Anastasia Crickley, Chairperson, NCCRI
Anastasia Crickley is a lecturer at the Centre for Applied Social Studies, National University of Ireland, Maynooth where she has played a lead role in the development of professional education and training schemes for community and youth work at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. A key feature of the programmes is commitment to participation by students from the disadvantaged and marginalized communities including Travellers where community and youth workers work. She is a member of the Governing Authority of the University and has played an active role in promoting equality, diversity and interculturalism on campus.
Anastasia, with her late husband, John O Connell and others, is a founder member of Pavee Point Travellers Centre and of the National Travellers Women's Forum. Recently she was elected as the first Chairperson of the European Fundamental Rights Agency based in Vienna. She was previously Chairperson of the European Union Centre for Monitoring Racism and Xenophobia. During her tenure the remit of the Centre was extended to monitoring human rights as well as racism. She was previously a founder member and Irish delegate to the European Network on Racism, an EU wide NGO. She has also recently been appointed Special Rapporteur on Racism by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Philip Watt, Director
Philip Watt has been Director of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI) since 1998. He was previously seconded to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to help draft the National Action Plan Against Racism (2003) and to coordinate European Year Against Racism (1997). Born in Belfast, he is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin (B.A. (Mod) History, 1984) and a postgraduate of the University of Ulster (M.SC Social Policy, Planning and Administration, 1993).
He has written extensively on racism and interculturalism. For example, he is the joint or of 'Responding to Racism in Ireland, (2001) published by Veritas; Migration Policy in Ireland, (2002) published by the NCCRI and 'Racism in Northern Ireland' (1992) published by the Committee on the Administration of Justice. He has worked closely with EU organisations, including the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia.
He is a member of the Internet Advisory Board (2004). Previously he was a member of the Board of Directors of Area Development Management (1993-1997); member of the Board of Directors of the Tallaght Partnership (1992-1997); Chairperson of the Northern Ireland Council for the Homeless (1991-1992) and President of TCD Students Union (1986).
Atinuke Achioya, Administrative Officer, Synergy Project
Atinuke Achioya arrived in Ireland 2000. She holds diploma in Architecture obtained from the Ogun State Polytechnic in Nigeria, Certificate in Community Drama obtained from University College Dublin and Higher Certificate in Community Development obtained from the Dundalk Institute of Technology in Ireland. She has undertaken training with various community organisations within the North and South of Ireland. She enjoys being an active member of the community which explains her involvement in numerous community works on voluntary and part time basis. She has worked on various community based projects and liaised with various community organizations where she was involved with training and organising cultural events that assist the minority groups to integrate with the wider community. Aside being one of the founding members of the Louth African women's Support Group and the pioneer of the group's drama outfit, she is also an affiliate member of the Nation Women’s Council of Ireland and a member of the Louth County Community and Voluntary Forum. Atinuke recently received an award from the United Nations Refugee Agency on Art and Culture in recognition of her contribution to Louth African Women's Support Group (LAWSG) as the secretary and for her role in the integration of women with the society through drama.
Benedicta Attoh, Development and Public Awareness Officer
Benedicta is currently a Director of the Africa Centre and a member of the Louth African Women’s Support Group. She is the Dundalk branch Coordinator of the Integration of African Children (IACI) in Ireland, a multicultural youth club. She was an Advisory Board member of the NCCRI Synergy North/South Intercultural Initiative from early 2005 until her appointment as Development and Awareness Officer in June 2006.
Benedicta holds a degree in Business Education obtained from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in Nigeria and an MSc in Future Communications obtained from the Dundalk Institute of Technology in Ireland. She has spoken at several local, national and international conferences and seminars and was a member of the editorial committee of the NGO Alliance who successfully collated a Shadow Report on racism in response to the Irish Government’s first and second reports and presented same to the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in Geneva in March 2005. She stood as an Independent Candidate in both the Dundalk Urban and Louth County Councils at the local elections in June 2004.
Sinead Cullinan, Finance Officer
Sinead Cullinan has worked with the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI) since May 2005. Sinead has previously worked as an administrator in Mellow Spring Childcare Development Centre Ltd (part funded by The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform) and also worked for many years in the private sector. Sinead has a Degree in Business Studies from Dundalk Institute of Technology, and a Teacher Training Diploma in IT (Skills).
Joe Leneghan, Regional Development Officer, Synergy Project
Joe joined the staff team in December 2004 and is responsible for the implementation of the NCCRI's new Synergy Project, a North/South intercultural initiative for the border counties of Ireland and Northern Ireland. He is currently on secondment from the Equality Commission for NI where he was responsible for information, research, the grants programme in the Race Development Unit as well as providing ongoing support to black and minority ethnic and Traveller support groups in the north. Joe also directed the Equality Commission's Public Sector Statutory Duty Team in the implementation of Section 75 of the NI Act 1998 and in the development and approval of public authorities first Equality Schemes under the Act.
Prior to the formation of the Equality Commission in 1999 Joe was responsible for the former Commission for Racial Equality NI's Information and Research and Education and Promotion functions. Previous to this he worked for the former Fair Employment Commission in a range of positions in their Legal, Advice and Information and General Operations Departments. From 1978-1990 he worked as a Community Worker for Belfast City Council based in West Belfast.
Zoe Thompson, Administrative Officer, NCCRI
Zoe Thompson joined the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism as Administrative Officer in June 2006. Before working for the NCCRI, Zoe worked in the private sector in administrative support and office managment. She holds a BA in Greek and Roman Civilisation and Mathematical Studies from NUI Maynooth, and a FETAC level 5 Moduel in Manual and Computerized Bookkeeping.
Fiona McGaughey, Research and Policy Officer, NCCRI
Fiona McGaughey is Research and Policy Officer with the NCCRI. Fiona has an honours degree in Law with French from Queen's University of Belfast and a Masters in Human Rights Practice from Curtin University in Western Australia. Her previous post was Substantive Equality Project Officer with the Equal Opportunity Commission in Perth, Western Australia. Fiona was also a board member of the Centre for Advocacy Support and Education for Refugees in Perth. In 2005, she coordinated and presented the Australian NGO report to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Fiona formerly worked in the private sector in Dublin with Andersen Consulting (Accenture) and Smurfit.
Kensika Monshengwo, Training & Resource Officer
The NCCRI Training and Resource Unit was set up in April 2000 with the appointment of Kensika Monshengwo as the Training and Resource Officer. Kensika was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (former Zaire) and holds a postgraduate degree from the Sorbonne in Paris (1995). He has lived in Canada, France, Switzerland, USA, Belgium and Ireland and has extensive experience in anti-racism awareness raising. He has undertaken training with various statutory and non-statutory bodies including the department of enterprise trade and Employment, the Equality Authority, the Equality Tribunal, the Refugee Appeals Tribunal and a variety of health boards, hospitals and government departments.
Kensika Monshengwo is currently a board member of Calypso Theatre Company (2004) and the Chairperson of the Association of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Ireland (since 2000). In the past he sat on the board of the Irish Refugee Council (2002 2003) and Comhlamh (1998-2000) and he is also a founding member of the Congo Solidarity Group (1998).
Kate Morris, Communications Officer with Special Responsibility for Education
Kate joined the NCCRI team in 2005. She has studied History and Human Rights Law at UCD and has an MA in Communication studies from DCU. Kate previously worked as Foundation and Communications Development Officer at the National Office for Educate Together, the multi-denominational education sector in Ireland, meeting a growing need in Irish society for schools that recognise the developing diversity of Irish life. Kate has also worked at the National Institute for Demographic Studies (INED) in Paris on an EU Commission and Marie Curie funded inter-european university research project on the integration and educational experience of second generation migrants in 8 EU countries.
Jennifer Wallace, Community Development Officer
Jennifer Wallace worked as a training and resource officer between 2002-2005 and is now the Community Development Officer for the NCCRI. She has a MA in Community Development from the National University of Ireland, Galway and has worked previously in the community and voluntary sector. Before working with the NCCRI, Jennifer worked with An Siol community Development Project where she had responsibility for developing initiatives to support Refugees and Asylum Seekers who had recently arrived in the North Inner City. This work had a specific focus on women. Jennifer was on the Board of the North West Inner City Women's Network and the North West Inner City Area Network. She was instrumental in establishing the North Inner City Intercultural Forum.
Karla Charles, Research and Policy Officer
Karla is Research and Policy Officer with the NCCRI, and has responsibility for the RAXEN work on behalf of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency. She studied at Trinity College and the Honourable Society of King’s Inns, and holds a Master’s in Human Rights Law (LL.M., London). She previously worked with the Refugee Council (London), the Prisoner’s Race Discrimination Unit (London), a Racial Equality Council (London), and was Senior Policy Development Officer with the Children’s Commissioner for England (11 Million). Karla is fluent in French and holds a Licentiate of the Royal College of Music (LRSM, England) in violin performance.
Carina Fitzgerald, Community Development Worker
Carina Fitzgerald is a Community Development Officer at NCCRI. She has a B.A. in Community Studies from NUI Maynooth and NUI Maynooth Certificate in Counseling Skills. Carina has worked as a voluntary and paid tutor with the VEC and also worked as Community worker with Finglas Cabra Partnership. Prior to joining the NCCRI in July 2007, she worked as a Development Officer with the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice where she facilitated Voter Education workshops with diverse community groups around Ireland and promoted participation in the democratic process. She has lived in Australia, the USA and London. She is currently studying for a Degree in Counselling & Psychotherapy.
