Skip to main content
Quick exit

Our People

Our Board of Directors are responsible for good governance and the strategic direction of Belong To. Their excellence in governance, accountability and leadership has been recognised by Charity Institutes Ireland and they have been awarded Charity Board of the Year for three years in a row.

Meet our Board of Directors

Patricia Carey

(she/her)

Chairperson

Patricia has over 30 years’ experience in the public service and not for profit sector. Most recently as CEO of the Adoption Authority of Ireland for 9 years , previously Patricia was Director of Services for St Vincent De Paul charity for 13 years. She is a founding board member of Outhouse. Patricia has worked with many not-for-profit organisations both as a volunteer and in senior staff roles since the 1990’s. She currently is Chairperson of Loreto College Crumlin Board of Management.

Maria Aftonsenko

(she/her)

Treasurer

Maria Afontsenko is currently a Director of FS Audit in Grant Thornton Ireland. She is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and has extensive financial services experience and expertise, particularly in risk management, corporate governance and internal financial controls.

Lucy Ní Raghaill

(she/her)

Board Member

Lucy’s professional background is in human resources and recruiting, with leadership roles across start-ups, SMBs and multinational enterprises.

She has been a Scout Leader for 11 years with Scouting Ireland – a national youth organisation dedicated to the development of life skills for young people. She is a passionate LGBTQ+ rights advocate and ally.

Liz Harper

(she/her)

Board Member

Liz has over 30 years of experience working with young people and with youth services. She managed youth training projects in Tallaght for over a decade and subsequently has supported many locally based management groups and provided external supervision for youth workers in several settings. Liz holds a MSc in Equality Studies from UCD.

Valerie Maher

(she/her)

Board Member

Valerie is Principal of Holy Child Community School, a post-primary school in Sallynoggin. Valerie is committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for all students. Over the past five years, Valerie and her team have created a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQ+ students. Previously, Valerie worked with the National Behaviour Support Service as Assistant National Coordinator, working with schools around Ireland to promote and support a culture of positive behaviour.

Aisling Gannon

(she/her)

Board Member

Aisling is the proud mother of two teenagers, and stepmother of three young adults. She is the mum of a trans young person, Steve. As a Board Member of Belong To, Aisling strives to ensure that the services best reflect and support the needs of LGBTQ+ young people across Ireland. Last year Aisling was appointed to the Dublin District Coroner’s Court as Senior Counsel. She previously practiced as a Solicitor for over 25 years, and was a Senior Partner in the Dublin office of a global law firm.

Dermot Ryan

(he/him)

Board Member

Dermot has over 25 years of experience working in key advisory roles with political and campaigning organisations. Dermot returned to Ireland in 2017 after seven years in Australia, where he served as Head of External Affairs with Amnesty International and as Chief of Staff with the Transport Workers’ Union. As Principal of Dermot Ryan Advisory, Dermot now offers a range of services to organisations, helping them to implement their vision. In 2022, Dermot was appointed Chair of the Board of the award-winning agency Alice Public Relations.

Who We Are

Learn More

Funding and Governance

Learn More