AONTAS Executive
The AONTAS Executive Committee comprises ten organisational members, four Officers and two individual members. The Executive Committee constitutes the Board of Directors of the Organisation. The Officer Board is made up of the President of AONTAS, the Vice-President, the Honorary Secretary, and the Honorary Treasurer.
The Executive Committee meets six times each year, and is responsible for:
- The overall maintenance and well-being of the Organisation
- Human resources, financial policy, and accountability
- Taking a lead role in the development of the Strategic Plan
- Supporting the staff team in implementing the Strategic Plan
- Representing the views and issues of members
- Contributing knowledge and experience on local issues
- Initiating working groups to deal with issues, as appropriate
- Meeting six times a year
The members of the AONTAS Executive are:
Ms Marian Duffy President - Co. Carlow VEC
Marian's work has always been in education having worked at primary, second-level and in Adult Education over the course of her career. The last eighteen years of her career have been spent in Adult & Community Education with Co. Carlow VEC.
As Adult Education Officer, her role is to oversee the Adult Education Service which consists of Adult Literacy Service, Community Education Facilitation Service, Back to Education Initiative, Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme, Youthreach, Education & Training Centre for Travelling Community, Childcare Centre, Adult Guidance & Information Service as well as an Evening Programme for Adults in VEC schools.
Cllr Maria Gorman Hon Treasurer - Kerry Education Services
Maria is a member of Listowel Town Council and has been on the Board of the VEC for a number of years. She is on the Board of Duagh Family Resource Centre and is also a Board Member of the National Forum of Family Rescource Centres.
Ms Ruth Smith Hon Secretary - Tipperary Women's Network
Ruth is currently Community Development Co-ordinator at Knockanrawley Resource Centre. Her main contact with groups (both women and mens) involves setting them up, facilitating personal development and communications. Currently she is involved in Active Citizenship and Community Development Modules at the centre. She is also Secretary of the Tipperary Women's Network.
Ms Loretta Needham Vice President - Croi na Gaillimhe Resource Centre, St Vincent de Paul, 1 Mill Street, Galway
Loretta is involved with Croi na Gaillimhe, The Resource Centre, St Vincent De Paul in Galway. Croi na Gallimhe provides a Social Club for older people, provides educational and developmental supports for youth and adult education programmes. She works closely with NUI Galway on the Intergenerational aspects to their work with younger and older people. She is on the Board of Society of St Vincent de Paul in Galway and the Board of the Galway Refugee Support Group.
Mr John Ryan City of Limerick VEC
John is a former President of AONTAS, and represents the City Of Limerick VEC . He is vice Chair with City of Limerick VEC and a lecturer with the Limerick Institute of Technology. He is involved with a number of local development initiatives including the City Development Board, and was formerly a member of the PAUL Partnership.
Lorraine Cunningham Blayney Blades
At present Lorraine is the development officer with Blayney Blades Women's Group and have been working in community development for the last ten years. She co-ordinates many different courses for the group and liaises with tutors and evaluates on an ongoing basis. She has also set up Blayney Blades International in conjunction with B/B.
Deborah Brock Dodder Valley Partnership
Deborah is currently the Education Coordinator for Dodder Valley Partnership. Her role is to coordinate all actions regarding education for the Partnership- in particular to strengthen the role the Partnership plays in Adult and Community Education. She supports local inter agency and community based initiatives to promote equality of access and participation in education for students of all ages. She is also involved in various aspects of adult and community education, such as, networking, grants, information and advice, ESOL, Adult Literacy and access to third level. She has been involved in adult and community education for nearly eight years.
Liz Waters An Cosán
Liz has been involved in An Cosán for the past 14 years, first as a part time tutor, then Manager of the Community Education Centre at An Cosán in 1999 and CEO since 2001.An Cosán is an amazing organisation totally committed to the eradication of poverty through education!
She has always worked in the community and voluntary sector, in residential childcare, community education, psychotherapy and then the Shanty. When she discovered the Shanty in 1995 she felt she had come home, all the values she most aspired to in her work were held there. She is passionate about her work and feels really privileged to work in the community of Tallaght West. Despite the daily struggle with the injustice of poverty it is a vibrant active and socially committed community. An Cosán is engaged in working with this community to identify community educational needs and to develop innovative courses to respond to these needs.
Liam Kilbride Individual Member
Liam Kilbride has extensive academic and practical experience of adult and community education. Currently the Education Development Officer with Presentation South East since 2001, he has been acted in roles such as lecturer and facilitator and has initiated a number of networks, partnered in EU Grundtvig transnational programmes and carried out evaluations of projects at national and international level.
Michael Murray NUI Maynooth
Michael is currently employed as a Sociology lecturer with the Department of Adult Education, NUI Maynooth. His duties include coordinating the MEd and co-coordinating the MA in Community Education, Equality and Social Activism. His own research interests include looking at the relationship between power relations and citizenship. This is directly related to the issue of education for political citizenship and addresses key issues related to the individualisation of citizenship, the limits to participation through partnership and lastly, the exploration of alternative models for lasting social change.
Mary Hilda Cavanagh IVEA
Mary Hilda has been a Member of Co Kilkenny VEC from 1974 and was the former chairperson of the adult education board with Co Kilkenny VEC. She was also a member of the AONTAS Executive committee from 2007-2008.
Gillian Wild Waterford Institute of Technology
Gillian is part of a team delivering the Higher National Certificate, Ordinary and Honours Degrees in Community Education and Development, Part Time Facilitator in the Community Sector and representative on the Adult Education Board of Wexford VEC She is presently studying for EdD with NUI Maynooth and has worked in the community and voluntary sector for a number of years both as a volunteer and as a paid worker.
