People

Patricia Rickard-Clarke

Chair

Patricia Rickard-Clarke is a  former Commissioner of the Law Reform Commission. In addition to her role as Chair of Sage Advocacy clg, Patricia chairs Safeguarding Ireland clg.

She was  a member of the HSE’s National Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act Steering Group preparing for the implementation of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 and a member of the National Disability Authority’s Expert Group developing the non-health care codes of practice for the 2015 Act and is currently a member of Department of Health’s Protection of Liberty Safeguards Expert Advisory Group.

From 2012 to 2016 she was a member of the Council of the Hospice Foundation and of its Think Ahead Project Advisory Group of the Forum on End of Life. She was a member of the Council of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland from 2013 – 2017.Patricia is a Fellow of the Institute of Banking.   She has received the Public Sector Lay Lawyer of the Year Award, Special Merit in the Law Award and was named Women’s Lawyer of the Year by the Irish Women’s Lawyer Association.  In 2017, Patricia was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate from UCD to acknowledge her important contribution to legislative reform and healthcare practice transformation in Ireland and her collaboration with the National Centre for the Protection of Older People at UCD. 

Vice Admiral (Rtd) Mark Mellett DSM PhD

Deputy Chair

Mark Mellett Vice Adm (Rtd) DSM PhD

On retirement as Chief of the Irish Defence Forces after over forty years’ service, Admiral Mellett launched Green Compass advising on the complexities of today’s strategic environment advocating in particular for leadership in sustainability.

He is a lifetime fellow and Council member of the Irish Management Institute and Chair of the Advisory Council of the Azure Forum for Contemporary Security Strategy. Holder of a PhD in Ocean Governance and a Masters in Government and Public Policy he is an Adjunct Professor of Law at University College Cork.

He was distinguished top graduate of each of his senior command and staff courses at the US, UK and in Ireland. He is a recipient of two distinguished service medals with distinction and honour from the Irish Government.

Bríd de Buitléar

Company Secretary

Bríd is an IT and Business Operations leader with 29 years of experience in the Tech Sector. Bríd graduated with a BSc in Biotechnology from DCU before taking up employment with Accenture as a Management Information Consultant from 1990 to 1994. Most recently Bríd spent 24 years working at Microsoft and held a number of both Technical and Business leadership roles.

Bríd is a PMP certified member of the Project Management Institute and has completed the Professional Diploma in Strategy Development and Innovation at the UCD Smurfit Graduate Business School (results pending). She is currently enrolled in the Institute of Directors Chartered Director Programme due to complete in October 2020.

Eoin Kennelly

Trustee

Eoin is a director of Kennelly Tax Advisors.  Eoin worked with Price Waterhouse in Dublin from 1981 to 1985.  In 1985 Eoin joined Coopers & Lybrand in Dublin where he was director of Personal Tax Services.  Eoin left Coopers & Lybrand in 1997 when he and Kieran Twomey established Kennelly & Twomey Limited which de-merged into KTA in 2010.

From 1996 to 2002, Eoin was a member of the Technical Committee in the Irish Taxation Institute.  Eoin has been asked on numerous occasions to speak at the annual conferences of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and the Irish Taxation Institute.

From 2004 Eoin has been the author of numerous articles in specialist taxation journals including the Irish Taxation Institute’s bi-monthly journal, The Irish Tax Review.

Helen Burke

Trustee

Helen Burke is a Senior Manager with 20 years’ experience in research & organisational management, team leadership and strategy implementation across academia and industry.  She is currently Senior Research Officer in Dublin City University.

Helen has broad and deep expertise in engaging with national and international funding agencies, companies and charities.  She has significant experience in strategy and policy formulation & implementation, operations & financial management, team management, mentorship, leadership and stakeholder engagement.

Helen was awarded a BSc in Applied Science with French from DIT/Trinity College Dublin in 1999 and a PhD in Physics from Dublin City University in 2006. She is a PRINCE2-qualified project manager and is Institute of Leadership & Management-certified.

Tim Dalton

Trustee

Tim Dalton served as Secretary General of the Department of Justice and Equality from 1993 to 2004. During that time he was a member of a small team of senior civil servants who, together with their British Government counterparts and in consultation with political parties, engaged in the background work that supported the search for peace in Northern Ireland in the period leading up to and following the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

In that regard he was instrumental in advancing progress on security and justice matters including in relation to decommissioning and the arrangements to address the position of paramilitary prisoners. Following his retirement from the Civil Service Mr. Dalton undertook a variety of assignments in the public and private sectors.

Doreen Shivnen

Trustee

Doreen Shivnen is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin (with a degree in history), and after study at the Honorable Society of King's Inns, was called to the Bar in 1992. 

In her practice as a barrister in civil litigation she has a particular interest in probate and estates, and issues of legal capacity.

Greg Price

Trustee

Greg Price was Director of Advocacy and Assistant National Director in the Quality Improvement Division of the HSE with responsibility for partnering with patients, service users, families and carers prior to his retirement in 2021.  Greg has a Masters in Business Administration from the Open University and an LLB from Griffith College.  He qualified as a Barrister in 2010 and is also an accredited mediator. 

Bill Lloyd

Trustee

Simonetta Ryan

Trustee

Simonetta Ryan is a former Assistant Secretary General at the Department of Social Protection. During her career she served in various Government Departments - including Finance, Health and Social Protection. She has wide ranging experience at national and international level in public institutions, governance and policy making and implementation in the public sector particularly in social policy.  She has a BA Moderatorship focused in History and political science from Trinity College Dublin. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of Jigsaw.

Mervyn Taylor

CEO

Mervyn Taylor is providing management support to Sage Advocacy.  He has been centrally involved in the development of a range of innovative projects, programmes and organisations in the voluntary, public and private sectors over many decades.  One such programme won the Taoiseach’s award for Public Service Innovation. 

He has at various times been Director of MS Ireland, CEO of the MS Care Foundation, Manager of Planning & Organisation with the National Social Service Board (now Citizens Information Board), Director of Pathfinder Projects, Programme Manager of Hospice Friendly Hospitals Programme and Executive Director of Sage Advocacy.  He is currently a director of Safeguarding Ireland.  He has studied at Trinity College Dublin, the Open University & Cranfield School of Management.

Bibiana Savin

Case Management & Support (Asst. CEO)

Originally from Romania, Bibiana has been living in Ireland since 2003 and is currently the Assistant Executive Director – Case Management & Support with Sage Advocacy, an organization that provides advocacy and support services to older people, vulnerable adults, and healthcare patients. 

Bibiana has social work, sociology, business studies, and advocacy qualifications and also holds a Master of Social Science (Human Rights & Social Policy) from Maynooth University. She completed additional training in Leading Strategic Projects Programme with Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and DIPEx International Accreditation with Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford.

Bibiana is a Patient & Public Interest (PPI) Representative on a number of national forums such as the Irish Hip Fracture Governance Committee in the National Office for Clinical Audit, HSE Patient & Service User Forum, and the Emergency Department Taskforce. She is also a member of the HSE Mental Health Engagement & Recovery Subgroup for Sharing the Vision Recommendation 65 Project, the Irish Gerontological Society Executive Committee, and the UCD PPI Ignite Executive Committee.

At a local level, Bibiana was a Secretariat member on the social inclusion pillar of the South Dublin Public Participation Network (SDCPPN) for six years and is currently representing SDCPPN on the Local Community Development Committee.

Mary Warren

Operations & Governance (Asst. CEO)

As service administrator Mary is responsible for overseeing administrative systems for Sage. Prior to joining the organisation, Mary worked for Lisney in Property Management and Fixed Charge Receivership. She was also the Executive Assistant to the Managing Director.

Mary previously worked in financial services and has several years’ customer service and administration experience. She has participated in a number of mentor programmes and in research of the use of precision teaching in schools.

Thérèse McKenna

Planning & Projects Manager

Thérèse McKenna has a professional background in visual communications; in copywriting for non-profit campaigning, positioning, outreach and fundraising; and in newspaper journalism. Her primary degree is in Law. She has voluntary experience in an advice and advocacy role with the NI Refugee Support Service in Barnardos and the Marsh Trust awarded her as NI Volunteer of the Year 2022 for this work.

Lisa O'Connor

Regional Manager

Before being appointed as a Regional Advocate, Lisa’s role as Information and Support Assistant involved providing an information and support service to callers to Sage and to assist in the development and coordination of the support services of Sage Advocacy in relation to both general and patient advocacy.

Prior to joining Sage, Lisa worked for three years for the Dublin based charity Friends of the Elderly, working as their older persons contact coordinator. Lisa has recently completed a MSc in Occupational Therapy in Queen Margaret University Edinburgh. She also holds a BA in History and Human Development from Dublin City University.

Martina Durkan

Regional Advocate

Caroline Hanley

Regional Advocate (on Maternity Leave)

Caroline began working with Sage in June 2016.

Caroline worked for over 10 years in Boston for an Employee Assistance Program where she coordinated drug testing, mental health and substance abuse services for employees of large construction unions and their families. She also has many years’ experience as a home care worker for the elderly, both in private residences and assisted living facilities.

Since returning from Boston in 2014, Caroline worked as a Family Carer Support Officer for Family Carers Ireland in Wexford. While there she established a Volunteer Befriending program, coordinated respite care for the elderly and developed support groups and training for family carers.

Caroline completed a BA in Public and Social Policy and a Higher Diploma in Health Promotion both at NUIG and a Graduate Certificate in Forensic Services at the University of Massachusetts. Caroline became a volunteer Sage Representative in 2015.

Elaine Howley

Regional Advocate

Emer Meighan

Regional Advocate

Prior to joining Sage, Emer worked as a Development Officer with The Irish Hospice Foundation. Emer worked on ‘A Journey of Change’ programme which was designed to improve end-of-life care in nursing homes and residential settings, she worked on the ‘Hospice Friendly Hospitals’ programme which seeks to ensure that end of life, palliative and bereavement care is central to the everyday business of hospitals and the ‘Design & Dignity’ programme which transforms the way hospital spaces are designed for people at the end of life and their families.

Before joining The Irish Hospice Foundation Emer worked for a number of years with adults with physical and intellectual disabilities. She worked as independent creative arts psychotherapist for a number of organisations on a freelance bases and was responsible in supporting people to reflect on their own lives and support them self-advocate.

Emer holds a Masters of Drama-psychotherapy from NUI Maynooth, a Post Graduate Diploma in Arts in Healthcare Settings, Adult and Community Education from NUI Maynooth and a BA of Sociology & Linguistics from UCD.

Sorcha McCauley

Regional Advocate

Regional Advocate (Vacant)