Jacinta Stewart served as Chief Executive Officer of CDVEC/CDETB from 2005-2016. Having graduated from UCD with a BA and Higher Diploma in Education, Jacinta began her career as a teacher in Dundalk Regional College (now Dundalk Institute of Technology).

She joined CDVEC as an Adult Education Organiser in 1985. In January 1993, she was appointed to the post of Education Officer in CDVEC with special responsibility for Adult Education and for a number of the Committee’s schools/centres. In 1997 she was awarded a Masters’ Degree in Education and Management from Trinity College Dublin. In 2005 she was appointed CEO of CDVEC (now City of Dublin Education and Training Board – CDETB). Jacinta has served on a wide variety of boards and committees, including the Residential Institution Redress Unit, the Grangegorman Development Agency, the Grangegorman Audit Committee, the Education and Finance Board, the Teaching Council, the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, the Children’s Acts Advisory Board, the CDETB Benevolent Fund and the CDETB Sports and Cultural Council. Jacinta had a great interest in life-long learning. She played a prominent role in the development of national policies with DES and was a long-time member of CEEOA.

Simonetta Ryan is a former Assistant Secretary General with the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (now retired). She previously worked in the Department of Health and the Department of Finance.

She has broad experience in public administration – in social policy, legislation and policy implementation and has worked with a wide range of stakeholders during her career in the public service.

Brian is a former Deputy Director of the Central Statistics Office, a former Director of Economic Affairs at IBEC and former Chairman of FAS, the State employment agency. In his role at IBEC he played a key role in representing Irish business with policy makers in Ireland and internationally.

He was a central figure in the negotiation of successive National Partnership agreements between the Government and the Social Partners. Brian is a director of a number of private companies and was a founding board member of the Community Foundation for Ireland and of Business in the Community. He was a member of the National Economic & Social Council.

Martin Scully is Chief Executive of Oyster Capital Partners and was appointed to the Board of Jigsaw in October 2018. Martin is a director of Titan HQ, Amarenco Solar Holdings Limited and Movell European Transport Limited.

He was previously Chairman of Advanced Environmental Solutions (Ireland) Limited, Complete Telecoms and Dolmen Securities (since renamed Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland) prior to the sale of those businesses. Previously, Martin was a partner for 12 years in a major financial services firm RSM Farrell Grant Sparks (now part of Grant Thornton).

Research Professor at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). Her main research interests centre on education, school-to-work transitions, gender and comparative methodology. She has conducted a number of studies on the effects of schooling contexts on student outcomes, including Do Schools Differ?

She led the Post-Primary Longitudinal Study (PPLS), which followed a cohort of young people from the first year of second-level education onwards. This study was the first of its kind in the Irish context and yielded insights into important processes such as the transition to second-level education, the factors influencing examination performance, the impact of ability grouping, and gender and social differentiation in educational outcomes.

Tammy Donaghy is a youth mental health advocate. Tammy comes from a youth work background, has completed an undergraduate degree in youth and community studies and is currently pursuing a Masters in comparative criminology and criminal justice.

She has experience of working with, or advocating for, young people at many levels and is currently a youth employability support worker in Finglas youth resource centre.

Tammy has sat on the Boards of Community Creations (spunout.ie and text 50808), City of Dublin Youth Service, and Jigsaw. She has also sat on the Children’s Reference Group and represented this body at the advisory group for the development of overarching national standards for the care and support of children using health and social care services. She regularly presents to organisations on youth mental health.

Ruth is a Senior Clinical Psychologist / Clinical Lead, and a researcher in the area of digital technology and mental health. She is an experienced clinician having worked across primary care, CAMHS and disability services, and a senior lecturer in clinical psychology.

Ruth obtained her Masters and Doctorate degrees at Trinity College Dublin, and her undergraduate degree at Maynooth University. She also holds a Masters in Healthcare Management and Leadership from the Irish Management Institute / UCC. Ruth is a previous chair and current member of the Psychological Society of Ireland Division of Clinical Psychology. She is Principal Investigator on the SafePlan research trial. Ruth is currently a Fulbright HRB HealthImpact scholar and was previously a Fulbright Scholar 2016 / 2017 based at the Suicide Prevention Research Lab, Stanford University.

Liz Chaloner is an experienced senior manager and independent consultant in the not-for-profit and public sectors and has held many senior positions, including the Centre for Effective Services (Senior Manager), Samaritans Ireland (Interim Executive Director), Dyslexia Association of Ireland (Interim CEO) and Barnardos (Assistant Director).

She was a specialist consultant to the review of Aras Attracta in Swinford, Co. Mayo, a member of the Ombudsman for Children’s Panel of Investigators and Programme Manager in Combat Poverty Agency. She was a non-executive director with the Irish Refugee Council, the Family Support Agency and the National Advocacy Service. Liz originally qualified and worked as a social worker and social work educator in both Ireland and the UK and holds a B.Soc Studies and CQSW from Trinity College, Dublin, a MA in Women’s Studies from the University of Wolverhamption (UK) and M.Sc in Social Research Skills from University of Ulster.

Karen is a Consultant Psychiatrist and the National Clinical Lead for the Early Intervention in Psychosis Programme. Dr. O Connor is a graduate of University College Cork. She completed most of her postgraduate training in Psychiatry in Dublin.

She completed a fellowship at Orygen Youth Mental Health Service in Melbourne, Australia. Karen has a Medical Doctorate in Early Intervention in Psychosis. She is the clinical lead of the RISE Early Intervention in Psychosis service in South Lee, Cork. Dr. O Connor is the Vice Dean for postgraduate basic specialist training in psychiatry in the UCC Deanery.

John is an energetic leader with a proven track record in driving business strategy, leading edge Risk Management Consulting &Training and Business Turnaround.

As an out-of-the-box thinker, John has a proven ability to devise wide-ranging solutions for resolving complex organisational issues. An Accountant by profession, John has been running and advising organisations in the Public and Private Sector, both as an advisor and a non-Executive Director since 2003. Prior to that John spent 23 years in various Executive positions with the Ulster Bank / Natwest Group.