Our Board

Dr. Veronica Crosbie was appointed the Chair of POSI early in 2022. As a former Assistant Professor in Migration and Intercultural Studies in DCU and outgoing Chair of the MA Refugee Integration, she brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role. Veronica was a key player in establishing DCU as the first University of Sanctuary in Ireland in 2016 and was the founding Chair of the University of Sanctuary Ireland (UoSI) network. She has conducted Participatory Research projects on refugee integration and has supervised and examined PhD theses in related areas.

Veronica contributes to refugee integration at a local level, through her leadership initiatives including establishing the Phibsboro Community Sponsorship and Phibsboro For All programmes, both inclusive community led initiatives to welcome people with migrant and refugee backgrounds into the neighbourhood. Veronica is an able and vocal advocate for refugee rights in Ireland and beyond.

Martin is a Chartered Accountant and educationalist with wide experience of working in business and in higher education. He is former Head of Business in SETU where he worked for 34 years. During this time, he initiated the Student Volunteer Programme and promoted the University of Sanctuary project.

Over a number of years, Martin also worked in East Africa, initially as a Hospital Manager and subsequently as an Accountant/ Auditor of various projects in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria.

He has extensive involvement in the NGO and voluntary sectors at local and national level. He has acted as Chairperson, Treasurer, Chair of Finance and Risk Sub - Committees and board member on a range of boards including; Trocaire, St Catherine’s Community Centre Carlow, Co. Carlow Development Partnership, Carlow Chamber of Commerce. He has held key roles in the third level GAA sector.

Tonye believes that the global-scale disruptions caused by greed, wars, and environmental misuse have resulted in massive dislocation and relocation of people across the world and therefore, there is a great need to focus on achieving harmony in diversity in societies. She posits that the need to respect diversity and inclusion and promote equality, social justice, and human rights, has never been more exigent and that achieving this needs an ‘all hands on deck’ approach. She believes that the work Places of Sanctuary do in supporting displaced people is very important for displaced people and asylum seekers whom she identifies with and is committed to supporting.

Tonye is a Senior University Tutor, lecturing and coordinating programmes in the Department of Applied Social Studies, at Maynooth University where she has worked since 2013.

Tonye is committed to social justice, human rights, and equality, and she is passionate about social change and harmony in society. Tonye brings more than 20 years of experience working with marginalised groups in Irish society as well as lived experience relevant to the work Places of Sanctuary does.

Dr. Tetyana Lokot is an Associate Professor in Digital Media and Society at the School of Communications, Dublin City University. A native of Ukraine, she researches threats to digital rights, networked authoritarianism, online disinformation, digital resistance, internet freedom and internet governance. She is the author of Beyond the Protest Square: Digital Media and Augmented Dissent, an in-depth study of protest and digital media in Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity. She is also the Vice-Chair of the ECREA Ukraine Task Force.

As a researcher, Tetyana has a long-standing involvement with civil society and advocacy groups in the area of media freedom and digital rights, including Freedom House and Global Voices Advox. Prior to embarking on a research career, she worked as a journalist, non-profit consultant, and media trainer in Ukraine, Belarus, and Georgia, and speaks fluent English, Ukrainian, and Russian.

I have been teaching since 2000, mainly languages but I have also taught CSPE, Ethical Education, SPHE, PE and even Home Economics. I have also held numerous roles within schools in both the UK and Ireland, from Head of Department, TY & LCA coordinator, to Year Head and Deputy Principal.

I have been involved in several committees and organisations that promote student engagement and support student activism, such as the Student Council, Greens Schools and the Schools’ Climate Action Network (SCAN). I worked with SCAN on a national level supporting the students in their preparations for the climate strikes in 2019-2020.

I was also a member of the teacher advisory group with WorldWise Global Schools from 2019 to 2021.

My previous work with Schools of Sanctuary started in January 2020 when my school, Stepaside ETSS, began its journey to become one of the first officially recognised Schools of Sanctuary in Dublin. I was the Chair of the steering group until January 2022.

I am currently on secondment with Oide, part of the Department of Education’s schools support service. I am working with both the Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) and the Programme Support teams, facilitating the whole school training on Senior Cycle redevelopment.

Manizha Khan was born in Herat, Afghanistan. A child of war and conflict, she became a refugee twice in her life. She spent most of her life in Pakistan where she completed a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology and Political science and returned to Afghanistan where she taught English to Afghan girls and worked with various international organisations. She travelled to China to continue her dream and returned home as a qualified dentist. In Afghanistan she passed the exam to become a lecturer in a Government University and became an Associate Professor in the Dental School of Herat University. In a short period of time she was promoted to the Head of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry Department and later as Acting Dean of the Dental School. She also co-owned a private surgery with her husband.

When the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, she had to leave her life and find sanctuary in Ireland, where she has restarted her life as a registered dentist. She hosts a radio show called My Life in a Suitcase from Radio UCC 98.3fm and has also volunteered as a Schools of Sanctuary ambassador. She is very grateful to have found sanctuary and friendship in Ireland, a kind and compassionate country where her daughter has a chance to have a bright future. She continues to be a voice for refugees and asylum seekers and promotes peace, inclusion and respect for all through her work and radio show. She writes poetry and travels in her free time.

Dr. Jean-Pierre Eyanga Ekumeloko is an accomplished entrepreneur and leader in agriculture, food science, organisational leadership, and international development. He holds an MSc in Food Science from University College Dublin and a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the Université de Lubumbashi. Throughout his career, Dr. Eyanga has empowered individuals and organisations through strategic planning, capacity building, evidence-based research, and advocacy. With over four decades of experience, Dr. Eyanga has spearheaded major investment and scientific initiatives across Africa.

He founded Integrating Ireland, a prominent NGO that drove significant policy changes in Ireland and has directed multiple EU-funded transnational projects. His expertise extends to developing successful funding applications for various donors, and his work in project management, stakeholder engagement, and strategic development is widely recognised. As the CEO of GEE Consulting Partners and a Visiting Lecturer at universities in Africa, Dr. Eyanga has a proven record of training international development officers and corporate executives, as well as consulting on national food policy.

Multilingual in English, French, Lingala, and Swahili, he has been featured in respected publications, including The New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, Irish Independent, and Irish Times. Dr. Eyanga’s civic contributions are substantial, with involvement in the Office of Refugee Application Commissioner, the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism, and the Garda Síochána Community Policing Strategic Committee. In addition to his professional pursuits, he is a passionate reader, writer, novelist, and poet with interests in management, health, politics, history, and spirituality. Dr. Eyanga’s extensive expertise and dedication make him an invaluable asset to organisations striving for productivity and sustainable growth.

David O’Flynn is a management accountant who has worked mainly in the public and commercial semi-state sectors in Ireland. He is currently the Registrar and Chief Officer of the Dental Council Ireland, which is the regulatory agency for the dental profession in Ireland. He is responsible for managing the operations of the Council to ensure that it meets its obligations to protect the public and to manage its operations in line with good corporate governance procedures.

He joined the board to try to make a positive contribution to the important work that Places of Sanctuary does in supporting refugees in Ireland. This work is especially important in what is becoming a harsher climate for immigrants and refugees in Ireland. He has met many refugees and through his work with the Dental Council as it established a special registration pathway for refugee dentists. He is from Dublin.

Niamh McDonald is director of Advocacy and Community Engagement at the Hope and Courage Collective. Niamh has a proven track in leadership, strategy, stakeholder engagement and crisis management. She has vast experience working with a wide range of stakeholders across society, building trusted relationships and delivering complicated analysis and themes in a way that relates to a number of audiences. She has a strong record for advocating for and with people from marginalised and disadvantaged backgrounds. She has experience in independent research, publishing peer reviewed work and policy analysis.