Board of Directors
Lianne serves as Chairperson of the IDS board. She has worked in the Financial Sector with Northern Trust and holds a BA (Hons) in Business, Economics and Social Studies (TCD, 2006) and a Certificate in Equality studies for Deaf people (UCD, 2014). She is a former treasurer of the Irish Deaf Youth Association, co-chairperson of the ISL Recognition Campaign and a committee member on the ISLA Sub Committee group Deafhood Ireland and involved in the Justisigns 2 Project. Lianne is a Deaf interpreter following CPD in Deaf Interpreting from CDS in 2021. She is a member of the ISL Act Cross Community group and a representative for IDS on the DPO network and the Disability Participation and Consultation Network (DPCN).
Sofiya Kalinova, the first deaf law graduate in Ireland and the first Barrister-at-Law Candidate at the Honorable Society of King’s Inns expected to be Called to the Irish Bar in 2023, starting her legal practice at the Bar of Ireland in autumn 2023 and a coordinator and member of the Expert Group on Human Rights at the World Federation of the Deaf for the past three years. For over a decade, she has led a few not-for-profit organisations building up a broad human rights and equality practice at the national and International levels, including being one of the founders of the European Deaf Students' Union. Currently, she is the Project Lead of the Sign Language Interpreting Services.
Rachael is a Programme Manager for Google.org, Google’s philanthropy, where she develops and oversees programmes related to digital literacy, accessibility, science, community and online safety. Prior to her current role, Rachael has worked in communications, advertising and event planning within the corporate sector. Rachael has a BA in English Literature (Queens University, Belfast) and an MA in Equality Studies (UCD).
Fiona is a Deaf and an ISL user, who grew and is actively involved in the Cork Deaf Community. She works as a Youth Development Officer at the Cork Deaf Association since 2017 and works in a secondary school. She qualified in Deaf Interpreting Studies from the Centre for Deaf Studies in 2021. She also is a committee member with the Council of Irish Sign Language Interpreters.
Mary has worked in Reach Deaf Services (formerly CIDP) as a HR and governance manager and is currently employed as Acting CEO. Mary parents are Deaf and a CODA (child of a Deaf adult) has a lifetime of direct experience in the Deaf community.
Carol is a banking executive (40 years) and an Irish qualified Legal Counsel (2005) with extensive experience advising on a range of legal and regulatory issues in a regulated retail credit firm and in the execution of leadership, organisational change and strategic deliverables across a range of business sectors. She has worked both in London and Dublin as well as in private practice. She is now working as an organisational consultant in the private sector. She has also worked across a range of organisations where leadership, personal development and people management have been at the core of her skill set. Before becoming a solicitor she worked in the financial services sector and also led a training and development business. Carol has worked with the IDS both as a Board Director for a number of years and on IDS sub-committees for the past 2 years. She is also a member of the Charities Regulators' Stakeholder Forum.
John has worked as CEO of IDS since December 2018. He is carrying out Company Secretary duties temporarily while the board seeks a new person for that role. John also acts as secretary for the DPO Network of which IDS is a founding member and is a board director of Deaf Village Ireland (DVI).