At the end of January, Aoife Prendergast and Anna-Marie Turley joined Gaisce’s Council, and now, in March, Orla Leahy has also become a part of this esteemed group. Their contributions and fresh perspectives will undoubtedly enrich the council’s work and mission for Gaisce – The President’s Award!
Check out all Gaisce Council Members on our team page:
https://www.gaisce.ie/meet-the-team/#gaisce-council
Aoife Prendergast
Aoife has undertaken a diverse breadth of work with a variety of client groups and settings. She has substantial academic lecturing and management experience in both the UK and Ireland in a variety of roles including her current position as Careers & Employability Manager for TUS Midwest, responsible for leading work placement and employability activities for undergraduate students in TUS campuses in Limerick, Co. Clare and Co. Tipperary. Prior to the commencement of this role, she was a Lecturer in the Department of Applied Social Sciences at TUS Midwest and Lecturer at TU Dublin, National Training Projects Co-ordinator and Community Health Co-ordinator for NHS Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK.
She was appointed as the Chief Editor of the European Journal of Social Education in October 2017. Aoife was selected as Secretary for the Irish Association of Social Care Educators (IASCE) 2015 -2019 and Secretary General and Irish representative on the European Social Education Board (FESET) from 2016 -2021. In 2021 she was selected as President of FESET.
Since 2020, Aoife has held the position of Secretary of the National Equality Council of the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI). Most recently, in 2021 Aoife was awarded the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning ‘Teaching Hero’ Award as well as the prestigious Shannon Region Ambassador Award in 2019 for contribution to conference delivery in Limerick by Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau and Fáilte Ireland. In 2018, Aoife was shortlisted for the Shannon Consortium Regional Teaching Excellence Award.
Anne-Marie Turley
Anna-Marie is Department Manager, Entrepreneurship & HPSU Operations at Enterprise Ireland. As part of her wider commitment to developing innovation and entrepreneurship in society, Anna-Marie is a regular judge at the BT Young Scientist, Ireland’s premier science competition for school children. She has also been a judge and business adviser to Enactus Ireland, a non-profit organization working with third level students to become change agents within their communities. A native of Monaghan, Anna-Marie holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Computer Science, an MBS in Management Information System from the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School and a MSc in Business Practice from UCC.
Orla Leahy
Orla is in her final year of the Bachelor of Civil Law (Law and Irish) in University College Cork. Orla was awarded the Quercus University (Academic) Scholarship for the College of Business and Law in 2021. During her time in UCC, she has travelled to Oulu, Finland, to undertake a Generations’ Lab with the European University of Cities in Post-Industrial Transition (UNIC). Orla has held the positions of News Editor and Irish Editor of the UCC Express, Internal Convenor and Conference Director of the UCC Law Society, and has hosted shows with UCC98.3FM. She has also volunteered as a Peer Support Leader. Orla interned in Criminal Justice Policy at the Department of Justice for the third year of her degree.
Orla is a Bronze, Silver, and Gold Gaisce Awardee, a former Gaisce Youth Leader, and a President’s Award Leader. Having achieved her Gold Award in 2020, Orla established and chaired the UCC Gaisce Project in 2021, a university wide initiative bringing together Gaisce participants and PALs, anchored under Civic and Community Engagement, with the aim of creating an opportunity for every student and staff member to engage in the President’s Award.