I have had a long interest is sexual and reproductive healthcare dating back many years and supported the work of HIV Support before it became Positive Life.  Including but not limited to the marking of World Aids Day on 1st December every year.  During my time as an MLA for East Belfast (2007-2011) I established and chaired the first All Party Group on Sexual Health. Engaging cross-party support to work with service providers and users, the Public Health Agency (PHA) and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) to better inform members of the Assembly on issues of sexual and reproductive health, and work towards improving prevention of sexually transmitted infections and service delivery of care and treatment.  I submitted a series of AQs to the Health Minister on Sexual Health Services including the policy on availability and use of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).  On leaving politics in 2011 I became Northern Ireland Programme Director with Marie Stopes International (MSI) and opened the first integrated sexual and reproductive healthcare centre in Belfast.  I have a wide range of skills including governance, human resources, communications and networking and would be keen to use these in support of the work of Positive Life.

I co-founded Think People Consulting; combining HR, Learning and Organisational Development to provide clients with a central partner to help empower their people to reach and exceed their organisation’s goals. I am an active member of the business community across Ireland and is a regular speaker at events and conferences. I am an external advisor to the Central Procurement Department board.

Prior to founding Think People, I worked as HR Manager for AIB International Financial Services and as Head of HR for a Telecommunications company.

I have always had an active interest in community contribution and social justice providing my time and knowledge to various charitable and community based organisations. The experience of friends living with HIV motivated me to join the board of Positive Life and contribute to a more positive future.

An energized and enthusiastic person I have been working and volunteering in the community & voluntary sector for over 25 years. Having attained a degree in Economics, a Diploma in Business & Finance, a Masters in Economics, part qualified accountant and a teaching qualification has enabled me to provide advice and support as a retained Finance Associate for NICVA since 2007. Starting my working career in a Socially Deprived Community in North Belfast enabled me to make the transition to Lisburn Partnership for 10 years, were I was Director of a team of 12 staff to administer European Peace and Reconciliation funds in excess of £30 million.

Finishing this in 2007 I became self employed providing a range of financial management training/support/audit investigation to local groups throughout Northern Ireland.

This was coupled with working part time for Belfast Metropolitan College as a Lecturer in Accounts. This is further supported by being employed with Stepping Stones NI on a part-time basis to carry out their Management Accountant function.

Throughout my career I have ben interested in using the law in a way that helps others. I qualified as a Solicitor and worked in private practice for about 2 and a half years. I then moved into the NGO sector and worked for a housing charity, where I was part of an advice team that prevented families from having their homes repossessed.

I have also worked for a project that provides legal and financial support to NGOs and Solicitor firms to take strategic test cases to enhance the protection of rights and freedoms of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. Most recently, I have been an Advice Services Manager, managing the delivery of independent advice services in the Mid-Ulster area.

I really started to become aware of the great work of Positive Life through my participation in the 'Strictly Come Dancing' fundraising event that took place in March 2016! It was a great experience and it was fantastic that so much money was raised for such a good cause. I was keen to learn more about its work, and to contribute to that work if possible.

I am a psychology graduate from Queens University Belfast who spent 5 years working in advertising and marketing, returning to Queens to complete a Masters Degree in Information Management. I worked in the private care sector up to 1996 and took up the position of Corporate Services Manager with the Northern Ireland Guardian ad Litem Agency (NIGALA) where I spent 21 years helping shape the statutory service for the representation of children in family law and adoption proceedings. I took up my current post of Director of Registration and Corporate Service with the Northern Ireland Social Care Council in July 2017.

I have extensive experience working closely with the social work profession in the area of child and family care and now hold responsibility for the Regulated Register of Social Workers and Social Care Workers in Northern Ireland. I have built strong working relationships with the Department of Health, the Northern Ireland Court Service and Law Society with expertise in the area of corporate and information governance.

I am CIPFA qualified in Corporate governance and I led the introduction of the NIGALA electronic case management system GCIS in 2008 and in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunal Service I orchestrated the introduction of the Criminal Justice Secure Mail system (CJSM) in family proceedings which helped the reduction of delay in sharing sensitive information in proceedings.

I am a strong believer in putting the citizen at the centre of services, ensuring high quality delivery of services and influencing where possible the best outcomes for service users. I am looking forward to working with Positive Life colleagues and stakeholders to continue to reduce the stigma of HIV in Northern Ireland and to maintain adequate levels of support for those living with or affected by HIV.

I work as a press officer and before this I was a journalist at The Detail investigative news website and the Belfast Telegraph. I have a special interest in data journalism, Freedom of Information, education and social affairs.

I first worked with Positive Life in 2016 on a data journalism project for The Detail on HIV in Northern Ireland. The project examined statistics relating to the virus and used photography and interviews to tell the stories of five people living with HIV.

I am a communications professional with experience in creating and implementing Communication Strategies for a variety of organisations across the private, public and voluntary sector.

I am currently working as a Corporate Communications Advisor, providing strategic communication advice to the leaders of a large public sector body. Before that I worked for a PR and Public Affairs company and for a Member of the Legislative Assembly.

I became interested in Positive Life when I helped to provide PR and Public Affairs support to them while working for Brown O’Connor Communications. In this role I was able to see the fantastic work the organisation does for people living with HIV in Northern Ireland.

I have an Economics Degree from Queen’s University Belfast and a postgraduate diploma in Communications and Public Relations with Political Lobbying from Ulster University.