Our Team

Noel Wardick

CEO

Noel is a senior manager and CEO with over 20 years’ not-for-profit/civil society experience both in Ireland and overseas. He spent many years working in the international aid sector including seven years in the East and Horn of Africa. An experienced director Noel has served on the board of Ireland’s independent statutory agency, the Charities Regulatory Authority, as well as serving terms on the boards of Comhlamh and Transparency International Ireland, the anti-corruption organisation. Noel joined Dublin City Community Cooperative as CEO in July 2015. Much of Noel's spare time is spent with his local GAA club in Clontarf coaching hurling.

Josephine Henry

Urban Planning and Education Advisor

Josephine Henry is a specialist in spatial planning and urban regeneration as well as advising on educational disadvantage and career progression. She has 20 years’ experience in community development work with a particular focus on urban spatial disadvantage and regeneration mechanisms.

Prior to joining the Dublin City Community Cooperative in September 2016, Josephine worked for Community Technical Aid (CTA). Before CTA Josephine worked with various LEADER programmes as well as lecturing in DIT. Josephine’s specific areas of interest include: urban regeneration and residents issues; housing; spatial planning; education, training, and career guidance and a range of issues relating to the environment, as well as the polices underlining advocacy, community development and social inclusion.

Siobhan Larkin

Programme Monitoring & Evaluation

Siobhan works for the Coop in the role of Programme Monitoring and Evaluation where a significant focus of her work is on the Integrated Reporting Information System (IRIS), the reporting tool for the Social Inclusion & Community Activation Programme (SICAP). Siobhan has worked in various adult education and community development settings for over 25 years both as a co-ordinator of projects and as a facilitator / trainer. She is interested in the difference that well-being and creativity can make in empowering people and communities. Siobhan has previously won an Aontas Star award for a creative personal development project she co- designed, developed and delivered.

Pamela Carroll

Community Development Health Worker

Pamela is currently seconded from Dublin City Community Coop to St Teresa’s Gardens Regeneration Board where she works as a community development health worker. Pamela joined the Coop in May 2019. Pamela has extensive experience working with the St Teresa’s Garden’s community over the last 19 years having worked as the co-ordinator of the Donore Avenue breakfast club along with working as the afterschool club worker. Pamela has a degree in Youth and Community Studies from Maynooth University.

Patricia Buckley

Finance & Administration Officer

Patricia joined the Co-op in July 2020 as finance and administrator officer. Patricia has over thirty years’ experience working in Accounting and Finance roles primarily in the Charity and Film sectors and has extensive experience in the use and application of accounting and payroll software.

Rares-Mihai Nicula

Roma Project - Support

Rares has joined the Co-op in May 2019 as the Roma Employment and Training (REaT) Programme Officer.
Originally from the heart of Transylvania, Romania, Rares was awarded a PhD degree in Sociology in International Relations at the University of Trieste, Italy. Among his research interests are sociology of migrations, diplomacy and political systems. He is equally passionate about social justice and has experience in the legal field.
As a volunteer on different ethnic led non-government organisations boards, Rares has gained extensive experience dealing with issued affecting migrants, developing an interest in policy affecting the new communities in Ireland.

Catherine Heaney

Healthy Communities Project Coordinator

Catherine has been involved in community development for over 20 years, with 12 years before joining the Co-op specifically focused on community health as a Health Project Coordinator in South Dublin.
Catherine has a BA Degree in Leadership and Community Development and has trained in Stanford University Patient Research Centre as a Master Trainer in Chronic Disease Self-Management. Catherine has an interest in the link between health and the communities in which we are born and live in and how communities can play an active role in health and wellbeing.
[email protected]

Bronwyn April

Strength-in-Diversity Project Coordinator

Bronwyn April joined the Co-op in May 2021, as the Strength-in-Diversity Project Coordinator. Bronwyn works with migrants in hard-to-reach communities and families within the inner city of Dublin, assisting with their integration and inclusion into Irish society. Focus areas include creating pathways to employment, skills-based training initiatives, as well as access to social services and information, while also focusing on issues affecting migrants, such as discrimination and racism. Originally from South Africa, Bronwyn has carved her career in social development over the last 15 years - from working in community and social development in South Africa, to now carving her space within the social development landscape in Ireland. Bronwyn holds an MA in Child, Youth and Family Studies from the Institute of Technology, Carlow.

Lewis Byrne

Healthy Communities Project Community Health Worker

Lewis has received a Royal Life Saving Award as a trained Life Guard as well as being a fluent Irish speaker. He is a recipient of a coveted Gaisce Award and he has competed in Bahrain as part of the World IMMAF Championship Team Ireland.
Lewis has a deep understanding of the importance of community services that cater for our youth and is an avid advocate for the role of physical activity as a way to engage with people of all ages and abilities to improve their overall health and wellbeing.
[email protected]

Sofia Clifford Riordan

Policy, Programmes and Advocacy Assistant

Sofia has a BA in Social Care and an MSc in Human Rights and International Politics. Sofia began her career as a social care worker. Within this capacity she worked in hostels with people experiencing homelessness and with young people in residential care. Following her passion for social justice, Sofia joined the Co-op in 2021 with a view to addressing the root causes of poverty and exclusion. Voices from communities with lived experience of disadvantage and frontline workers deeply inform the advocacy work done. She draws these voices together, relating them to Ireland’s international obligations and national commitments under policy to highlight implementation gaps which deny communities of their rights.
Sofia supports the other projects operational in the Co-op and reports on the Client Relationship Management system used.

Charlene Dolan

Community Health Worker

Charlene is a qualified Special Needs Assistant and has volunteered for Barnardos in their Funding Department on the Donor Marketing Team. Charlene has also volunteered with the Big Scream Halloween Festival both assisting in coordinating activities and facilitating workshops with children and young people. In addition, Charlene has a qualification in Office Administration.
Charlene is a native of the North East Inner City of Dublin and is passionate about supporting people in her community to become engaged again in their area post-pandemic as well as encouraging residents to participate in activities that support their mental and physical health and wellbeing.

Maimuna Adams

Community Health Worker

As a member of the new communities, Maimuna is passionate about advocating for the health and wellbeing of the people in her community. Maimuna is currently in her third year of her Social Policy and Sociology degree with University College Dublin and intends to use the skills and knowledge she gains, as well as her personal experiences, to better support her community by promoting inclusion in community health activities and services.

Lorraine Tuohy

Social Prescribing Link Worker

Lorraine has over fifteen years’ experience working in the voluntary and community sector in both day and residential services and is a qualified Community Reinforcement Approach Therapist. She has a diploma in Community and Alcohol Work with UCD /URRUS and has worked supporting people in the area of Addiction and Recovery and those experiencing homelessness. Lorraine has also worked as a Research Assistant and Social Prescribing Link Worker with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and is a qualified Reiki practitioner. Lorraine works with people using a trauma informed approach and is passionate about encouraging self-advocacy to facilitate positive and persistent change.

Silvia Covaci

Roma Employment & Training Project – Assistant

Silvia joined the Co-op in June 2022. Prior to joining the Co-op Silvia volunteered for over 3 years in helping the community with the local north east inner city organisation, the H.O.P.E Project. Silvia has a passion for helping people solve their problems so that they can be safe and happy. Silvia has achieved her leaving certificate and is a recent graduate of Marino Secondary School. Silvia is looking forward to progressing the future of the community she belongs to and ensuring the voice of her own community is heard in Ireland.

BOARD MEMBERS

  1. Hugh Frazer-Independent Chairperson
  2. David Little-Community After Schools Project (CASPr)
  3. Fran Laycock-Nascadh CDP
  4. Peter O’ Connor-LYCS
  5. Darragh Reid -South Inner City Community Development Association (SICCDA)
  6. Karl Ducque-North West Inner City Network (NWICN)
  7. James Flanagan-South West Inner City Network (SWICN)
  8. Cherif Labreche-New Communities Partnership (NCP)
  9. Mutale Kampuni-An Siol CDP
  10. Seanie Lambe-Inner City Organisations Network (ICON)
  11. Mary McPhillips-Daughters of Charity Community Services
  12. Evanne Kilmurray-Inner City Enterprise (ICE)
  13. Anne Marie O’Reilly-North Wall CDP
  14. Celine Kennedy-Robert Emmet CDP

GOVERNANCE SUB-COMMITTEE

  1. Ann Marie O’Reilly
  2. Mary Mc Phillips
  3. Cherif Labreche

FINANCE & AUDIT SUB-COMMITTEE

  1. Fran Laycock (Coop Treasurer & Chair of Finance Sub-Committee))
  2. Peter O’ Connor
  3. Vacant

PERFORMANCE & RESOURCES SUBCOMMITTEE

  1. Hugh Frazer-Chair
  2. Evanne Kilmurray
  3. Ann Marie O’Reilly

ADVOCACY FOR CHANGE SUB-COMMITTEE

  1. Seanie Lambe – Chair
  2. Dave Little
  3. Vacant

COOP SECRETARY TO THE BOARD

Mary McPhillips-Daughters of Charity Community Services