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Meet Our Board Members

Our Board Members

Galway Simon Community is governed by a Board of Directors with expertise and experience across a diverse range of areas. In addition, the work of our teams is overseen by Board Sub-Committees including the Finance and Governance; Services, Quality & Safety; Property, and Fundraising & Communications.

Our Board Members give their time on a voluntary basis. They hold meetings regularly to ensure the organisation is well run and meets it obligations as a limited company and registered charity. Their job is to scrutinise everything we do.

Maureen Lynch

Chairperson

Joined Board: 2012

Maureen’s expertise’s lie in the field of HR Management. She has a Masters in Counselling, BA in Psychology, HDip in Personal & Executive Coaching and is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD).

Edelle Lawson

Board Member

Joined Board: July 2018

Stephen Mackey

Board Member

Joined Board: November 2018

Stephen’s career included many years in management in banking. He was later director and shareholder in a  property investment company. Currently self-employed as a business, finance, and property consultant.

Claire Gannon, Board Member, Galway Simon Community

Claire Gannon

Board Member

Joined Board: October 2021

Claire Gannon has experience working across companies of varying sectors and sizes from Irish indigenous start-ups to muli billion-dollar multinationals.  Claire has led global HR teams and for the past 15 years and has worked with executive teams driving organisational change and transformation.  Claire is currently an independent business advisor supporting clients to identify and define problems, build initiatives, and drive solutions and strategies for sustainable growth and success.

Lorna Cahill

Board Member

Joined Board: July 2019

Lorna grew up in Galway, obtaining an honours BA and LLB from NUIG.  She later studied in the Law Society’s Law School in Dublin, qualifying as a solicitor. She is engaged in private practice with Brian Lynch Solicitors in Galway city.

Lucy Joyce

Board Member

Joined Board: October 2019

Lucy Joyce is a marketing and branding enthusiast. Over the last 17 years, she has worked in both agency as a Strategic Marketing Consultant and in-house, in marketing and commercial roles in O2 before assuming her current position as Project Delivery Manager for the Marketing Communications International Team at Teleflex, a global provider of medical device innovations. This role involves coordinating all marcom projects across the EMEA and APAC regions.

Having volunteered with Childline, led the Galway Rape Crisis Centre rebrand in 2017 and facilitated a message development project with Galway Simon Community in 2018, Lucy has a keen interest in applying her knowledge and skillsets to support the non-for-profit sector.

Billy Owens, Board Member, Galway Simon

Billy Owens

Board Member

Joined Board: March 2021

Billy has experience in training development and quality control in various companies. As a client representative, Billy endorses the value of the client as a fundamental inclusion in all aspects of our community.

Gerry Cleary

Board Member

Joined Board: April 2022

Gerry Cleary is a Chartered Accountant and is Financial Controller with Galway International Arts Festival (GIAF), one of Ireland’s largest arts organisations. He has also worked with a number of other not for profits in Galway including Baboró International Arts Festival for Children.

Gerry received a B Comm. from NUI Galway and Dip. in Professional Accounting from UCD. He trained with accountancy firm Arthur Andersen in Dublin.  He worked in the US for a number of years with Arthur Andersen and law firm Mayer Brown, and in Ireland with Ryanair and technology company Nortel.

Sean O'Connor

Board Member

Joined Board: October 2021

 

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