Management Team
Bibiana Savin
CEO
Helen Fitzgerald
Case Management & Support (Asst. CEO)
Helen Fitzgerald is Case Management & Support (Asst. CEO) with Sage Advocacy. Helen’s role involves ensuring the smooth and efficient operation of Sage Advocacy’s information, support, advocacy casework across the country.
Helen holds a level 8 in Transformative Leadership, MSc in Applied Psychology, BA in Psychology, and has qualifications in Information, Advice and Advocacy Practice, Community & Health Services, and Data Protection. Roles before Case Management included Service Manager, Regional Coordinator, Recruitment Information & Compliance, Data Protection Officer, and Administrator.
Mary Warren
Operations & Governance
(Deputy. CEO)
Mary joined Sage Advocacy in 2018 and was appointed
Operations & Governance (Deputy CEO) in September 2024. In this role, she
is responsible for overseeing operations, ensuring compliance, and aligning
strategies with organisational goals. She supports the CEO in managing the
organisation’s operational plan, implementing the Statement of Strategy,
supporting the Board and Committees, and upholding strong governance
structures.
Before joining Sage Advocacy, Mary worked in property
management and fixed charge receivership, previously gaining experience in
financial services, customer service and administration.
She holds a BA in Psychology, a Professional Diploma in
Leadership & Management from UCD Professional Academy and has completed a
High Impact Leadership Programme with IMI.
Mary also has voluntary experience in school mentorship
programs and research on precision teaching in schools.
Paula Bruen
Financial Controller
Paula is a Chartered Financial Accountant with over 15 years’
experience across industry and not for profit organisations. Paula initially joined Sage Advocacy in 2017 as an outsourced Financial Controller and joined as a staff member in 2024.
Paula is responsible for the finance function within Sage and is part of the Sage management team. In her role she will drive financial excellence though collaborative budgeting, reporting monthly management accounts, preparing statutory Financial Statement for audit and implement best
practices to improve the overall financial administration of the company.
Paula holds a BA in Business Studies, a MBS in Accounting
and is a full Fully Qualified ACA Chartered Accountant.
Information & Support Service
Lisa O'Connor
Information & Support Services Manager
Lisa has been with Sage Advocacy since 2020. During her time with Sage she has held a number of positions including, Regional Advocate for Dublin South East and Wicklow, Greater Dublin Area Regional Manager, Regional Manager Dublin South East and the South East and Dublin South West and the Midlands and now Information and Support – Service Manager.
As Information and Support – Service Manager, Lisa is responsible for the day to day management of the Information and Support Coordinators, monitoring of data at a national level and reviewing and assuring the quality of the information and support function and CRM.
Prior to joining Sage, Lisa worked for a number of years in the non-profit sector in Dublin. Lisa is a qualified Occupational Therapist, having graduated with an MSc in Occupational Therapy from Queen Margaret University Edinburgh. She also holds a BA in History and Human Development from Dublin City University.
Colleen Creagh
Information, Support & Advocacy Coordinator
As a first point of contact for Sage Advocacy referrals, Colleen helps provide our Information & Support service on a wide range of issues, coordinating the provision of any further support or advocacy services as needed.
Prior to joining Sage, Colleen was an advocate in a personal capacity for a number of years while caring for someone with dementia. She has first-hand experience of the issues and challenges that may arise from home care, acute hospital and nursing home care settings.
Colleen has a BSc Management and a diploma in Psychology. She previously worked as a Client Relationship Manager in the private sector across a number of industries.
Hannah Griffin
Information, Support & Advocacy Coordinator
Hannah is a legally trained professional with an academic background in International and European Law. She holds an LLM in Public International Law and an LLB in International and European Law from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.
Hannah has experience working with Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, where she supported families in navigating regulatory requirements within the alternative education system. In her free time, she volunteers on human rights initiatives, assisting with the documentation of evidence in support of international accountability efforts.
She is motivated by a strong commitment to human rights and advocacy, particularly in supporting people to exercise autonomy and informed choice.
Jane Gogarty
Information, Support & Advocacy Coordinator
Jane is originally from Boston, Massachusetts where she completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Theater at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
After moving to Dublin in 2019, Jane began working in homeless services across inner city Dublin. During this time she completed a level 7 certificate in Addiction Studies from Maynooth University. Jane then began working as an Individual Placement Support Specialist, supporting adults with mental health difficulties into sustained employment.
Jane joined Sage Advocacy in September 2025 and now works within the Information and Support team.
Karolyn Ward
Information, Support & Advocacy Coordinator
Karolyn graduated from Athlone Institute of Technology with a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Social Studies in Social Care and later from the European Institute of Communications with a Postgraduate Diploma in Communications and Public Relations. With over two decades of experience in the community and voluntary sector, she has undertaken various roles focused on supporting vulnerable adults with learning disabilities and mental health challenges.
Karolyn has held a number of roles in the area of Communications, including Head of Advocacy and Communications with a national mental health charity, developing and collaborating on numerous advocacy projects and campaigns championing the rights of those affected by mental health difficulties.
She is passionate about empowering people to have their voice heard in decisions that affect them and raise their voice for change
Lauren O’Brien
Information, Support & Advocacy Coordinator
Lauren has a level 8 bachelors degree in Social Science from Maynooth university. This involved studying social policy as well as sociology.
After she graduated, she moved to Edinburgh to study Radiotherapy for two years and attained a Postgraduate diploma in Radiotherapy and Oncology in Queen Margaret University.
She has been working as a radiation therapist for the last five years in different radiotherapy departments around Ireland. In this role she worked with cancer patients and their families providing cancer treatment as well as support each day.
Sinead Robotham
Information, Support & Advocacy Coordinator
Before joining Sage, Sinéad built a diverse career in the non-profit sector. She began in administration within social work offices and later earned a BA in Applied Social Care from TU Dublin Tallaght. Sinéad then worked in low-threshold homeless services, where she developed a strong interest in anti-oppressive practice. She went on to work on a training and education programme for women with experiences of both criminality and addiction.
In this role, Sinéad provided one-on-one support and facilitated group sessions, fostering dialogue and critical thinking about inequality, with the aim of empowering participants to advocate for themselves.
Sinéad is passionate about ensuring that people have a voice in the decisions that affect them and advocating for a human rights-based approach to service provision.
In her current role with the Information and Support team at Sage, she is mindful of providing accessible information to help people make informed decisions and of identifying where advocacy support may be needed.
Victoria Monkhouse
Information, Support & Advocacy Coordinator
Victoria joined Sage Advocacy’s Information and Support Team in January 2025 having spent the previous six years in the Intellectual Disabilities sector supporting adults and teenagers with a range of additional needs and challenging behaviour.
Her work in the non-profit sector began in 2010 on Preparing for Life’s Home Visiting Programme as a Family Mentor and later as their Early Years and Schools Programme Co-ordinator. As one of the Information, Support and Advocacy Coordinators, Victoria is one of the first points of contact. She aims to resolve questions where possible, signpost to appropriate services, and escalate issues when necessary.
Victoria holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Adult Learning and Development from the National University of Galway and a BA (Hons) in Adult Learning with a focus on family studies from All Hallows College / DCU.
west & North-west
Stephanie Monahan
Regional Manager
Prior to joining Sage, Stephanie served as Service Manager with the National Housing Association for the Visually Impaired, where she led a multidisciplinary team of 26 full-time staff, 6 part-time staff, two team leaders, and a pool of relief workers in delivering high-quality care to residents with complex needs. Her responsibilities spanned strategic planning, compliance with HIQA and HSE regulations, business operations, and safeguarding vulnerable individuals while upholding their rights. Stephanie fostered a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement, successfully leading organisational change and addressing complex safeguarding issues with a person-centred, rights-based approach.
Stephanie is passionate about Sage Advocacy’s motto of “Nothing about you, without you.” She believes that by placing the person she is working with at the core of all decisions, it empowers them and gives back control. This guiding principle shapes her approach to advocacy, ensuring that the voices of vulnerable individuals are heard and respected.
Stephanie graduated from Grangegorman, Dublin City University, with a Master’s in Social Care Management and Leadership in 2018. She also holds a BA in Social Care.
Ann Griffin
Regional Advocate, Leitrim & Roscommon
Prior to joining Sage, Ann was actively engaged with the Third Age National Advocacy Programme since 2010. Ann was responsible for hands-on delivery of advocacy services and the management of a team of volunteer advocates in Leitrim, Longford, Roscommon, and Sligo. Ann was office manager of a Care in the Community facility which involved assessing the needs of clients in their own homes to develop and provide appropriate care packages.
Anne also held the post of Welfare Director of a sheltered employment facility providing advocacy and support services to thirty clients with intellectual and physical disability.
Ann has completed a Certificate in Advocacy with the National College of Ireland, Volunteer Management Training Certificate with Volunteer Centres Ireland and a certificate in Management Skills for Managers of Advocacy Services, I.T. Blanchardstown.
Ann Roddy
Regional Advocate, Focused on Care Transitions, West and North West
Prior to joining Sage as a Regional Advocate, Ann worked for many years in a US financial services organisation as a project/product manager and led global technology teams. This work leveraged Ann’s original technology degree from UL. Ann has always been interested in politics, community and social justice issues and in recent years returned to education part time to pursue an MSc in Ageing and Public Policy from the University of Galway. This course gave Ann the foundation to switch careers into the NGO sector and to further her interest in improving services for Ireland’s older people. In a voluntary capacity, Ann sits on the board of a national migrant support charity and is involved in several local initiatives in her community that focus on health and community connection.
A believer in life-long learning, Ann also has qualifications in Change Management, Community Development and Sociology & Politics. Her research interests include Public and Patient Involvement (PPI), Digital Healthcare and Social Inclusion policy.
Cathy Vaughan
Regional Advocate, Case Work & Court Reports
Cathy has 28 years front-line practice experience working in child protection and disability services.13 of those years as a team leader establishing community and independent living supports and transforming lives.
Since 2013 Cathy has worked as an academic tutor and practice educator with the Open Training College and has an in-depth knowledge of regulation and how it impacts on quality person centred supports.
Cathy completed a masters in Family Support in the University of Galway and in September 2023 took up employment with Ability West as a Social Care Worker & Advocacy facilitator in Galway city & County.
Geraldine Jolley
Regional Advocate, Donegal & Sligo
Prior to being appointed as the Regional Coordinator for the Midlands, Geraldine Jolley worked with the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) for more than 10 years as an inspector of social services with responsibility for the regulation of designated centres for older people.
Before this role she was the area development officer for Mental Health Ireland. This role involved the development of positive mental health promotion programmes, suicide prevention initiatives and interagency working relationships with statutory, community, voluntary and social partners to ensure the effective delivery of services and the optimum management of resources.
Geraldine also spent more than 20 years working in the UK and held varied roles in regulation with the Care Quality Commission and as a nurse manager for mental health services that included acute, rehabilitation and dementia care services.
Geraldine is a mental health nurse with a specialist qualification in community mental health nursing. She also has a Masters degree in Interprofessional Health and Welfare Studies.
Sheila Hunt
Regional Advocate, North-West
Prior to joining Sage, Sheila was a Manager of a Voluntary Housing Body and Community Centre in East Mayo for over 9 years. She was responsible for the management and provision of support services to all sectors in the community, and for identifying and implementing new services. As part of her work, she set up a Meals on Wheels service that provides hot meals to older vulnerable people in a 30mile radius and she acquired planning permission for 10 new supported living houses and a group home for older people to extend the VHB’s social housing provision.
Sheila holds qualifications in Business, Community Development and Leadership in Community Social Enterprises.
She is currently a Secretariat member on the social inclusion pillar of the Mayo Public Participation Network (Mayo PPN)
Trish Martyn
Regional Advocate, Galway & Mayo
Prior to joining Sage, Trish worked with a community project in inner city Galway until 2014. Trish was responsible for the provision of support services to all sections of the local population. Trish previously spent 15 years working with the Lifestart Foundation, a parent-directed child-centred learning programme; supporting parents in home, community and centre based settings.
Trish holds a BA in Community and Family Studies.
Martina Davey
Regional Advocate, West & North-West
Martina holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Science, a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Studies and holds qualifications in HR Management, Coaching and Training & Development.
Prior to joining Sage Advocacy, Martina’s previous roles include: Home Services Manager for CHO1 Region with Family Carers Ireland, Home Support Resource Manager – Sligo, Leitrim & West Cavan with the HSE, in both these roles Martina was responsible for managing delivery of Home Support Services to both elderly and disability Service Users.
Martina has also experience in the area of Social Inclusion having worked as The Traveller Primary Healthcare Project Coordinator for County Leitrim.
Michael Quinn
Regional Advocate, Galway & Mayo
As Regional Advocate for Galway & Mayo, Michael brings a background in community development and social inclusion to bear on this role. Having previously held positions with MS Ireland and Cancer Care Centre services he is dedicated to a client centred approach. Michael is a qualified counsellor and psychotherapist and has worked and advocated in this role across a number of agencies.
These include addiction services and supporting Irish people living abroad. He has also worked with older people in a voluntary capacity through the charity, Alone.
Michael holds an MA in Humanities and MSc in Counselling and Psychotherapy.
Dublin & North-East
Jamie Sherlock
Regional Manager
Jamie has built an extensive career spanning 20 years in the NGO sector, with a dedicated focus on older persons, dementia care and community engagement. Over the course of her career at The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, Jamie held several pivotal roles in both Operations and Learning & Development.
Jamie’s early career at the organisation saw her managing the daily operations of a range of services, including Home Care, Day Care, Alzheimer Cafes, and Social Clubs across Dublin and the North- East. Her leadership ensured the effective and compassionate delivery of essential services, enabling individuals living with dementia to maintain a high quality of life within their communities.
In addition to her operational management roles, Jamie was also a key member of the Learning & Development Department. In this capacity, she delivered dementia-specific training to staff across the country, from frontline workers to senior management, ensuring that all employees had the knowledge and skills needed to provide high-quality care and support to those living with dementia.
Before joining Sage in 2022, Jamie served as the National Community Engagement Manager at The Alzheimer Society of Ireland. In this role, she was responsible for driving the organisation’s new Community Engagement strategy throughout Ireland. She worked closely with schools, government bodies, non-profits, and other organisations to promote education and raise awareness about dementia, helping to deepen the public’s understanding of the condition and its challenges.
Jamie holds a Business Finance degree from University College Cork and The Irish Management Institute, as well as a range of training qualifications. With her vast experience and passion for making a difference in the lives of individuals Jamie remains a leading advocate in the NGO sector.
Cheryl Mellett
Regional Advocate, Dublin North (Casework & Court Reports focus)
Cheryl has worked in many roles over the course of her career including ten years military service in both the Navy and the Army, she has also worked in management positions, legal administration and legal research. Cheryl holds an honours Law Degree from the University of Galway and a first-class honour’s masters in Law, specializing in advanced legal research, human rights and advocacy.
Prior to joining Sage Cheryl also worked with the Irish Council for Civil Liberties as an intern engaged in policy and research work, contributing to submissions to the UN on ICCPR and ICESCR, as well as submissions to the Oireachtas on various pieces of legislation including the Mother and Baby Homes Redress Scheme and the Assisted Decision-Making Capacity Act.
Ciara Gallagher
Regional Advocate, Dublin North & Meath
Ciara has worked in the area of care provision services for over 30 years.
Prior to joining Sage, Ciara worked for the Irish Advocacy Network providing advocacy services in Acute Psychiatric Units in the Dublin, Meath and Louth area.
Ciara has worked as a social care worker for Three Steps Assessment and Therapeutic Residential Services for Children and Adolescents.
Ciara has also worked as an assistant programme coordinator on the Special Care Programme, a 48-week training programme providing theoretical training and work placement in the field of Intellectual Disability within in The Daughters of Charity – Disability Support Services.
Ciara holds a BA in Applied Social Studies (Disabilities) from the Open Training College.
Derek Meates
Regional Advocate, Dublin North
Derek spent many years working in the construction industry before becoming employed as a Youth Advocate with YAP Ireland. From there he secured various positions with Northside Partnership supporting new communities and developing pathways to services and integration for families and individuals within the area.
Derek has trained in Information, Advice and Advocacy and is a qualified mediator, which supports his new role with Sage Advocacy as Regional Advocate for Dublin and North-East.
Lucy O'Brien
Regional Advocate, Dublin North
Lucy is a dedicated regional advocate based in North Dublin, with extensive experience in supporting individuals. Before joining Sage Advocacy, she worked in the homeless sector, where she provided vital support to families as a key worker. She also spent many years as a home carer, offering compassionate care to elderly individuals and those with disabilities within their own homes. Lucy holds a degree in social care and is qualified as a healthcare assistant.
Marisa Sousa
Regional Advocate, focused on Care Transitions, Dublin & North East
Marisa Sousa, the Regional Advocate for Dublin North, has dedicated her career to cultivating inclusive communities and championing individual rights. With over six years in Dublin’s disability sector, Marisa safeguarded vulnerable adults, skilfully navigating complex cases and effectively communicating with diverse stakeholders. Her international roles across Portugal, Latvia, Italy, and Mozambique underscore a commitment to inclusion, spanning youth welfare, counselling, domestic violence awareness, and human rights initiatives. Holding a BA (Honours) in Psychology from the University of Coimbra, she pursued advanced studies in Neuropsychology and Violence Against Women. Marisa’s journey exemplifies her dedication to advocacy, community enhancement, and quality care across varied settings.
Maureen Finlay
Regional Advocate, Louth & Meath
Prior to joining Sage, Maureen was a Development Officer with Age Action in Meath. She was responsible for implementing the National Advocacy Programme (later to become the Third Age National Advocacy Programme). Maureen was responsible for managing and providing supervision and support to advocates placed in nursing homes across Meath and Louth. In addition, she developed the first befriending programme for Meath nursing homes, recruiting and training a new team of befrienders.
Prior to this, Maureen worked for nine years for the Citizen’s Information Service, initially as an Information Officer and later as an Advocacy Resource Officer for the North East.
As a trained advocate, Maureen represented clients at Employment Appeals Tribunals, the Labour Court, HSE/Social Welfare and Equality Appeals and the Family Law Court.
Maureen has recently completed Conflict Positive Training, attaining a Certificate in Conflict Facilitation Skills & Practice
Rebecca Carolan
Regional Advocate, North-East
Prior to joining Sage, Rebecca worked as the Director of Nursing of a private nursing home for 18 years, caring for Older Persons and vulnerable adults. A large part of her role involved working with clients and their families along their dementia journey, ensuring a holistic and high level quality of care.
She has vast experience in dealing with the many issues that can arise for clients who are moving in to a nursing home and supporting them with the Fair Deal process and other needs. She holds a Higher Diploma in Adult Nursing, a level 6 with distinction in Gerontology and is a certified brain injury specialist with ACBIS.
Rebecca has also worked in the acute hospital setting as a Clinical Nurse Manager, specialising in Orthopaedics and General Surgery. She is a board member of the Louth Volunteer Centre and volunteers with the Irish Cancer Society.