At Aspire, we are lucky to have an incredibly hard working team. We currently have twelve employees spread across the three sectors of our organisation. Our graphic design team is made up of is made up of both neurotypical and neurodiverse members.
Our employees are the backbone of our organisation, without whom we would not be able to provide the services and level of care we deliver. We operate a succession system and believe in nurturing and supporting our staff to grow and develop their skill set to their full potential.
Aspire is governed by a Board of Directors, who are responsible for steering Aspire towards a sustainable future. The Board is currently compiled of 6 directors, including a Chair, Treasurer and Company Secretary.
Chairperson
Donal is an experienced executive having held senior positions up to and including CEO in both commercial and not for profit sectors. Donal holds a BSC , MBA and Diploma in Corporate Governance and has worked in Ireland, UK, Netherlands and USA. As well as being chair of Aspire Donal is also a board member of charity Irish Community Rapid Response
Secretary
Board Member
Siobhán O’Dwyer graduated from Trinity College Dublin as a social worker in 1988. She has previously worked as a Senior Manager and Social Worker in London, Dublin and Belfast. During her career Siobhán has worked with children and families in both the community and voluntary and statutory sectors. Siobhán is CEO of YAP Ireland since 2008. Siobhán brings a wealth of service provision, management and governance experience to the Board of Aspire.
Aspire Director/ Board Member
Niall studied an undergraduate in Business Management and an MBA. Niall comes from a teaching background, both in his native Kerry before teaching and managing education institutions in Italy, Spain, Poland, and the UK for 7 years.
Returning in 2016 to work in his hometown, he has managed foundation programmes for Middle Eastern and African students coming to Ireland since then. Niall also managed several projects for medical governing bodies, including the recruitment and education of specialised doctors into the Irish health system. Niall currently manages international recruitment for the University of Galway.
Board Member
Neil Kenny is an Assistant Professor at the School of Inclusive and Special Education at DCU where he is programme chair of the Master of Education in Autism (MEdA) . Neil has a B.A. (psych) from U.C.D. and a PhD. from Maynooth University. He has expertise in Autism research, inclusive qualitative research, and participatory research. He is the coordinator of ACoRN Research Network.
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Aurelia Deflandre (She/her) is originally from France and has worked in the UK, the Netherlands, Finland and now lives in Dublin, Ireland. She holds the position of Neurodiversity lead for Google Ireland and co-chair of the Google employee resource group “The Disability Alliance”, she is also a business advisor at Google Ads.
She is a late-diagnosed neurodivergent woman working in the Tech industry for more than 15 years, through her personal journey of diagnosis and lived experiences, she realised that a lot more support should be available for neurodivergent individuals and their families. She now collaborates with other Tech corporations, charities and neuro-minorities to increase awareness, advocacy and support for neurodivergent communities locally and globally. Aurelia also works not only to raise awareness and funds but also to influence policies that will benefit the next generations.
Board Member
Sharon Heron leads Belong To’s education, training and community practice work. She has recently worked with ETB schools nationwide in developing and rolling out the LGBTQ+ Post-Primary Quality Mark initiative recognising LGBTQ+ inclusive schools. She has specialised in the Education and Training field in Ireland for over twenty years, managing national youth education, engagement and information programmes in the not-for profit, corporate and government sectors.
To date, Sharon has worked with more than 30,000 young people and educators nationally and internationally as Education Manager/Programme Lead for programmes such as: Young Social Innovators; Inspiring the future Ireland; SEAI Power of One Good Idea Post-Primary School Programme; Irish Aid Our World Primary School Programme; Discover Primary Science Awards and the National Dairy Council Marketing and Advertising Awards Post-Primary Programme.
Chief Executive Officer
Linda is the Chief Executive Officer of Aspire, with over 8 years management and leadership experience within the Charity, Education, Homeless Residential and Family Support Sectors. Linda has extensive experience working with disability services, family resource and foster care, she has a deep understanding and experience of audit and HIQA inspection processes, compliance requirements, and HSE requirements for Registered Provider. Linda’s qualifications include an MA in Counselling and Psychotherapy and a BA in Applied Social Studies.
Residential Manager
Accounts Assistant
Julie is an Accounts Assistant with Aspire. She holds a degree in Psychology and Sociology. Julie began an Accounts Assistant job in 2004 and has worked in this type of position in the 18 years since. Julie loves being part of a team that makes a difference. Julie joined a Couch to 5km course back in Dec 2019 and has ran about a 1000km since with a few 10km runs for Charities in there. Her two young kids keep her on her toes.
Enterprise Strategy, Marketing & Wellbeing
Assistant Manager
Aspire residential / Social care worker
Neill completed his Diploma in Autism Studies at University College Cork in May 2023, shortly afterwards he joined the Aspire Team as a Social Care Worker. Before becoming a Social Care Worker, Neill worked in Scotland for 20 years as a Rock-Climbing Instructor and Mountain Leader.
Engagement Officer & Mentor
Steven, the Engagement Officer at Aspire, has dedicated his career to amplifying the focus on alleviating isolation within the autism community, armed with a deep understanding of the unique needs and challenges individuals with autism face
Steven works tirelessly to develop inclusive programs that foster social growth and connectivity, such as our monthly adult social group that meets in Token in Dublin
He envisions a world where every individual on the spectrum can embrace meaningful interactions and experience a sense of belonging
In his spare time, Steven enjoys all forms of gaming from board games to card games and also video games
Website Administration
Adam is responsible for website administration, He has worked with Aspire since 2011.
He holds a qualification in IT studies, obtained from Roslyn Park College of the National Learning Network. Adam has finished his 4th and final year of his studies in Computing at TU Dublin, with a raw percentage just above 70% which qualifies at TU Dublin and most other institution as a first class honours (GPA 3.4, 3.44, 3.58, and 3.4; in 2025 3.25 or above counts as a first in TU Dublin). His final year project in pure functional programming for a Haskell development framework that exampled a code documentation and referencing system scored more than 80% for the 10 and 5 credit module parts. The course though not perfect achieved its personal aim of improving focus and working through various difficulties, and understanding his relation with others. This may signal broader potential in managing and working with others to achieve enterprising goals; and contributing with his own vision in founding and form it; and spur others to do the same and improve their standards.
Adam states: “I have met challenges in my road to higher education, good starts I could not finish. Sometimes my obsessions can impair my function but it is just a part of me and something I must and have developed strength in navigating and combining with real life. My latent ability is strong and I work to bring it forward. It was in my time at Trinity College Dublin (2005-2009, attempted) that I was diagnosed at the conclusion of my time there and from which I studied at Roslyn Park College of the National Learning Network and obtained a certificate in IT. Along with other short adventures in higher education over years I have found that I was not ready even if able in the past to complete my studies. The mental maturity required to manage my unique characteristics and the demands of personal and professional development is still in the making and is certainly being made”.
Mentor
Nisha is a Mentor with Aspire. She holds a degree in Psychology. She has experience working in the disability sector. She is passionate about supporting people with ASD. In her spare time, she volunteers with other organisations and loves travelling, listening to music and watching movies.
Volunteer
Casey is happy to be part of the Aspire Designs Team and commends the great work that they do. He is committed to helping individuals improve their mental well-being by fostering a supportive and collaborative work and leisure environment.
Volunteer
Hi, I’m Wenmin Sun, a media student at UCD. Volunteering at Aspire has been such a joy! I’ve loved getting to know Evan and Rowan; we always have the best chats about everything from history and films to the future of AI while exploring the parks. We even went out for some delicious, authentic Korean food! More importantly, this experience has allowed me to see firsthand how communities and families work together at a grassroots level to help children thrive. It’s been an eye-opening and heart-warming journey.
