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

Ms Maura O'Shea

Communications
Tel: +353 1 231 7133

challoran@hea.ie

Access Policy

Ms Caitríona Ryan

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.

Mr Neil McDermott

Senior Manager, Access Policy

Dr Denise Frawley

Senior Manager, Access Policy

Ms Mariana Reis-Efinda

Senior Executive Officer, Access Policy

Ms Kate Weedy

Senior Executive Officer, Access Policy

Dr Alexandra Guglielmi

Executive Officer, Access Policy

System Funding, Capital Programmes and System Governance

Ms Orla Nugent

Deputy Chief Executive, Head of System Funding, Capital Funding & System Governance

Ms Jennifer Gygax

Senior Manager - Universities/Other Institutions

Dr Andrea Valova

Senior Manager, Technological Sector

Ms Breda Corr

Senior Manager, System Funding

Mr Mark Kirwan

Senior Executive Officer, System Funding

Mr Niall O'Connell

Senior Executive Officer, System Funding

Ms Modesta Mawarire

Executive Officer, System Funding

Ms Sinead Davis

Executive Officer, System Funding

Mr Ciaran McCaffrey

Senior Manager, Capital Funding

Ms Aoibheann Ni Mhearain

Senior Manager, Capital Programmes

Ms Elaine Vaughan

Senior Executive Officer, Capital Progammes

Mr Gerard McGarvey

Senior Executive Officer, Capital Programmes (Technical)

Ms Mairead de Faoite

Senior Executive Officer, Capital Programmes

Mr Gerard Fay

Executive Officer, Capital Programmes
(Technical)

Ms Rachel Clarke

Executive Officer, Capital Programmes

Ms Katie Barry

Executive Officer. Capital Programmes

Ms Orla Christle

Senior Manager, System Governance

Ms Anne Hession

Senior Manager (Acting), System Governance

Ms Laura Austin

Senior Executive Officer, System Governance

Finance

Ms Pearl Cunningham

Head of Finance

Mr Liam Ryan

Senior Manager, Finance

Ms Laura Meade

Senior Manager, Finance

Ms Mari Tighe

Executive Officer, Finance

Ms Shauna Brennan

Clerical Officer, Finance

Skills and Enterprise Engagement

Dr Vivienne Patterson

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.

Ms Louise Sherry

Senior Manager, Skills and Engagement

Ms Fiona Davis

Senior Manager, Skills and Engagement

Ms Sorcha Carthy

Senior Manager, Human Capital Initiative

Ms Mary May

Senior Manager, Skills Auditing and Monitoring

Mr Fergal Noone

Senior Executive Officer, ESF Co-ordinator

Ms Carol Kellegher

Executive Officer, Skills and Engagement

Ms Emily Cunningham

Executive Officer

Ms Maria Cross

Executive Officer, Skills and Engagement

Dr Kieran McNally

Senior Executive Officer, Skills and Enterprise Engagement

Ms Alison MacDermott

Executive Officer, Skills and Engagement

Statistics Section

Ms Valerie Harvey

Head of Performance Evaluation

Ms Janice Lau

Senior Manager, Statistics

Dr Dawn Carroll

Senior Executive Officer, Data and Policy Analyst

Mr David Sheils

Senior Executive Officer, Data Analyst

Mr Brendan Duggan

Senior Executive Officer

Mr John Horan

Senior Manager, Database Developer

statistics@hea.ie

International Programmes

Ms Sheena Duffy

Senior Manager, International Programmes

Dr Aileen Marron

Senior Executive Officer, Erasmus + Programmes

Ms Aoileann Ní Bhroin

Executive Officer, International Programmes

Mikolai Hughes

Executive Officer, International Programmes

Dr Dorota Migocka-Sendlak

Executive Officer, Erasmus+ Finances

Policy and Strategic Planning, Research, Performance Development

Mr Tim Conlon

Head of Policy and Strategic Planning, International Programmes & Gender Equality

Dr Deirdre Quinn

Senior Manager - Policy, Strategic Planning and Research

Dr Ross Woods

Senior Manager, Gender Equality

Dr Victoria Brownlee

Senior Manager, System Development & Performance Management

Mr Niall Kelly

Senior Executive Officer, Research Policy

Dr Richard Brophy

Senior Executive Officer, Policy

Ms Suzanne Walker

Senior Executive Officer, System Development and Performance Management

Dr Mark Empey

Executive Officer, System Development and Performance Management

Ms Teresa Gallagher

Executive Officer, System Development and Performance Management

Ms Sarah O’Driscoll

Executive Officer, System Development & Performance Management

Mr Colin Lowry

Senior Executive Officer, Policy (teaching & learning)

Ms Bláithín McDonald

Senior Executive Officer, Policy (teaching & learning)

Ms Alexia Sammarco

Senior Executive Officer, North/South Research Programme

Ms Caroline Mahon

Senior Executive Officer, National Healthy Campus Coordinator

Ms Ruth McLaughlin

Executive Officer, Mental Health and Well Being Supports

Mr Shane Walshe

Executive Officer, Research Policy

Mr Michael Duffy

Senior Executive Officer, North/South Research Programme

Corporate Affairs / Human Resources and Accounts

Mr Padraic Mellett

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.

Ms Eilis Noonan

Senior Manager, Data Protection Officer, FOI & Records Management

Mr Brian Johnston

Senior Executive Officer, Facilities and Corporate Governance

Tel: +353 1 231 7120

Ms Karolina-Anna Siedlik

Senior Executive Officer, Human Resources

Tel: +353 1 231 7122

Mr Graham Barry

Clerical Officer, Reception

Mr Brian Reilly

Clerical Officer, Reception

IT

Mr Philip Mulvaney

Senior Executive Officer, IT

Mr Paul Leech

Executive Officer, IT

Services

Ms Caroline Curtis

Ms Bridget Kelly

Email our staff: first_name_initial surname @hea.ie

Organisation Chart July 2021

Employee Code of Conduct.

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