Ashoka staff are people from a wide range of backgrounds in business, the citizen sector, academia, and beyond who are entrepreneurial and collegial; who have a conscious dedication to ethical fibre, self-scrutiny, and empathy; and a strong self-image to effect positive change on a big scale. Meet our team below.
Based in Dublin, Paul is a director of Ashoka in Europe, having established Ashoka in Ireland and Scandinavia, launching key programmes in support of social entrepreneurs. Paul is also the founder of Change Nation and the Localizer process. Born and raised in the beautiful West of Ireland, Paul studied Commerce at NUI, Galway, Marketing at the Smurfit School of Business - University College Dublin, and spent the next five years working in various marketing and commercial roles at Unilever Bestfoods and Cadbury Schweppes.
An entrepreneur since his teenage years, in 2005, Paul founded an award winning social business called The Hope Concept. Paul has represented his county and provence in several sports and other interests include travel, reading and cinema.
A native of Co. Donegal, Kathryn is manager of Change Nation, working with leading social entrepreneurs from around the world to import their innovations to Ireland. A law graduate from NUI Galway, Kathryn previously worked with the Niall Mellon Township Trust, a charity housing initiative in South Africa and with the legal team of the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland.
She is a graduate of the Washington Ireland Programme for Service and Leadership (2007) and twice volunteered in India with Suas Educational Development as part of their overseas programmmes. She was chairperson the Suas Society in NUI Galway 2006/2007 and received a special award from the Mayor of Galway and NUI Galway for volunteering and community service. She completed her Gaisce Gold medal award in 2009. Her interests include travel, reading, and Irish dancing.
Erin is Change Manager for Ashoka Ireland, managing the search and selection of new Ashoka Fellows in Ireland and Scandinavia and serving in a number of other roles for Change Nation and the organization. Before coming to Ireland, she served as a Field Organizer for Barack Obama's campaign in two states.
Previously at Ashoka headquarters in Washington, DC, she organized Fellow collaborations on water, launching new initiatives in Africa, South America, and Asia, and helped launch a DVD project on the world's leading social entrepreneurs. A graduate of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, she founded a community garden and won a social entrepreneur fellowship to start a civic education programme in local primary schools.
Erin served as an intern at the United Nations Poverty Eradication Unit, worked as a community organizer, and served as a homeless shelter night supervisor in Washington, DC. In Dublin she is a spoken word poet and coordinates a roof-top garden project at local shelter.
A graduate of Trinity College Dublin, Conor has worked with Ashoka on Marketing and Communications since late 2010.
Prior to joining Ashoka, Conor was an intern at The Atlantic Philanthropies - one of Ireland’s largest philanthropic organisations and a leader in the field. He has also worked with Social Entrepreneurs Ireland and interned with Ashoka Fellow Caroline Casey’s Kanchi. Conor is an avid GAA player and musician.
Barry is a UCD graduate with an MSc in Development Studies and BA in Psychology. Following his studies he spent 7 months travelling from Cairo to Cape Town, before returning home to manage the summer program for his family’s business, Free-Range Kids. Based out of their family farm in Croom, Co. Limerick, the company runs various projects linking children to nature. Most recently he worked as a filmmaker on an arts-based integration project in Limerick City, before joining the ChangeNation team as a PR/Communications Intern.
Sarah studied Sociology and French at Boston College, where she also dedicated time to promoting local and sustainable foods on campus with student organization RealFoodBC.
Continuing to pursue her love of food, she completed an independent micro study of the open-air market system while studying abroad in Madagascar.
She moved to Istanbul to live and work after university and has recently joined Ashoka Ireland to contribute to the event planning and logistics of ChangeNation.
Serena Mizzoni is the Founder and MD of GenePool and the Change Executive Manager of the Askoka ChangeNation initiative. GenePool is a human capital consultancy specialising in the area of graduate talent including recruitment, programme design, talent management and development.
Serena has a BA Hons in HRM and an MBS in Business. Serena's experience has primarily been within the human capital industry as she specialises in recruitment, project management training and development. At age 24, Serena has taken a tentative idea/vision for a graduate services business and created the beginnings of a business with huge potential.
Serena's professional experience has primarily been within the human capital industry as she specialises in recruitment, training, development and consultancy.
Teresa is guiding the logistics and event management team for Change Nation. She has long experience in Event Management and has supported Ashoka as a valued advisor for a number of years. She is a native of Greystones, County Wicklow.
Caroline Casey is the Founder of Kanchi (formerly The Aisling Foundation) and the O2 Ability Awards and is also an international speaker and adventurer.
A social entrepreneur, Caroline sits on the board for several government, business and not-for-profit organisations. Since setting up The Aisling Foundation in 2000, with the aim of enhancing the relationship between disability and society, Caroline has received several high profile awards in recognition of her work worldwide.
She was the first Irish person to be appointed a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum in 2006 and was awarded an honorary doctorate from NUI Ireland in the same year.
In 2006 she also became the first Ashoka fellow from Ireland and the UK and received the Eisenhower Fellowship. In 2007, Caroline was invited back to the World Economic Forum in Davos, where she presented on a variety of issues relating to the area of disability.
A former management consultant with Accenture, Caroline is visually impaired to the degree that she is registered as legally blind.
John is Director of Market Development for Failte Ireland, Ireland’s National Tourism Development Authority. He also serves as Chairman of COPE Galway, a non profit organization. John’s past positions include CEO of Ireland West Tourism, which merged with Failte Ireland.
He was Marketing Manager and Brand Manager at Unilever, and served as Marketing Executive for Dunbarry Ireland.
He was selected as “Marketer of the Year” in 2010 for his “Ireland: The Fun Starts Here” campaign. Educated at NUI Galway, he lives in the west of Ireland and has three children.
John is the MD of Archipelago, one of the largest European communities of young entrepreneurs. He is also the founder of the Archie Talks and the Room 18 Project; the Dublin Ambassador to Sandbox; an Irish Ambassador to ICUE, and a regular speaker on the role of entrepreneurs in economic strategy.
He is a multiple time entrepreneur and has a professional background in Finance. He is passionate about commercially sustainable social enterprise and the role of education in fostering citizen resourcefulness.
Rebecca is a final year PPES (Philosophy, Political Science, Economics & Sociology) student at Trinity College Dublin. She is currently volunteering on the TD Marriage Equality campaign for same-sex marriage in Ireland. Rebecca is involved with Trinity’s Vincent de Paul Society, volunteering weekly at their homework clubs.
Last year, Rebecca worked as a youth strategist on the Mary Davis Presidential Campaign and in 2008 she took part in the World Challenge Expedition to Vietnam. She is also part of the Wave Change Programme, a civic initiative helping young social entrepreneurs.
Claire O’Hara is a Consultant Civil Engineer with global engineering consultancy Arup. With over 5 years post graduate experience, Claire is a Senior Project Engineer specialising in the field of offshore geotechnics in the Energy and Resources industry, most recently offshore wind.
Passionate about the provision of professional engineering services and infrastructural development for the third world, Claire has spent time in Malawi working on educational construction projects and is currently undergoing training for engineering emergency response to natural disasters. An avid sportswoman, Claire has represented and captained her county to All-Ireland titles in Gaelic Football and has recently begun competing in triathlons
Giustina graduated from UCD with a BA in History & Political Science in 2010. In 2011, she completed an MA in International Politics & Human Rights in London at City University.
While in London she volunteered with the British Red Cross Refugee Services as a project and grants volunteer, applying for grants and loans on behalf of destitute asylum seekers and refugees living in the London area.
She returned to Dublin last autumn to take up an opportunity with Dogpatch Labs in Grand Canal Dock. In the social entrepreneurship arena, Giustina is passionate about the need for greater corporate and government accountability; the rights of minority groups and equal opportunity.
Úna has been working for the past 12 months as the Director of Operations on ‘We the Citizens’, an Atlantic Philanthropies initiative investigating the use of participatory and deliberative democracy in Ireland. Prior to this, Úna worked for the G.A.A. in Croke Park as a Business Development Executive with responsibility for the premium and corporate levels of the Stadium.
She studied History in Trinity College, where she was elected as Welfare Officer of the Students’ Union, a position that she held upon completion of her degree. She is now about to be published in an upcoming book celebrating the tri centenary of Trinity’s Old Library. Through her work, she has developed a passionate interest in civic participation, policy making and gender rights.
Sarah is Programme Manager of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY) Ireland Programme. She manages the 300+ EOY network of Ireland’s leading entrepreneurs as well as developing EOY International CEO retreats in Brazil, China, India and the US. As programme manager, Sarah co-ordinates the rollout of the year-long EOY Programme, including additional community involvement programmes, mentoring initiatives and educational programmes such as www.eoy.tv.
Sasha de Marigny is the PR & Communications Coordinator for the Undergraduate Awards, a non-profit organisation working to promote innovation and independent thinking amongst undergraduate students across the island of Ireland, the UK, USA and Canada. Passionate about education and the performing arts, Sasha was Co-Founder and Director of Talentwest Performing Arts School in Galway prior to joining the Undergraduate Awards.
Originally from South Africa, Sasha is an anti-racism advocate. She believes that, through education and collaboration, great strides can be made in combating prejudice.
Jen Fox is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin with a degree in Genetics. Elected Education Officer and Deputy President of TCD Students' Union, Jen developed her interest in education policy and politics. She currently works with a non-profit education group based in Dublin city.
Come July, she is emigrating to participate in the Teach First education programme, which works towards improving education inclusion in UK secondary schools. Her goal is to return to Ireland to research and develop strategic education policy with a focus on participation rates of females in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) subjects.
A native of county Sligo, Niall moved to London in 2007 to complete his BSc Psychology degree. While studying and working, he developed a keen interest in social dynamics and methods for bringing disparate groups together. In 2009 he founded Re-imagine – a commercial freelance collective whose members pledge financial and practical support to social initiatives in the greater London area.
Through Re-imagine, he has established projects aimed at reducing social isolation among single mothers; increasing interest in mathematics, physics and chemistry among 13-17 year olds and investigating living situations of recent immigrants to East London. For this work, he has recently been awarded the Canticle Prize. Continuing to work in the UK, Niall is now developing a new project based on inter-generational career guidance.
A graduate of Simon Fraser University with a degree in International Studies, Stephanie is currently pursuing an MSc in Management at UCD Smurfit School of Business. Her passion for global justice has led her to work as a youth coordinator at Free The Children; lead volunteer trips in Ecuador; campaign for social justice with Comhlámh and support international development with her current role as Ireland Country Coordinator for Skillshare International.
James works as a Construction Project Manager with Windfarm Developer SSE Renewables, having obtained his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from the National University of Ireland, Galway.
His interest in the environmental challenges facing society directed him towards the completion of a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Energy at University College Cork. James’ main interests are in sustainable energy and energy efficiencies.
Niall is a final year student of Psychology & English Literature at Trinity College Dublin. Having recently finished running the non-partisan campaign TellUsWhy.ie for the Irish 2011 Presidential Election, he is currently working on an innovative early-intervention solution for mental health among students in the capital.
Trinity College, she achieved a postgraduate qualification in Education at the University of Surrey. After 8 years of working and volunteering in the field of education, Brid has decided to develop her interest in sustainable development and agriculture. To this end, she hopes to obtain an Advanced Certificate in Agriculture over the next year.
Concurrently she has extended her linguistic knowledge to include French and Spanish. She also volunteers with Special Olympics and Focus Ireland.
Zach Eustace graduated from Trinity College with a BA in Political Science and Business Studies in 2011. As Auditor of the Dublin University Business and Economics Society, Zach has a background in event management, team leading and fundraising. Passionate about technology, Zach is interested in how technological advances can improve and change the world we live in for the better.
Conor received a BSc in Finance from Queen’s University Belfast, where he wrote his thesis on the role of Sharia Law as a determinant of Capital Structure. He has worked in Financial Services in London and spent a summer volunteering as a teacher at Gatoto Primary School in Nairobi, Kenya.
Currently, he is an Associate Hedge Fund Accountant at IFS State Street in Dublin and is enrolled in the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Programme.
Helen received a BA in Public Administration and Politics from the University of Limerick in 2008. She is currently completing her Master’s in Social Work from National University of Ireland Galway and is due to graduate in 2012. She has worked with a number of community and education projects in Ireland and abroad.
She travelled to Kolkata, India, as a coordinator with the Suas volunteer programme in 2010 and is currently working with the Limerick Probation Service as a trainee social worker.
Isolde is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin where she obtained a degree in Business and Politics. She works as a personal assistant to one of Ireland's leading entrepreneurs. Additionally, she works as Programme Coordinator for the Soul of Haiti Foundation, an organisation working to promote Irish investment and enterprise in Haiti.
Previously to this, Isolde worked with the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Programme and Traidlinks a not for profit organisation working to foster enterprise in Uganda. She has a Certificate in Neuro Linguistic Programming and volunteers part time with the Dublin Simon Community.
Stephen Cassidy graduated early from Medicine at Queen’s University, Belfast with a BmedSci. Having spent summers volunteering in India and Kenya, he decided to pursue a career in the development sector. He worked as medical coordinator for a construction NGO operating in South Africa before studying for his Master’s Degree. He graduated with an LLM in International Human Rights Law from the Irish Centre for Human Rights at NUI, Galway in 2010 – particularly focusing on conflict resolution and global health.
He currently manages the Irish office of Hospice Africa, a Uganda-based NGO implementing a cost-effective model for palliative care across sub-Saharan Africa. He believes that access to healthcare remains one of the starkest examples of global inequality, and that innovative solutions are needed to address these issues both in Ireland and overseas.
Seán Donnelly is a Project Manager in Dublin City University’s Leadership Innovation and Knowledge Research Centre. From Dublin, Seán is a Graduate of DCU’s degree in International Businesses and Languages and masters degree in Electronic Commerce. Seán assists start-up businesses to get established and arranges free training and conferences to assist small businesses come to terms with digital marketing and leveraging their brand online.
Seán has a background in volunteering and is a Youth Leader with the Order of Malta Ambulance Corps.
Ross Curran is a Business Development Executive working with Enterprise Ireland on the G4IG programme. A student activist in college and a participant in the ‘Your Country, Your Call’ initiative, his passion for social entrepreneurship has now brought him into Change Nation.
While interning at 'We the Citizens', an experiment in Deliberative Democracy, he learned that simple conversation between ordinary citizens brings a great sense of engagement in how to make change happen. He sees the Climate Crisis and Peak Oil as two of the great challenges of the 21st Century and is looking forward to working alongside change-makers who are offering innovative solutions to these challenges.
Éabha graduated from IADT in 2009 with a BA in English, Media and Cultural Studies. Her dissertation focused on notions of community and development in Ireland and she is passionate about promoting sustainable urban and suburban development. After graduating, she spent almost two years based in Toronto, before returning to Ireland determined to get involved with her community.
As well as joining Change Nation she is also involved in a number of voluntary community-based projects, including Making Connections – a befriending service aiming to connect younger and older generations.
Sarah is currently in her third year of a Philosophy and Political Science degree in Trinity College Dublin. She is the president of the educational development society, Suas, in TCD and has volunteered with the organization both in Ireland and in Kenya.
She recently participated in the Dublin WaveChange weekend, facilitated by Social Entrepreneurs Ireland, and is passionate about realizing societal change through innovative social entrepreneurship.
Orlaith is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin where she studied Business and Political Science. While in Trinity, she was elected to the position of Welfare Officer of the Students’ Union.
She has just completed a Professional Diploma in Public Relations and is now working with Headstrong - the National Centre for Youth Mental Health, where her portfolio includes fundraising and communications. She has a huge interest in youth engagement, politics and public policy.