planner for Disability Services with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. She has a B.Sc. in Nutrition and Food Science, and an M.Sc. in Community Health from Trinity College Dublin. From 1998 - 2001 she was Health Promotion Director with the former Eastern Health Board.

From 1982 - 1986 she worked as a community nutritionist in Zimbabwe and from 1989 - 1998 she worked as Policy Manager with Oxfam Ireland.

Pippa Matthews
Pippa is a practising barrister-at-law – young, dynamic, experienced lawyer who has worked in the legal division of the Department of Foreign Affairs, in Peru as a legal research assistant with CEAS, a Peruvian NGO and in the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia as an Intern in the Appeals Chamber.

She has volunteered in a number of capacities with Suas, an Irish NGO and currently works in the Four Courts near the Carmichael Centre.