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SVHPR Committee

The Sexual Violence and Harassment Prevention and Response Committee is in place since 2019 (formerly Consent Framework Implementation Working Group).

The SVH Prevention and Response Committee includes broad representation from within the university, comprising of staff and student representatives and our external partner the Galway Rape Crisis Centre. This wide representation is essential in terms of the ability to affect change and implement actions within different functions and units across the university. 

We issue a newsletter bulletin following the committee meetings. It is expected committee members will disseminate the information across the organisation. Please see newsletters here: 

The Sexual Violence and Harassment Prevention and Response Committee  The Sexual Violence and Harassment Prevention and Response Committee  The Sexual Violence and Harassment Prevention and Response Committee

The Sexual Violence and Harassment Prevention and Response Committee  The Sexual Violence and Harassment Prevention and Response Committee  The Sexual Violence and Harassment Prevention and Response Committee

svh bulletin 8

The Committee meets five times per academic year. The committee membership (as of January 2026 is detailed below).

Dr Helen Maher (Co-Chair) Vice President for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Dr Pádraig Mac Neela (Co-Chair) Active*Consent Co-lead, Professor School of Psychology
Ms Rebecca Connolly SVH Prevention & Response Coordinator
Ms Niamh Kavanagh SVH Prevention & Response Manager
Ms Aoife Cooke Head of EDI
Dr Ciara Egan Assistant Prof in Psychology
Ms Sinéad Clarke Nominee of the Academic Secretary
Ms Josephine Hynes Director of Human Resources
Ms Sinéad Wynne HR Employee Relations manager
Prof Dónal Leech Dean of Postgraduate studies
Ms Gemma MacNally Clinical & Therapeutic Lead, Active* Consent
Dan Eastop Student Counselling
Prof Ciara Meehan Dean of Students
Dr Elizabeth Tilley IFUT Representative
Dr Declan Coogan Former Chair of the LGBT+ network
Ms Mary Dempsey Vice-Dean EDI - CSE
Mr. Illan Wall  Vice-Dean EDI - CBPPL
Dr. Eva Flynn  Vice-Dean EDI - CMNHS
Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley  Vice-Dean EDI - CASSCS
Orla Cullinane Lecturer, Associate Head of Student Welfare and Co-chair of Shannon EDI
Tanja Schafer Sports
Roisin Nolan  Committee secretary
Alexandra Chueiri Senior Technical Officer
Seán de Búrca Student's Union President
Molly Hickey Student's Union VP & Welfare Officer
Eimear Burke Student's Union Education Officer
Cathal Ó hÉigeartaigh, Vice President for Gaeilge
Mr Hugh Rodgers Garda Liaison Officer
Ms Cathy Connolly Executive Director, Galway Rape Crisis Centre
TBC Director of Student Counselling
TBC International Staff Network representative
TBC Director of Student Services 
TBC Centre for Global Women's Studies. 

The Vice President for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Dr Helen Maher and the Head of School of Psychology, Dr. Pádraig MacNeela have co-chaired the Consent Framework Implementation Working Group since 2019. In April 2022, the name of the working group changed to the Sexual Violence and Harassment Prevention and Response Committee to reflect sectoral norms and the wider remit regarding sexual violence and harassment within this group.

The SVH Prevention and Response Committee includes broad representation from within the university, comprising of staff and student representatives and our external partner the Galway Rape Crisis Centre. This wide representation is essential in terms of the ability to affect change and implement actions within different functions and units across the university.