Chairperson
Dr Jennifer Okeke is the Chairperson of the National Women Council (NWC) and the Anti-Trafficking Coordinator with the Immigrant Council of Ireland. She is a community activist and former chairperson of a migrant women’s organisation based in Ireland. Jennifer is on the board member of the European Network of Migrant Women (ENoMW) and has extensive knowledge and expertise on issues of GBV, anti-trafficking, human rights and migration (refugees, asylum seekers, direct provision). She has a proven history of supporting local migrant communities in the promotion of integration.
Jennifer was recently awarded a PhD from Dublin City University, and her research was on the experience of African women trafficked into/through Ireland for sexual exploitation. She holds a Master's in International Relations, from the School of Law and Government, DCU and a BSC from University College Birmingham.
Deputy Chairperson
Shirley Scott is the policy manager for the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. She has been employed there since 2004 where she has held a number of positions within that organisation. She has been involved in voluntary work for much of her adult life and currently serves on the board of Bethany, the National Bereavement Support Group for Adults. She has a Bachelor of Business Studies from Dublin City University as well as a BA (Humanities) and MA (Human Development) from St Patrick’s College (DCU).
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Norah is a law lecturer and specialises in human rights, clinical legal education and women and the law. She holds a Bachelor of Laws in Law and European Studies and Masters in Human Rights in Criminal Justice from the University of Limerick and a PhD in Law from Trinity College Dublin. In 2018 she was chosen by the Asia-Europe Foundation as a future young ethical leader in Europe. In 2021 she was awarded a national teaching award by the Union of Students in Ireland and The National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
Rebekah Connolly is Head of the Content Information team at spunout, Ireland’s Youth Information and Support Platform. She is also the Gender, Sexuality & Relationships Editor for spunout. She has a BA in Modern Irish and Politics from UCD and an MA in Journalism and PR from Griffith College Dublin. Since joining spunout Rebekah has focused her studies on how inequalities can impact young people’s access to information, gaining a Cert in Mental Health and Community from UCC, a Post Graduate Cert in Sexuality and Sexual Health from DCU and a Post Graduate Cert in Trauma Studies from UCC. Rebekah is passionate about sexual health education and believes that all young people deserve holistic RSE education that reduces stigma, prioritises pleasure and is inclusive of all LGBTIQ+ people and people of different abilities. Rebekah joined the National Women’s Council in 2022 as the representative for spunout and is also a member of the Irish Observatory on Violence Against Women.
Siobhán Fenton is a feminist activist from Belfast. She is Deputy Head of Press for Sinn Féin in the Oireachtas. Since 2020, she has been Board Chair of 50:50NI.
She has a BA in English Literature from the University of Oxford, MA in Journalism from City University London and MPhil in Gender Studies from the University of Cambridge; where she researched sexual violence prevalence and prevention.
She has previously worked as a journalist reporting on human rights and social inequality in Ireland and Britain for the BBC, the Independent, the Guardian, Sky News and the New Statesman.
Most of Margaret’s working life centred on women’s issues, particularly violence against women, and community education. Recently retired from her role as Director of Women’s Aid other key posts included: Women’s Education Officer and Deputy Director at AONTAS; Coordinator with POWER Partnership (NWC, WERRC, UCD, Women’s Support Network, Belfast and University of Ulster); and Projects Manager in NWC.
Maeve, formerly a primary school teacher, now works as a Senior Official and Equality Officer with the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO). Maeve acts as secretary to the INTO National Equality Committee where she leads on developing equality policy, co-ordinating equality events, initiating campaigns and initiatives, conducting members consultations and research and lobbying public representatives. She is actively involved on a number of national and international groups including the NCCA Primary Curriculum Development Groups, ETUCE Standing Committee on Equality and ICTU Women’s Committee. Maeve has recently completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Equality, Inclusion and Diversity at the University of Limerick.
