Eddie Lewis (Chairperson)
Eddie Lewis worked in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for most of his professional career. Over this time, he worked in several sections of the Department including as Principal Officer for a number of areas of housing policy. He is currently working as an Associate Lecturer with the Institute of Public Administration where he leads the Housing Studies Professional Diploma and Certificate Courses.
He has spoken and written articles on a range of housing topics and is author of Competing in an Uncertain World. Institutional Change in the Irish State, which was published in 2010, and Social Housing Policy in Ireland. New Directions [2019].
Dr. Oonagh Breen
Oonagh Breen is a Professor of Law at the Sutherland School of Law, University College Dublin. A graduate of UCD and Yale Law School, her research focuses on comparative charity law regulation and governance. She has worked with the non-profit sector, charity regulators and policymakers in a number of jurisdictions (including Ireland, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada).
Oonagh is a former President of the International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR) and is a member of the international advisory council to the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL). She is the author of the Enlarging the Space for European Philanthropy Report (DAFNE & EFC, 2018) and co-author of Breen and Smith, Law of Charities in Ireland (Bloomsbury, 2019).
Jillian Mahon
Jillian Mahon is an experienced executive and non-executive director with wide ranging general and specialist management experience across the private, public, and international finance sector. Since 2019 she has been an independent business and financial consultant working in an advisory capacity in both the public and private sector both domestically and in EU, particularly in areas of risk management and sustainability.
Previously Jillian held senior roles in the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA), initially with the National Pension Reserve Fund/Irish Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) and from 2014 on the project team establishing the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI). Prior to these roles, Jillian had an extensive career in capital markets banking and held the role of Treasurer in AIB. She was appointed to the Climate Change Advisory Council in 2021 and holds a number of directorship/trustee roles in philanthropic and charitable organisations. Jillian holds a BA, MBA, Prof Dip in Corporate Governance and Certificate in Sustainable Finance.
Geraldine Hynes
Geraldine Hynes is a solicitor and accredited mediator with many years’ experience in general practice, legal education, regulation and equality law.
Since 2012, Geraldine has worked as a mediator and alternative dispute resolution consultant and is a volunteer mediator with Community Law and Mediation Services. She assisted for many years as a volunteer solicitor with Mercy Law Resource Centre, dealing with issues of housing and homelessness. From 2012 to 2023 Geraldine chaired tribunals under the Mental Health Acts. She was a member of the inaugural board of the Workplace Relations Commission from its establishment in 2015 until 2021. She is also currently a Board member of the Property Services Regulatory Authority.
Eileen Gleeson
Eileen Gleeson is the former Director of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive where she was responsible for delivering a response to those experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness for the four Dublin local authorities under the aegis of Dublin City Council. A career public servant she worked with Dublin City Council for over 40 years until her retirement in January 2021. Eileen is also a non-executive member of the Board of the Housing Agency since January 2023.
Eileen held several key leadership roles in the local authority throughout her career and, spent over 30 years working in housing services with Dublin City Council. She was instrumental in ensuring the expansion of the Approved Housing Body sector in the delivery of social housing in Dublin City.
John McCarthy
John McCarthy is a former civil servant of some 35 years’ experience. He was Secretary General of the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government, subsequently reconfigured as the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, for over 6 years until June 2020. Prior to this, John served as Assistant Secretary leading the Department’s Local Government, Environment and Housing Divisions for various periods of time.
He previously served as Principal Officer in a number of the Department’s areas of activity, including affordable housing and waste management. He joined the Department in 1991, having previously worked in a number of other departments, including the Department of Social Protection and the Central Statistics Office.
He has a primary degree and a postgraduate diploma in management and a master’s degree in public administration. He currently holds a number of non-executive public sector roles including as Chair of the Management Board of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, Chair of the National Biodiversity Data Centre and as Chair/Member of the Audit Committees of a number of public bodies.
Michael Cameron
Michael is the Chief Executive of the Scottish Housing Regulator, the regulator of Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) and local authority housing services in Scotland.
His career has centred on the provision of social housing, public health, and welfare services, with the last twenty years in the inspection and regulation service of the Scottish Housing Regulator and its predecessor organisations.
Michael was educated at the University of Glasgow.
Orla Coyne
Orla Coyne is a qualified solicitor for over 30 years. She has previously served as a Council/Committee member and Committee Chairperson in both the Law Society and the Dublin Solicitor’s Bar Association (DSBA), including having held the position of past President of the DSBA.
She was appointed to the Board of the Private Residential Tenancies Board from 2005-2013 and served as Chairperson of the PRTB from 2009-2013 and remained on as a Tribunal member from 2013 to 2016.
She was previously appointed to the Rent Tribunal (as member and Chairperson) and more recently to the Valuation Tribunal from 2015 to date. She is currently a member of the Property Services Appeal Board since 2022. She is a graduate of UCD and holds a post graduate Diploma in Arbitration and European Law.
Seamus Neely
Seamus served as Chief Executive of Donegal County Council from July 2010 until July 2020 and has extensive experience in the delivery and oversight of the various regulatory frameworks for which the Local Government Sector is responsible. Seamus also has extensive board experience in the public and community sectors.
He started his public service career with Donegal County Council before moving to various Local Government roles in Monaghan and Cavan. Seamus holds an honours degree in Business Studies from Ulster University and an MBA from Dublin City University. Seamus has broad experience at a senior management level in operations and general management particularly in the Local Government Sector.
He is currently a Board Member of the Land Development Agency and City of Derry Airport Company and is Chair of the Forestry Appeals Committee. Seamus has previously served as a board member at Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the Local Government Management Agency in addition to several Community CLGs.