Paul O’Hara, Director Ashoka Ireland and Scandinavia
Based in Dublin, Paul is a director of Ashoka in Europe, having established Ashoka in Ireland and Scandinavia, launching key programmes in support of social entrepreneurs. Paul is also the founder of Change Nation and the Localizer process. Born and raised in the beautiful West of Ireland, Paul studied Commerce at NUI, Galway, Marketing at the Smurfit School of Business - University College Dublin, and spent the next five years working in various marketing and commercial roles at Unilever Bestfoods and Cadbury Schweppes. An entrepreneur since his teenage years, in 2005, Paul founded an award winning social business called The Hope Concept. Paul has represented his county and provence in several sports and other interests include travel, reading and cinema.
Kathryn O'Shea, Localizer Programme
A native of Co. Donegal, Kathryn is coordinator of the Ashoka Localizer Programme in Ireland working with leading social entrepreneurs from around the world to import their innovations to Ireland. A law graduate from NUI Galway, Kathryn previously worked with the Niall Mellon Township Trust, a charity housing initiative in South Africa and with the legal team of the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland. She is a graduate of the Washington Ireland Programme for Service and Leadership (2007) and twice volunteered in India with Suas Educational Development as part of their overseas programmmes. She was chairperson the Suas Society in NUI Galway 2006/2007 and received a special award from the Mayor of Galway and NUI Galway for volunteering and community service. She completed her Gaisce Gold medal award in 2009. Her interests include travel, reading, and Irish dancing.
Erin Fornoff, Venture Ireland and Scandinavia
Erin is Change Manager for Ashoka Ireland, managing the search and selection of new Ashoka Fellows in Ireland and Scandin avia and serving in a number of other roles for Change Nation and the organization. Before coming to Ireland, she served as a Field Organizer for Barack Obama's campaign in two states. Previously at Ashoka headquarters in Washington, DC, she organized Fellow collaborations on water, launching new initiatives in Africa, South America, and Asia, and helped launch a DVD project on the world's leading social entrepreneurs. A graduate of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, she founded a community garden and won a social entrepreneur fellowship to start a civic education programme in local primary schools. Erin served as an intern at the United Nations Poverty Eradication Unit, worked as a community organizer, and served as a homeless shelter night supervisor in Washington, DC. In Dublin she is a spoken word poet and coordinates a roof-top garden project at local shelter.
Conor Ward, Senior Entrepreneur
A graduate of Trinity College Dublin, Conor has worked with Ashoka on Marketing and Communications since late 2010. Prior to joining Ashoka, Conor was an intern at The Atlantic Philanthropies - one of Ireland’s largest philanthropic organisations and a leader in the field. He has also worked with Social Entrepreneurs Ireland and interned with Ashoka Fellow Caroline Casey’s Kanchi. Conor is an avid GAA player and musician.
Barry Flinn, Communications and PR
Barry is a UCD graduate with an MSc in Development Studies and BA in Psychology. Following his studies he spent 7 months travelling from Cairo to Cape Town, before returning home to manage the summer program for his family’s business, Free-Range Kids. Based out of their family farm in Croom, Co. Limerick, the company runs various projects linking children to nature. Most recently he worked as a filmmaker on an arts-based integration project in Limerick City, before joining the ChangeNation team as a PR/Communications Intern.
Sarah Bernstein, Event Design
Sarah studied Sociology and French at Boston College, where she also dedicated time to promoting local and sustainable foods on campus with student organization RealFoodBC. Continuing to pursue her love of food, she completed an independent micro study of the open-air market system while studying abroad in Madagascar. She moved to Istanbul to live and work after university and has recently joined Ashoka Ireland to contribute to the event planning and logistics of ChangeNation.
Serena Mizzoni, Change Executives
Serena Christina Mizzoni is the Founder and MD of GenePool and the Change Manager of the Askoka ChangeNation initiative. GenePool is a specialist graduate services business providing a range of services to graduates and employers including the recruitment for and management of internship and graduate programmes, contract and permanent jobs, performance support, career advice and coaching. Serena has a Diploma in Business and Industrial Relations, a BA Hons in HRM, an MBS in Business and HRM and is also CIPD accredited. At age 24, Serena has taken a tentative idea/vision for a graduate services business and created the beginnings of a business with huge potential. Serena has negotiated and secured a major partnership (The Undergraduate Awards), initial seed funding (First Step) and sales contracts with high growth companies, social enterprises and corporates. Serena's professional experience has primarily been within the human capital industry as she specialises in recruitment, training, development and consultancy.
Teresa Mooney, Event Management
Teresa is guiding the logistics and event management team for Change Nation. She serves as Event Management Director for Wilson Hartnell PR, and has supported Ashoka as a valued advisor for a number of years. She is a native of Greystones, County Wicklow.
Caroline Casey, Co-Creator
Caroline Casey is the Founder of Kanchi (formerly The Aisling Foundation) and the O2 Ability Awards and is also an international speaker and adventurer.A social entrepreneur, Caroline sits on the board for several government, business and not-for-profit organisations. Since setting up The Aisling Foundation in 2000, with the aim of enhancing the relationship between disability and society, Caroline has received several high profile awards in recognition of her work worldwide. She was the first Irish person to be appointed a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum in 2006 and was awarded an honorary doctorate from NUI Ireland in the same year. In 2006 she also became the first Ashoka fellow from Ireland and the UK and received the Eisenhower Fellowship. In 2007, Caroline was invited back to the World Economic Forum in Davos, where she presented on a variety of issues relating to the area of disability. A former management consultant with Accenture, Caroline is visually impaired to the degree that she is registered as legally blind.
John Concannon, Co-creator
John is Director of Market Development for Failte Ireland, Ireland’s National Tourism Development Authority. He also serves as Chairman of COPE Galway, a non profit organization. John’s past positions include CEO of Ireland West Tourism, which merged with Failte Ireland. He was Marketing Manager and Brand Manager at Unilever, and served as Marketing Executive for Dunbarry Ireland. He was selected as “Marketer of the Year” in 2010 for his “Ireland: The Fun Starts Here” campaign. Educated at NUI Galway, he lives in the west of Ireland and has three children.
Learn more about our team of Change Executives, who are helping us bring 50 Proven Solutions to change our nation.
Learn more about Ashoka's staff on our Europe Team, Global Team, Senior Leadership Team, and Global Board of Directors.
