Our Staff and Board
Learn more about the people who work for TENI and serve on its Board of Directors.
TENI's Staff
Broden Giambrone (Director)
Broden has extensive experience working within trans communities in Canada, and has co-founded and served on Steering Committees of voluntary organisations (including Trans PULSE and the Gay/Bi/Queer Trans Men HIV Prevention Working Group). His areas of focus include education/training, resource development, knowledge exchange and research.
Broden completed a Bachelor’s in Sociology and holds a Master’s in Public Health (Health Promotion) from the University of Toronto, which focused on Community Development and Policy development in the field of trans health.
He has been published in the Journal of Community Psychology, Action Research Journal, BMC Family Practice and the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies.
Vanessa Lacey (Development Worker)
Vanessa has a background in community development, training and education, media engagement and support -- with particular interest in family support. She has a foundation certificate in counselling and has recently attained a BA Hon Degree in Psychology from the Waterford Institute of Technology.
Vanessa is founder of TranSE and Waterford’s transgender support group, and is Chairperson of sOUTh. She was voted LGBT person of the year in the South-East in 2011. Vanessa is also a proud parent.
TENI's Board
Sara Phillips (Chair)
Sara Phillips is the Dublin Trans Peer Support Group facilitator since 2011 and has been involved with the group since its first meeting in April 2005. Sara has been involved with the Trans community for over 20 years and has been a member of TENI since its inception in 2006. She has extensive experience & education in group facilitation and support mechanisms. She is presently National Sales Manager Ireland for an American, multinational, construction coatings company. She has experience in international business, company management and previously ran her own businesses in the construction and entertainment industries. She is also a proud parent of 3 adult children.
Louise Hannon (Vice-Chair)
Louise Hannon has been involved in Transgender advocacy for over ten years. She was Community Development Director of Dublin Pride Ltd. where she served for three years. She ran her own limited company for a number of years and has been heavily involved in equality and human rights issues. She is a steering group member of the Equality and Rights Alliance. She is a member of Labour Equality Co-coordinating Council and is currently co chair of Labour LGBT. She is a professional photographer.
Victoria Mullen (Treasurer)
Victoria has three years experience in previously representing TENI from 2006 to 2008, serving as Chairperson and Chief Executive. During that period, she successfully organised a project which saw each G.P. in the State receiving for the first time information on Trans Health Issues and relevant contacts to help any trans patients they may see. She spoke on many occasions on Trans issues including presenting the Trans experience of the HSE at the Trans Health Symposium in 2008. She has also represented TENI abroad at E.U. Level.
Ben Power (Secretary)
Ben has been a co-facilitator of the Cork Trans Group since April 2010. He is a volunteer member of staff in The Other Place LGBT Café and Resource Centre and has been involved in the organisation and running of several community events in Cork including the 2011 Rebel Awards Ceremony. Ben has also recently joined an LGBT community radio show as their Trans representative.
Claire Farrell
Claire is a transgender woman who co-founded the first official trans group in Ireland known as 'Friends of Eon' in the early 80's. provided a dedicated phone line from her office to enable people to make contact. Owner of own business for 19 years from 1973-1992 Was Chief Executive of a national charity until retirement in 2010. Been a political activist and elected councillor in the 1980's and 90's. Has considerable experience of business and NGO work and a keen interest in trans rights and is a former member of Fundraisng Ireland, a professional body for fundraisers. Appeared on several RTE television programmes and radio in the 80's and delivered speeches at seminars to the Samaritans and others.
Laura Finlay
Laura is currently studying Arts International (French and English) in University College Dublin. She has been a part of the student LGBT movement since starting in UCD in 2006. Since that time she has been on the USI LGBT Working Group, was the auditor of the UCD LGBT society, two time LGBT Rights Officer for UCD Students Union, the LGBT Rights Officer for the Union of Students in Ireland and is a former board member of Dublin LGBTQ Pride, where she served as the parade director. She recently became a part of the LGBT Noise team. Laura was the volunteer co-ordinator for the 4th European Transgender Conference. Laura wants to keep working with LGBT Societies to raise awareness of trans* issues.
Leslie Hannon
Dr Leslie Hannon is a medical graduate of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He is a Member of The Royal College of Physicians Ireland (MRCPI) and currently engaged in post-graduate MSc research at Trinity College Dublin. Leslie is a founding member and has been chairperson of Gay Doctors Ireland since the beginning of 2012.
Lee Jollans
Lee Jollans has been involved in both student politics and LGBTQ activism since moving to Ireland. Lee is currently an undergraduate Psychology student in UCD. In their position as the LGBT Rights Co-Ordinator for the Students’ Union Lee is in close contact with young trans* people every day. In 2012 Lee established the UCD Student peer support group for transgender students, and has initiated a number of other campaigns focusing on the needs of transgender students on campus.
Anna MacCarthy
Anna is a qualified solicitor. She has been an organiser with LGBT Noise since 2008. Anna is a board member of Marriage Equality. She has volunteered in fundraising and event management for Dublin LGBTQ Pride. Anna served as auditor of the LGB Society while at University College Cork and as a member of the Union of Students in Ireland's LGBT Working Group.
Conor Malone
Conor has wide-ranging experience running non-profit organisations, planning national events, and engaging with public bodies and private groups. Having studied at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, University of Groningen, University College London, and University of Ulster, he now works as a medical doctor and researcher. Conor has a special interest in LGBT healthcare and is co-founder and chair of Gay Doctors Ireland.
Darrin Matthews
Darrin has been the facilitator of the Cork Trans* Peer Support Group since April 2010 and is the youngest facilitator of a trans group in Ireland. He has done significant work with the media to highlight trans issues such as Midweek on TV3 and was featured in “Touching The Surface: Trans Voices in Ireland”. Darrin served on the committee of the Cork Rebel Awards 2012 and has facilitated many trans awareness trainings.
Tanya Ní Mhuirthile
Tanya is a graduate of University College Cork (BCL 2000, LLB 2005, PhD 2010) and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (MDra 2002). Her doctoral research was entitled ‘Intersex Individuals, Gender and the Limits of Law.’ She has presented her research at several international conferences and has also been interviewed about her work by the popular media. Her research focuses on gender theory, human rights law, medical law, the legal recognition of gender identities and the legality of consent to bodily modifications. Tanya is a Senior Lecturer in the Law Faculty at Griffith College Dublin.
Adrienne Smith
MA (Health and Social Care Management) has extensive senior management experience across the housing, refugee, health and social care sectors. Adrienne currently works as National Policy & Social Care Lead for an Irish disabilities organisation. Adrienne's past experience includes consultancy and directorship of organisation change programmes for Adult Social Care Services in UK local authorities and National Adult Social Care Lead for a UK charity. Adrienne is presently a board member of a national housing association and chair of a parent bereavement charity.
Simon Stewart
Simon is one of the Directors of SAIL (Support, Acceptance, Information, Learning) a community interest company based in the north. As part of his role he advocates on T issues to key stakeholders in specific areas such as; health care provision, especially for young people and adolescents; law and policy focusing on human rights, equality and trans inclusion in a wide range of areas from education provision for young T individuals, to respect and equality in the workplace. Simon holds a BA Hons Broadcast Production degree from Falmouth College of Arts and has published one children’s book.
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