David has been on the Board of the ISA since its incorporation and was previously a member of the committee. He has been involved in the ISA Dublin Support Group for over ten years and has co-facilitated it for much of this time.

David is a strong proponent of the development of a stammering community, and believes that this can both help the person who stammers as well as building a greater acceptance of stammering in the general population. David has had a stammer since he was a child and works as a civil servant in Dublin.

Nora joined the Board of the Irish Stammering Association in 2017 and is now Vice Chair. She has been a person who stammers for as long as she can remember. With time, exploration and reflection, she has come a long way in becoming more comfortable, compassionate and open (and sometimes even proud!) with this as an integral part of who she is.

With the ISA, Nora is particularly interested in connecting with the stammering community, and in raising awareness to help people who stammer and those around them better understand, respect and value stammering. In relation to stammering, and in other areas of her life, she is committed to social change.

Nora works in public policy, currently focusing on lifelong learning in the university sector, based back in Dublin. Previously, she studied and worked in EU affairs in Brussels, Strasbourg and Sweden.

Callum lives in Dublin and works as a speech and language therapist in child and adolescent mental health services. Callum has stammered since childhood, although its impact on him has significantly reduced over the years, due in no small part to his involvement in the stammering community.

As a board member of the Irish Stammering Association, he has an interest in developing support networks and providing education and information on stammering.

Deirdre is from Dublin and is a person who stammers. She joined the ISA board in 2018 and is a director and company secretary. Deirdre is a qualified accountant, has a degree in psychology and a higher diploma in counselling and psychotherapy. She has had various treatments for stammering, including speech therapy and the McGuire Programme.

As an active member of Toastmasters since 2009, Deirdre is passionate about public speaking and aims to assist organising public speaking training for people who stammer. She is a facilitator of the ISA Women’s Telephone Support Group. She regularly attends ISA’s events, and hopes to help build the community of people who stammer.

Sarah has been a Director on the Board of ISA since 2011. She is also a facilitator on the Women’s Phone Support Group, which provides a forum to gain support and share experiences of living as a person who stammers.

A project manager in IT prior to taking a career break, Sarah is nearing completion of training as a psychotherapist. In 2012, she conducted a research MA on the role of emotional support in stammering.

Triona has been a board member of the ISA since April 2014. Triona is a registered Psychologist with the Psychological Society of Ireland and currently works with the HSE National Counselling Service providing psychological therapies and interventions.

Triona conducted research focusing on the psychological aspects of stammering as part of her doctoral degree in counselling psychology at Trinity College Dublin. While acknowledging that the experience of stammering is very unique to each individual, Triona believes that the key to coping with stammering is self-acceptance, self-compassion and openness as a person who stammers rather than chasing a goal of fluent speech. Triona has presented on topics relating to the psychological impact of stammering at a number of ISA conference days.

Triona’s responsibilities on the board include implementation of the ISA child protection policy and the ISA equality policy. Triona also has responsibility for the management of the membership database and ensuring that it is compliant with the ISA data protection policy.