About us Who we are Our team Our team Gráinne O’Leary Chief Executive Gráinne O’Leary is chief executive of Arthritis Ireland, where she is leading the strategy of the charity to be one of the leading patient centric health charities in Ireland. Prior her appointment as chief executive in 2018, she was head of services with the organisation since 2004 and has worked as a senior manager in the non-profit and healthcare sector for over 20 years. Gráinne developed and implemented Arthritis Ireland’s suite of patient support services, including the innovative Stanford University self-management programme, a national helpline and a national physical activity programme in partnership with the Irish Society for Chartered Physiotherapists. She serves as a board member of the Disability Federation of Ireland and IPPOSI. Contact: 01 647 0201; [email protected] Nathalie Peyret Office Administrator Nathalie has been with Arthritis Ireland since 2009 and is responsible for the efficient running of the office, central administration, membership, amongst other duties. Contact: 01 661 8188; [email protected] Martina Blake Services Manager Martina is our Services Manager and joined the team in March 2022, having previously worked with health charities and the Living Well programme in the North West. Martina has spent her career working in the field of community development, cross border work, health and wellbeing programmes, empowering people through support, training and education. Martina brings a wealth of experience, positivity and energy to the role of services manager overseeing, delivering the services at Arthritis Ireland Contact: 01 6470205; 086 4411473; [email protected] Svetlana Kushnirenko Programme Coordinator & Data Management Svetlana has worked in Arthritis Ireland since 2008 and is responsible for the overall coordination and administration of Arthritis Ireland chronic disease self-management programmes (CDSMP). Her role also includes responsibility for Arthritis Ireland’s database - managing the organisations data to support fundraising, financial management, and community services. Svetlana is also Arthritis Ireland's data protection officer (DPO). Contact: 01 647 0206; [email protected] Eleanor Uí Fhiannachta Community Support Officer Eleanor joined Arthritis Ireland in 2016 as a community support officer. A graduate of UCD and a postgraduate of DCU, Eleanor worked supporting disability advocates in DFI for six years, having previously worked in the Rotunda Hospital. In her role in Arthritis Ireland she is responsible for the coordination of Arthritis Ireland mental health programmes and physical activity courses funded through grants. Contact: 01 647 0204; [email protected] Tara Regan Communications and Advocacy Manager Tara, our Communications and Advocacy Manager joined the team in June 2022. Tara comes from the National Dairy Council where she worked since 2008, managing their EU and school’s education and awareness programmes including the EU School Milk Scheme. A graduate of Waterford Institute of Technology and a postgraduate of DCU, Tara is passionate about the role that Arthritis Ireland plays in positively impacting people living with arthritis. Contact: 086 013 8448; [email protected] Peter Boyd Services Support Officer Peter works with the services team in ensuring the delivery of Arthritis Ireland’s services and programmes, with particular emphasis on managing the Arthritis Ireland helpline and peer-to-peer network. Having held many voluntary positions within the organisation, including serving as a board member for six years, Peter joined the Arthritis Ireland team in 2019. Peter combines his role with on-going voluntary work for EULAR PARE (a European coalition of national organisations for People with Arthritis/Rheumatism in Europe), for whom he advocates on behalf of those living with arthritis across Europe at numerous conferences and events. Contact: 01 647 0202; [email protected] Stephen Lee Digital Marketing and Communications Executive Stephen started with Arthritis Ireland in December 2020. His career to date has been spent in the entertainment industry. He has a keen interest and passion in the work which Arthritis Ireland provides. With vast experience in digital marketing and social media management, Stephen sits on the Communications team. Contact: 01 647 0209; 086 185 7529; [email protected] Marie Reavey Fundraising Executive Marie joined the Arthritis Ireland fundraising team in January 2022. Having worked previously in The Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association as Regional Development Officer. With a background in Marketing and Fundraising, she brings a wealth of experience to the role. Contact: 086 440 0584; [email protected] Jennifer Cullen Community Support Officer Jennifer comes to us from Maynooth University where she worked on a programme for underprivileged teens, so she loves to help people and is looking forward to helping service users. In her role in Arthritis Ireland, she is responsible for the coordination of our Behind the Pain mental health programmes and Be Active with Arthritis physical activity courses, funded through grants. Contact: 086 065 2279; [email protected]