Áine Kerr is co-founder and COO of technology start-up Kinzen. She is a former primary school teacher, former Global Head of Journalism Partners at Facebook in New York, former Managing Editor at social media news agency Storyful, and former political correspondent with Irish newspapers. Áine is also an accredited Executive Coach and is the host of the business show Reignite on RTÉ Radio One and guest presenter of The Business on RTÉ Radio One.

She is a board member with Gaisce; the President of Ireland’s Award earned by young people. A Fellow of the Sulzberger Leadership Program in Columbia University, NYC, Áine has a Masters in Journalism (MAJ) and Bachelor of Education (B’Ed) with Dublin City University [DCU].

But her most important job in life is ultimately being Mammy to her little Boss Lady and Chief Negotiator Anna (age 4 going on 14).

Dr. Tom Clonan is a retired army officer, university lecturer, and recently elected Senator to Seanad Éireann. Tom has campaigned to end gender-based discrimination and gender-based violence in the Irish armed forces and was a member of the HEA Expert Group on ending bullying, sexual violence, and sexual harassment in Irish universities. Tom has written two best-selling books about his experiences in the army in the Middle East and former Yugoslavia.

Unusual fact:  Tom has also performed as a lead dancer in the award-winning ‘Soldier Still’ – an exploration of trauma and grief written and choreographed by the dance theatre company Junk Ensemble.  He has four adult and teenage children and is an advocate for children and young adults with disabilities.

Vivienne is currently Head of Public Affairs, RTÉ, having previously held a number of different Communication roles there also. Prior to joining RTÉ she worked within the voluntary sector for Early Childhood Ireland and Barretstown.

She has recently qualified with an MSc in Management Practice from the Irish Management Institute and has just completed a short course in business and climate change at the Cambridge Institute of Sustainable Leadership.

She is a member of the Purpose Disruptors Irish chapter, exploring ways in which the marketing and communications industry can positively influence action on the climate crisis.  She is also a Steering Group member of the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal which has raised over €13 milllion to date for children’s charities, and an occasional assessor for Social Entrepreneurs Ireland.

Valarie is the lead Partner of Human Capital Advisory at Deloitte. Prior to Deloitte, Valarie was the owner of a small consultancy firm and also the HC Director within an international Bank. Valarie is also an accredited Executive Coach and spends a lot of time working with leadership teams on their people and talent strategies.

Valarie is a member of the Partner Council at Deloitte and also a sponsor for the Neurodiversity network within the firm. Valarie has a Masters in Business Studies (Mgmt & Organisation Studies) from UCD and a Bachelor of Commerce from NUI Galway.

Valarie has 3 amazing kids, Oscar 15, Evie 14 and Roly 12 so in the midst of all things teen. She also has a cheeky cocker spaniel, Loki and a very cute rabbit called Boo. Valarie is passionate about travelling, cooking and socialising with her friends.  Valarie loves an adventure, so jumping off buildings, sleeping in the Arctic, and swimming the Atlantic is right up her street.

Gillian is an entrepreneur who brought the Flying Tiger Copenhagen brand to Ireland and then to the USA.  Before this, she worked for the Special Olympics World Summer Games – the best job she ever had! Mum to Kate and John, she loves to drink tea and chat, and is mad for all things chocolate!

Antoinette currently works as the Regulatory Lead at the Central Bank of Ireland, and has years experience in regulation, governance, banking and diversity and inclusion.

Despite the fact that Antoinette is obsessed with policies and procedures, she is also the best craic of all time.

Kathryn has years of experience as a Chartered Management Accountant and the co-founder and director of Dairy Direct.

Nisha is an actuary with several years of experience in the finance industry working in the US, London and Dublin. She has a keen interest in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with a specific focus on gender equality and climate change. She hopes to use her skills to tackle these goals by working with like-minded individuals to create a positive social impact. She is currently on the Irish FinBiz 2030 Task Force and is an Engagement Manager with the platform Impact Consulting. She is passionate about women’s rights, the importance of education and helping female students and professionals realise their full potential.
Nisha loves to travel any chance she can get and is always looking forward to the next adventure.

Susan is an event specialist who has consulted across various domestic and international summits including the Dublin Tech Summit, The Business Show, Sustainability Summit and AIB Future Sparks Festival. Producing, curating and seeing an event come together from concept through to fruition is her speciality! With a commercial focus, Susan drives sponsorship campaigns and manages large scale event budgets and teams.

In her spare time is also a director of TeamTalk Technology services and mum to two teenage girls, and of course Daisy Duke, the Cavachon who is the real head of the family!

Katherine is the beloved 4th Year Head at the Presentation Secondary School in Waterford. She is passionate about making sure every girl reached their potential and is an amazing role model to the students she works with.

Katherine is an avid runner and a pretty good soccer player too!

Ellen graduated from WIT with a Bachelor of Business degree with a specialisation in Marketing and has most recently graduated from SETU with a Master in Science in Digital Marketing Practice. She assists in many aspects of The Shona Project but her main responsibility is The Shona Project’s digital marketing platforms and managing the relationships with many teachers, schools and other Shona Community members. Ellen has a passion for all things digital marketing and the power in using it to share the organisation’s story.

In her spare time, Ellen can be found drinking coffee out of one of the many many mugs in her collection. She could also give Dr.Dolittle a run for his money so, if you see her chatting away to animals, it’s totally normal!

Natasha is from Co. Down but has been living in Dublin/ Wicklow for several years. She loves learning new things and holds a MA in History, is a Professional Master of Education and has recently completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
She has worked in banking, project management, and teaching and has now landed her dream job with us! Natasha has been volunteering with non-profit organisations since she was 16 and has always had a passion for women’s rights. She commenced a voluntary role with us in 2022 and is now a fully-fledged member of the core Shona team.
On Saturday’s, you’ll find Natasha trawling charity shops for new outfits or barefoot, under a tree, engrossed in a good book.
Natasha is a firm believer in marching to the beat of your own drum. You will be told what you ‘should do’ with your life but only you will know the path that is right for you. Work hard and never let anyone kick dust on your sparkle!

Judith reigns from Waterford, in the Southeast of Ireland. She’s a lover of fashion, spoken word, music, people, and the ocean! She is currently studying psychology and counselling. Prior to
commencing her studies last year, she was a professional singer/dancer turned entertainment director for CCL, touring the world and sailing the open seas performing on cruise ships. She’s a believer that the strongest card in the deck of cards of your life is your authenticity -so shine on my friends, and always be unapologetically yourself x

Steph works as a counsellor and has first-hand knowledge of the challenges that our teenage girls are facing. Steph loves hearing people’s stories; their journeys and how they came to be where they’re at. Her style of counselling is person-centered, integrative, and intuitive. You can check out her website here where she offers both in-person counselling but also online resources to help you manage if you are going through a bit of a rocky patch.

Steph is the best listener and has the kindest eyes you’ve ever seen x

Emma Baker is the Founder and Director of Aspire Agency. A consultancy agency set out with the ambition to work with clients and projects passionate about making a difference.

With over 15 years of experience producing events in Ireland and internationally, Emma’s career has seen her work on every aspect of events. Her focus is always on ensuring the guests’ experience is as enjoyable and impactful as possible. She has an invested interest in working within education on topics that impact the youth of today – so to join the Shona team as Event Director of Shine Festival, is the perfect fit!

Off duty, Emma has a passion for personal development and is a true believer in the power of mindfulness and meditation.

Freya may be young, but she is fiercely passionate about girls following their dreams and being whoever, they want to be. She can often be found smiling sweetly at boys on the soccer pitch before flattening them. Having struggled with her mental health over the past 2 years, she is more driven than ever to help girls in any way she can. The future CEO of The Shona Project? We think so! Tammy better watch out!

Aoife is an artist and writer from Laois with a passion for sustainable fashion and global development. Having been diagnosed with autism at the age of 7 and hEDS (a rare connective tissue disorder) aged 15, she is an outspoken activist for the rights of disabled people. In her spare time, she loves to listen to music and crochet!

Aoife is 23 years old and a recent business and marketing graduate from SETU, where she joined the Shona team in 2021 as a marketing intern, as part of her work experience in college. Annnd since then, we’ve been delighted for her to stick around.

In her spare time, she can be found chilling playing Animal Crossing, or out for her daily stroll! My favourite season is summer but my favourite time of year is Christmas. My favourite colour is pink 😊

Órna Murray joined the team as an ambassador at the start of 2020 and instantly knew she wanted to be part of The Shona Project. She has a master’s in Health Psychology and a degree in Applied Psychology, but her genius zone is open communication and physical activity. She’s sports-obsessed and shares her passion and enthusiasm with as many young women as possible. A 500h trained yoga teacher and ocean lover, Órna is always up for an adventure. She also runs a project ‘Move2B’ with her sister.

Tara is 25 and has just started college as a mature student studying psychology. She is incredibly passionate about mental health and likes to talk about it at any chance she gets to try and help break the stigma attached to mental health problems! Tara also makes YouTube videos and has a podcast called One Too Many, both of which can either feature her talking about serious topics or just her talking pure nonsense, no in-between!

Destiny is passionate about promoting storytelling and shared experiences as a way to encourage others to share their own experiences. She believes that stigma and shame hold us back when we should be celebrated as survivors of trauma. Destiny is studying Social Science and is a talented writer.

Emma, from County Kilkenny, is passionate about equality, human rights and politics, and aims to create a world in which everyone has equal access to opportunities and support. She battled with anxiety for a few years after her parent’s divorce, and now uses her new-found strength to encourage conversation around mental health.

Raevynna, originally from South Africa, is a neurodivergent biracial transwoman with a strong passion for technology, wellness, fantasy, and feminism. She’s a fierce advocate for body positivity, Queer rights, and creating space for neurodiverse minds to shine.
She is currently a Digital Transformation Analyst and qualified software developer. She is also one of the co-facilitators at TLC (Trans Limerick Community) a peer support group for gender-diverse individuals in Limerick.
In her spare time, she enjoys goofing around with friends, reading, bingeing unhealthy amounts of Netflix, and haunting local forests. Her ultimate goal in life is to be the mysterious old lady down the road who all the neighborhood kids are convinced is a witch.

Izzy is a talented writer, activist and debater with an amazing future ahead of her. She wrote a powerful post about labels which is one of our most read and shared posts to date. Check it out here.

Joy has been a Shona Ambassador for nearly six years. She is one of the founders of The Shona Book Club and a talented writer. She is a recent graduate who studied English at UCC. Joy enjoys reading and aspires to be a children’s literature author.

Her favourite things are sunflowers, turtles, and swimming.

Daisy is one of the founders of The Shona Book Club, and a talented writer. Her favourite book is The Cider House Rules by John Irving

Mikaela is 22 years old and from Co. Wexford. She is currently studying a BSc Hons degree in Applied Healthcare at Waterford Institute of Technology. Mikaela also works part-time as a Healthcare Assistant in a hospital. She enjoys going out to restaurants, doing her makeup, listening to music, watching TV, and meeting up with friends.