Office of CEO
Dr Alan Wall
Chief Executive Officer
Dr Alan Wall is the Chief Executive Officer of the Higher Education Authority. He began his career with the Department of Education in 1993 where he served in a number of areas, including the Central Policy Unit, the ICT Policy Unit and the Office of the Secretary General. In 2005 he was appointed Deputy Director of the newly formed Teaching Council where he played a lead role in the establishment of that body. He returned to the Department of Education and Skills in 2007 to head up the Teacher Education Section and the ICT Policy Unit. He was appointed Director in January 2011 with responsibility for curriculum reform and then Assistant Secretary General with responsibility for the Planning and Building Unit in November 2014. Before taking up his current role in August 2019, Dr Wall led the Department of Education’s Research, Reform, Policy and Data Division.
A graduate of Maynooth University, Trinity College Dublin and Queen’s University Belfast, he is also a Chartered Management Accountant.
Communications
Catherine Halloran
Senior Manager, Communications
Ms Maura O'Shea
Communications
Tel: +353 1 231 7133
challoran@hea.ie
Head of Access Policy Caitríona Ryan is Head of Access Policy in the HEA. Working with the Department of Education and Skills, Caitríona has responsibility for several projects in the implementation of the National Access Plan, 2015 – 2019. Caitríona has worked in the HEA for 14 years and was formerly Head of Policy & Planning. Previously, she held positions in Deloitte & Touche Management Consultants, the Department of Enterprise and Employment and the Department of Health and Children.
Senior Manager, Access Policy
Senior Manager, Access Policy
Senior Executive Officer, Access Policy
Senior Executive Officer, Access Policy
Executive Officer, Access Policy
Deputy Chief Executive, Head of System Funding, Capital Funding & System Governance
Senior Manager - Universities/Other Institutions
Senior Manager, Technological Sector
Senior Manager, System Funding
Senior Executive Officer, System Funding
Senior Executive Officer, System Funding
Executive Officer, System Funding
Executive Officer, System Funding
Senior Manager, Capital Funding
Senior Manager, Capital Programmes
Senior Executive Officer, Capital Progammes
Senior Executive Officer, Capital Programmes (Technical)
Senior Executive Officer, Capital Programmes
Executive Officer, Capital Programmes
Executive Officer, Capital Programmes
Executive Officer. Capital Programmes
Senior Manager, System Governance
Senior Manager (Acting), System Governance
Senior Executive Officer, System Governance
Head of Finance
Senior Manager, Finance
Senior Manager, Finance
Executive Officer, Finance
Clerical Officer, Finance
Head of Skills, Engagement and Statistics Dr Vivienne Patterson is Head of Skills, Engagement and Statistics at the Higher Education Authority. The section has responsibility for the management of the both the Springboard+ Programme, and the provision of national apprenticeships in higher education. Her role in the HEA involves active strategic engagement with agencies such as EI, IDA, IBEC and AmCham to strengthen the relationship between higher education promotion and future employment and innovation. Vivienne played a key role in the development of the National Student Engagement Survey and the National Employers Survey and while leading the Statistics Section was responsible for several publications including “What Do Graduates Do?”, “Key Facts and Figures”, “A Study of Non-Progression in Irish Higher Education” and “Higher Education System Performance: Institutional and Sectoral Profiles”. Before joining the HEA Vivienne worked as a Senior Researcher in the Skills Initiative Unit and as an Education Consultant with the Skills and Labour Market Research Unit of SOLAS where she implemented the education arm of the National Skills Database.
Senior Manager, Skills and Engagement
Senior Manager, Skills and Engagement
Senior Manager, Human Capital Initiative
Senior Manager, Skills Auditing and Monitoring
Senior Executive Officer, ESF Co-ordinator
Executive Officer, Skills and Engagement
Executive Officer
Executive Officer, Skills and Engagement
Senior Executive Officer, Skills and Enterprise Engagement
Executive Officer, Skills and Engagement
Head of Performance Evaluation
Senior Executive Officer, Data and Policy Analyst
Senior Executive Officer, Data Analyst
Senior Executive Officer
Senior Executive Officer
Senior Manager, Database Developer statistics@hea.ie
Senior Manager, International Programmes
Senior Executive Officer, Erasmus + Programmes
Executive Officer, International Programmes
Executive Officer, International Programmes
Executive Officer, Erasmus+ Finances
Head of Policy and Strategic Planning, International Programmes & Gender Equality
Senior Manager - Policy, Strategic Planning and Research
Senior Manager, Gender Equality
Senior Manager, System Development & Performance Management
Executive Officer, Gender Equality
Senior Executive Officer, Research Policy
Senior Executive Officer, Policy
Senior Executive Officer, System Development and Performance Management
Executive Officer, System Development and Performance Management
Executive Officer, System Development and Performance Management
Executive Officer, System Development & Performance Management
Senior Executive Officer, Policy (teaching & learning)
Senior Executive Officer, Policy (teaching & learning)
Executive Officer, North/South Research Programme
Senior Executive Officer, North/South Research Programme
Senior Executive Officer, National Healthy Campus Coordinator
Executive Officer, Mental Health and Well Being Supports
Executive Officer, Research Policy
Senior Executive Officer, North/South Research Programme
Head Of Corporate Affairs Padraic Mellett is a Head of Corporate Affairs and is responsible for HR, governance, IT and the HEA’s own finances. He is also Secretary to the Authority. He graduated from UL with a BA in European Studies and subsequently UCD (MBA) and DCU (MBS-HR). He is an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators and a Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel and Development.
Senior Manager, Data Protection Officer, FOI & Records Management
Senior Executive Officer, Facilities and Corporate Governance Tel: +353 1 231 7120
Senior Executive Officer, Human Resources Tel: +353 1 231 7122
Clerical Officer, Reception
Clerical Officer, Reception
Senior Executive Officer, IT
Executive Officer, IT
Access Policy
Ms Caitríona Ryan
Mr Neil McDermott
Dr Denise Frawley
Ms Mariana Reis-Efinda
Ms Kate Weedy
Dr Alexandra Guglielmi
System Funding, Capital Programmes and System Governance
Ms Orla Nugent
Ms Jennifer Gygax
Dr Andrea Valova
Ms Breda Corr
Mr Mark Kirwan
Mr Niall O'Connell
Ms Modesta Mawarire
Ms Sinead Davis
Mr Ciaran McCaffrey
Ms Aoibheann Ni Mhearain
Ms Elaine Vaughan
Mr Gerard McGarvey
Ms Mairead de Faoite
Mr Gerard Fay
(Technical)Ms Rachel Clarke
Ms Katie Barry
Ms Orla Christle
Ms Anne Hession
Ms Laura Austin
Finance
Ms Pearl Cunningham
Mr Liam Ryan
Ms Laura Meade
Ms Mari Tighe
Ms Shauna Brennan
Skills and Enterprise Engagement
Dr Vivienne Patterson
Ms Louise Sherry
Ms Fiona Davis
Ms Sorcha Carthy
Ms Mary May
Mr Fergal Noone
Ms Carol Kellegher
Ms Emily Cunningham
Ms Maria Cross
Dr Kieran McNally
Ms Alison MacDermott
Statistics Section
Ms Valerie Harvey
Dr Dawn Carroll
Mr David Sheils
Ms Janice Lau
Mr David Horan
Mr John Horan
International Programmes
Ms Sheena Duffy
Dr Aileen Marron
Ms Aoileann Ní Bhroin
Mikolai Hughes
Dr Dorota Migocka-Sendlak
Policy and Strategic Planning, Research, Performance Development
Mr Tim Conlon
Dr Deirdre Quinn
Dr Ross Woods
Dr Victoria Brownlee
Dr Aedín Minogue
Mr Niall Kelly
Dr Richard Brophy
Ms Suzanne Walker
Dr Mark Empey
Ms Teresa Gallagher
Ms Sarah O’Driscoll
Mr Colin Lowry
Ms Bláithín McDonald
Ms Emilie Champenois
Ms Alexia Sammarco
Ms Caroline Mahon
Ms Ruth McLaughlin
Mr Shane Walshe
Mr Michael Duffy
Corporate Affairs / Human Resources and Accounts
Mr Padraic Mellett
Ms Eilis Noonan
Mr Brian Johnston
Ms Karolina-Anna Siedlik
Mr Graham Barry
Mr Brian Reilly
IT
Mr Philip Mulvaney
Mr Paul Leech
Services
Ms Caroline Curtis
Ms Bridget Kelly
Email our staff: first_name_initial surname @hea.ie