Our People
Our team brings together academic expertise, frontline experience and a deep understanding of the disability and human services sector. We work as a single team supporting students, partner organisations and the wider community of practice.
Senior leadership responsible for the strategic direction and governance of the College.
Karen has been Director of the Open Training College since 1999 and an employee of St. Michael’s House since 1990 commencing as a frontline worker in the area of vocational training for service users and progressing into management roles in day services prior to taking up her current Directors post. In her early career with the Open Training College, Karen was instrumental in the development of management and social care higher education for disability service provision and retains an ongoing commitment to this area.
Between 2020 and 2022 Karen took a secondment from her role in the Open Training College to lead out on the development of the St. Michael’s House Strategic Plan 2022-2026.
Prior to employment in St. Michael’s House and the Open Training College , Karen worked in frontline and managerial positions in Ireland and the USA in the areas of primary & secondary education and adult education.
Karen’s professional areas of interest include the professionalisation of the social care worker role and adult education and life-long learning. Karen has represented the Open Training College St. Michael’s House in engagements with a number of national bodies and in a range of roles particularly in the area of third level education.
Karen holds a Doctorate in Social Science (D. SocSci) from the University of Leicester, an M.Sc. in Education and Training Management from Dublin City University and a B.Ed. from Trinity College, Dublin. She is also a graduate of the Irish Management Institute.
Raymond has been working at the Open Training College since 2002 and currently serves as the Assistant College Director. During his tenure, he has helped shape the College’s vision and advance its mission to deliver education and training to the social care sector.
Raymond spearheaded the development of the College’s online learning model and support systems, ensuring accessible and innovative education for adult learners. Prior to this, he spent a decade as the Course Director of the Social Care degree programme, where he helped shape the next generation of social care professionals.
Raymond’s career began in London as part of a behavioural support team. He then managed a residential setting for Menni Services, St. John of God, and contributed to the Callan Institute and St. Anne’s work in Roscrea. These experiences gave him a deep understanding of person-centred care and the importance of positive behavioural support and human rights.
His areas of expertise and interest include:
Raymond has been actively involved in numerous projects at the Open Training College, including collaboration with Health Action Overseas in Romania and the Rosequal initiative. He has also supported and educated Irish services in implementing person-centred planning approaches and positive behaviour supports. Most recently, he partnered with the North Dublin Children’s Disability Network Team to create an online information platform for families.
Raymond holds an MSc in Lifelong Learning/eLearning from Ulster University, a qualification that underscores his dedication to continuous improvement and innovation in education.
Tutors, lecturers and programme coordinators directly involved in the design, delivery and assessment of OTC’s programmes.
Ronnie heads up our Quality (Assurance and Enhancement) and Academic Affairs functions. Before joining the College, he had worked in the education sector for over 20 years, as a teacher, trainer and lecturer. These roles developed into his becoming a department, programme and quality manager. In recent years, Ronnie’s roles have focused on quality assurance and programme development, implementation, validation and review, in addition to institutional review and accreditation. He sees the quality function as primarily supporting:
Ronnie has worked extensively on internal and external educational consultancy projects in Ireland, the rest of Europe, the Middle East and Far East. He holds a B.A. (Hons.) from DCU and an M.Phil. from TCD.
Lauren is Programme Director of our Social Care Management courses. She has worked previously with the College as an Associate Tutor with students on the Bachelor of Arts in Social Care course. Prior to her current role, Lauren held the position of Social Care Leader in an adult hub day service for individuals with intellectual disability, working under the community led model of support. She has a special interest in person-centred planning, relationships and sexuality, and mentoring and leadership.
Lauren has also practised in the area of disability residential services, including children’s services, young adults and older adults, and has experience of working in special educational support in Canada and Ireland.
In 2014 Lauren completed an MA in Sexuality Studies in DCU; the focus of her thesis was on organisational supports provided to individuals with intellectual disability in relation to relationships and sexuality in Ireland.
Eimear is Programme Director of our Social Care degree courses. She started in this role in January 2024, having joined the OTC as a Course Tutor in 2023. Before this she worked as an Associate Tutor with students on the Bachelor of Arts in Social Care course. She held the position of Social Care Leader in a training centre for young adult school leavers with an intellectual disability for 9 years. She has more than 25 years’ experience in the Social Care field.
Her areas of interest include:
Eimear holds a MSc in Training and Education Management (Leadership) from DCU and is registered with the Irish Teaching Council to teach Social and Behavioural Sciences.
Claire is the director of our suite of continuous professional development (CPD) further and higher education programmes. For the past twenty years, Claire has worked in several key positions as a tutor, programme developer, workshop facilitator and co-ordinator on a range of our Applied Social Care, Supported Employment, Training and Development and Level 5 programmes. Her role as programme director involves working with services in addressing training needs with education and training solutions. She was a Supported Employment practitioner and worked in back-to-education and employment initiatives before joining the College.
Claire completed her M.Ed in Adult and Community Education with NUI Maynooth. Her particular areas of interest are:
Niav joined the college team in September 2008 as tutor on the social care degree programme and Level 5 courses. Prior to joining the College Niav worked in disability services with older adults. Niav’s current role in the College is Coordinator of Year 1 of the BA in Social Care, and Online Course Developer with the elearning team.
Niav is a past student of the College having completed both the Level 7 and Level 8 Social Care courses; in addition to these qualifications, she also holds an MSc in Applied eLearning (DIT) and is currently pursuing a PhD in Education (Trinity College Dublin).
Niav’s areas of interest include:
Administration, learner support and coordination staff who keep the College running and support students throughout their journey.
Nicola has been with the College since October 2022. She joined the OTC admin team as an Admissions Coordinator for our CPD applications. She has obtained a wealth of experience in customer service and administration through her 16 years in the retail sector of pharmacy, 10 years of which were as a qualified pharmaceutical technician.
Nicola holds a Diploma in Nursery Nursing and a Pharmaceutical Technician Diploma.
Kellie is our Administrative Assistant, joining the Open Training College Admin Team in March 2023. Based in our Goatstown Office, she supports the OTC team and is often the first point of contact for the College. She brings with her a wealth of customer service and admin experience gained over 14 years in the tourism and non-profit sector in Australia.
Kellie has a BA in Public Communication from the University of Technology Sydney in Australia.
Tracy has been with the College since 2004. Over the past eighteen years, Tracy has worked as a coordinator, tutor, assessor, workshop facilitator and course and content developer on both the Level 7 and Level 8 Applied Social Care programmes, and the Level 5 Certificate in Intellectual Disability Practice. Currently Tracy is the placement co-ordinator for the social care degree.
Tracy completed her PhD with the Department of Sociology in the National University of Ireland, Maynooth in 2008.
Tracy’s main areas of interest are:
Conor is our Corporate Services Manager and is responsible for building partnerships with industry groups and experts. He also manages 3rd party services that promote the College and support the student body. He leads the promotional endeavours of the College each year, recruiting new students across all the courses. He oversees the administration department of the College. He is also the OTC liaison in contact with the St. Michael’s House Finance Department and is responsible for all Health and Safety aspects of the OTC.
Before starting this role in 2008, he headed up our administration department and helped coordinate the expansion of our student numbers.
Prior to joining the College in 2005, he spent the previous decade working in a fast-paced publishing and procurement environment in the United States.
Conor graduated with a B.Sc. (Mgmt) Degree from Trinity College, Dublin and holds an M.B.A. degree from Loyola College, Maryland, USA.
Louise is College Administrator and has been with the College since 2014. She started with the College as Assessments Coordinator and at present her areas of responsibility include supporting the Head of eLearning in the delivery of online courses, providing administrative support to the Director of Short Programmes and the Manager of Academic Affairs.
Louise recently completed a BA Honours in English and History with UCD and hopes to commence postgraduate studies in the near future.
Linda has been with the College since early 2021 when she joined the OTC Admin team as an Admissions Coordinator. She works across OTC’s various core courses in Social Care and Management. Previously, she gained extensive admin experience from numerous positions within the third level sector in Ireland over a 15 year period.
Linda has a BA in Business Administration from Shenyang City University in Shenyang, China.
Viv joined the OTC Admin team in 2009. Viv has gained experience in various sectors, inc. education (Language Centre of Ireland) and marketing (Javelin Advertising and Marketing) for 13 years. In addition to her Euro Secretary qualification, she holds a Diploma in Marketing from the Marketing Institute of Ireland, and, more recently a Post Grad in Digital Marketing from the Digital Marketing Institute (2015).
As well as general support to the Admin, team, Viv is responsible for Student Surveys, content management on the College website and other external websites. She also supports the Corporate Services Manager in the areas of student enquiries and the production of OTC course brochures and promotional materials. She shares her time with St. Michael’s House Staff Education, Training and Development Department.
Our Associate Tutors are an extended network of practitioners, academics and subject specialists who contribute to the delivery of our programmes on a sessional basis. They bring current, applied experience from across the sector.
Amy McManamon joined the OTC in 2025 as an Academic Associate Tutor. By profession, she is a CORU-registered Social Care Worker, having completed her BA in the University of Galway. She currently works in family support services, providing person-centred support to children, young people, and families.
Amy has a diverse professional background, with experience in residential care in intellectual disability and mental health, as well as community assessment and care. Alongside her practice, she is a facilitator with Mental Health First Aid Ireland, delivering training across the Sligo area.
Her professional interests include early intervention, family support and mental health – with her dissertation focused on Dual Diagnosis in Ireland, examining challenges and supports for people with complex needs.
Calum Harris has been an Academic Associate Tutor with the Open Training College since 2023. He works with Tutor Groups currently completing the third year of the BA Social Care course. Calum has been a practising Social Care Professional for ten years and moved to Ireland in 2017. Calum has worked with a broad range of Individuals spanning from Mental Health to Children’s Residential.
Calum holds a BSc Social Work Hons. from the University of Winchester.
Cara joined the Open Training College as an Academic Associate Tutor on the BA in Social Care degree programme in August 2022. She currently also works in Intellectual Disability services, managing a large training centre for adults within St. Michael’s House.
Cara has a BA Level 8 in Social Care from TU Dublin (Grangegorman). She is also a past student of the Open Training College, having completed the BA in Applied Management and the Certificate in Training and Development over the past few years
Cathy has been with the College since 2013 as Academic Associate Tutor on the social care degree programme, and is now a member of the Practice Placement Coordination Team for Year 3 of the BA in Social Care.
Cathy has also been a frontline practitioner for 25 years in various areas and roles in social care and works for the Adult Education Board in Galway.
She is currently completing a Masters in Family Support in the University of Galway.
Her areas of interest include:
Clare Carey joined the OTC in 2025 as an Academic Associate Tutor after working with the College for many years as a Placement Supervisor.
Clare manages AMP in Ballymun, an after school intervention project that runs under the principles of community and youth work. The project aligns strongly with Clare’s values of social justice, equality in marginalised communities and anti-discrimination practices.
Clare has a Masters in Community and Youth Work from Maynooth University and is currently completing a second Masters in Law in TU Dublin, Grangegorman.
Deborah O’Donovan is a former student of the Open Training College. She completed a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Management in 2019 and became an Academic Associate Tutor soon after.
She holds a BA (Hons) in Social Care from Cork Institute of Technology and has worked in various human service settings since 2007. Deborah has a keen interest in:
Eileen has been an Academic Associate Tutor with the College since September 2007, with her main focus currently being on the Social Care degree course. Eileen also tutors in Continuous Professional Development Programmes, primarily in Empowerment and Advocacy.
Eileen is a past student with the College having completed both the BA and the Honours BA in Applied Social Studies. She has also studied quality management, leadership and change management. Eileen has worked in disability services in Ireland for many years in a number of roles, including operational services, and quality enhancement and compliance.
Eileen’s areas of interest include:
Eithne Jarrett has been working with the OTC since 2018 as an Academic Associate Tutor on the Supported Employment Certificate Course. She worked for 22 years in the field of supported employment as Service Coordinator within the EmployAbility National Supported Employment Programme. She is an Adult Guidance Counsellor and a member of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors. She also works as a course tutor for Maynooth University on the Level 7 Certificate in Psychology Course.
Eithne is a former student of the OTC having completed the Certificate in Supported Employment in 2002 and the Level 6 Certificate in Applied Management in 2006. Eithne completed her M.Ed. in Adult and Community Education with Maynooth University in 2018.
Eithne is interested in:
Gemma Coffey has been an Academic Associate Tutor with the OTC since 2021. She has been a Social Care Worker since 1998.
Gemma’s background is primarily in Residential Services for people with Intellectual Disabilities, with some forays into the areas of Community Development and Addiction Studies. Being part of the Open Training College community has allowed Gemma to support others to become Social Care Workers. The role is a privileged one and she is proud to be involved.
Jane has been working in Social Care since 2006 after graduating from the University of Winchester, England, with a BSc Social Care (Hons). After graduating, Jane also attained a PTLS (Preparing to Teach Lifelong learners) Diploma.
Jane has worked in many disciplines including addiction and homelessness services. Jane also worked in a multi-agency safeguarding hub alongside other services as a Navigator. She has worked extensively with families suffering from substance misuse, tenancy issues and mental health issues, and, in addition, has worked with multidisciplinary teams and local authorities.
Jane is currently working in residential care with service users who experience intellectual disabilities.
Joe McDonald has been working with the OTC since 2017 as an Academic Associate Tutor and Module Author on the management programme. So too, has he presented to Social Care students within the College.
With thirty years experience working in human services at a local, regional and national level, he brings with him a wealth of practical sector experience.
Joe is passionate about lifelong learning. He holds a MA degree from York St John University, UK and a MSc degree from University College Cork.
He’s a qualified registered professional coach with the International Coach Federation and is also registered with the British Psychological Society.
Louise Coll has been with the College since 2021 and is currently one of our Placement Tutors providing the students with individualised support in relation to their placement journey.
Louise works full time as the Supported Living Co-ordinator and Designated Safeguarding Officer with StepIn Supported Living Networks, a charitable organisation enabling vulnerable people to live independently in the heart of their communities. Louise is a strong advocate for people with disabilities where “support should be person-centred and specifically tailored to meet every unique need, underpinned by the philosophy that every individual has the right to be successful on their own life journey”.
Louise has a BA in Applied Social Studies in Social Care from the Technological University of the Shannon and has completed the Certificate in Key Management Skills from the OTC and is currently undertaking the Certificate in Managing Service Quality also.
Mike has worked with people with intellectual disabilities since 2012. Transitions are a particular area of interest for him and he has supported people to move between different service providers, between different service areas and from home into full-time residential care.
Completing his studies with the Open Training College in 2018, he then came onboard as an Academic Associate Tutor for Year Two and Year Three degree students. He presents various workshops to students on both the BA – and the Honours BA in Contemporary Disabilities Studies courses. Currently supporting students as an Associate Academic Tutor, he has also supported students as a Placement Tutor as well as assessing presentations for the Honours degree course.
Having Person In Charge experience running residential and respite services, Mike is working as a social care leader in community disability services in the west of Ireland.
He holds an Honours Degree in Applied Social Care (Disability) as well as a qualification in Managing People from the HMI, he is also a Studio III trainer.
Niamh began her role as an Academic Associate Tutor with the Open Training College in September 2022. She worked in residential, day and respite services providing support for people with intellectual disabilities for 17 years as a social care worker and trainer. Since 2019 Niamh has worked as an independent consultant providing training, quality management and project management for a variety of organisations.
Niamh completed an LLM (Masters of Law) in Contemporary and International Disability Law and Policy from the National University of Ireland, Galway in 2017. Niamh is a former student of the Open Training College where she achieved her BA in Applied Social Studies (Disability) in 2009.
Niamh is passionate about advocacy and human rights in social care. She is a former chair of the Human Rights and Equality Committee in Peamount Health Care and has contributed to the Guide to the Standards of Proficiency for Social Care Workers published in 2021.
Niamh joined the Open Training College in 2022 as an Academic Associate Tutor. Niamh is a past student of the College having completed her Level 7 and Level 8 in Social Care Disability Studies.
Niamh is interested in:
Peta is an Academic Associate Tutor working with students completing their work placement. She is a past student of the OTC, having joined the College as a student in 2016 and obtained a BA & Honours Degree in Social Care in 2019, when she was also awarded the Gerry Clarke Award.
Peta currently works for St. Micheal’s House. Prior to this organisation, she has been working within the Irish Healthcare sector for over 19 years, working with clients in the areas of mental health, drug rehab, disabilities, residential and day service units, Alzheimers, and care of the elderly.
Róisín has been an Associate Academic Tutor with the College since September 2017, with her main focus currently being on the Social Care degree course. Supporting first year students to apply learning to practice is the greatest perk of the tutor role and a joy to watch students grow with confidence and effect real changes to services.
Róisin is a past student with the College having first become a student with the college in 2000. Róisín completed both the BA and the Honours BA in Applied Social Studies. She has also completed the Certificate and Higher Certificate in Applied Management.
Róisin is a proud past winner of the Gerry Clarke award.
Roisin has worked in disability services in Ireland for 23 years in number of frontline roles in residential services , and most recently in the coordination of Person centred planning and operational quality enhancement .Róisin credits the time spent people with people disabilities as the best learning opportunities she has had.
She had also worked in addiction services in Dublin. Teaching children with autism to swim In Sydney was another highlight of Roisin career and one she credits with providing her the motivation to change career and return to study social care.
Róisín’s areas of interest include:
Siobhain joined The Open Training College in 2022 and is currently working as an Academic Associate Tutor supporting students on their 3rd year placement. She has worked in services supporting people with an intellectual disability for over 25 years in various roles, and currently works fulltime as a Person in Charge.
Siobhain studied with the Open Training College completing her BA Level 7 in Applied Social Studied (Disability) and BA Hons Level 8 in Contemporary Disability Studies along with achieving a Certificate in Applied Management.
Her key interests are a Person Centered Approach to Care and Support, and she promotes the importance of problem solving, whilst seeking solutions to outcomes and barriers raised, in the delivery of person-centred services. This ensures shared decision making is a reality so there is an ethos of “Nothing about me without me”.
Stephen joined the Open Training College as an Academic Associate Tutor in 2017, where he initially supported first and second year Social Care students. Stephen is also a Module author who developed a new module for the BA in Social Care, Contemporary Issues in Social Care, which he delivers to first year students each year. Stephen has also presented at various workshops in his time with the OTC.
Having also worked as a lecturer with TU Dublin, Stephen holds a First Class Honors Degree in Applied Social Studies in Social Care and is also the holder of a Master of Arts Degree in Research.
Having been involved in Social Care since 2012, Stephen has a wealth of experience across a number of different sectors of Social Care. Stephen started out in Youth work with Foroige where he worked in Diversion, Education and drug and alcohol prevention projects in socially disadvantaged communities across Dublin. From there he joined Focus Ireland as a manager of a Crisis Intervention Service which supports young people at risk of becoming homeless. Stephen also has a lot of experience in low threshold addiction and homeless services and he currently manages the largest low-threshold homeless service in Munster on behalf of The Cork Simon Community.
Experienced in direct provision of service to marginalised populations – having worked in intellectual disability and front-line work with homeless as well as formerly incarcerated women – Yvette’s most recent front-line role was as Community Development Worker in rural Co. Waterford for some five years (2016-2021).
This front-line experience, coupled with qualifications in Economics & Finance, Applied Social Studies and Statistics, provides Yvette with a broad range of knowledge in different disciplines and a sound platform from which to interpret and link evidence-based findings and guidelines to ‘front-line’ practice and real-life experience. To this end, Yvette worked for three years as a project specialist with a not-for-profit, providing training, research, and organisational advice to the charity sector across Ireland.
Working for the OTC since 2018, Yvette works as an Academic Associate Tutor and a member of the Practice Placement Coordination Team. Yvette also trains and lectures with the ETB and other third-level colleges.
Yvette holds an MBS from Smurfit School of Business, UCD; a PG Higher Diploma in Statistics (TCD); a BA Hons in Applied Social Studies in Social Care and a Bachelor of Business Studies (Economics & Finance). She is currently studying for MSc in Personal and Management Coaching UCC.
Have a question about a programme or service? Our team is happy to help.