Governance

Dr Andrea C Johnson is a member of the Executive Committee of WITS. Andrea graduated from University College Cork, with a PhD in Computer Science. She is a passionate advocate of women in technology and was an early adopter of Teenturn. She has a special interest in the mentorship and sponsorship of women in technology, and was a participant in the WNX Wisdom Mentoring Program. Andrea’s research focus is Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging and the application of AI in this space

Dr Johnson is a Senior Director at Workhuman. Workhuman build cultures of gratitude and human connections for leading global brands. Andrea says of Workhuman “We love what we do because we’re shaping the future of work – and the world – through our people and global technology” For more detail see LinkedIn.

Jan is a Global Business Systems Director at Workhuman, the world’s fastest-growing integrated social recognition and continuous performance management platform. Over her career of nearly 30 years, Jan has worked across multiple industries in senior roles, including IT, Healthcare, Telecoms, Research, Pharmaceuticals, Fulfilment and Software Support, bringing a wealth of experience in Organisational Change, including building/managing high performing teams in Operations and Program Management roles. She has led organizations to achieve various compliance and certifications critical to business success, such as GDPR, Governance Code Compliance and ISO27001 Certification. Jan is PMP and Prince 2 certified herself and has a very well-defined approach to Programs/Projects with quality product being delivered on time and within budget.

Throughout Jan’s career, she has been involved in many voluntary organisations both inside and outside of the workplace. Jan has held Chairperson and Company Secretary roles in a number of Charitable Boards. As an active member of various Women’s Networks, she is passionate about coaching others to reach success in their careers and promoting gender equity and diversity along the way.

Tammy Strickland is an earlier career researcher with a background in innovative biomedical science, neuroscience and regenerative medicine.

Having studied for a bachelors degree in Human Health and Disease in Trinity College Dublin (TCD), she developed a passion for studying and developing novel therapies for difficult-to-treat neurological diseases. This interest began when she studied cranial irradiation and neurocognitive decline in the Karolinska Institute, Sweden during the final year of her undergraduate degree.

Following her graduation from TCD, she was inspired by her two years experience working in a clinically-oriented paediatrics lab in the Trinity College Translational Medicine Institute and was motivated to complete a masters degree in Regenerative Medicine, with a special focus on stem cells, gene therapy and tissue engineering. Having carried out exciting projects on novel approaches to restoring motor function to spinal cord injury patients in both the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota and University College Dublin, she is now working as a research assistant in the FutureNeuro group in the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, under the supervision of Dr Cristina Ruedell Reschke. Her current research interests centre on understanding the pathogenesis of rare genetic and more common acquired forms of epilepsy and on identifying new treatment strategies for both patient groups.

She also enjoys learning new skills, particularly in the realms of technology, as she studied web development and computing science part time for several years and is currently studying data analytics independently in her spare time. She is passionate about science education, communication and gender equality in STEM and beyond.

Dr. Marie Barrett completed her PhD in Plant molecular biology in UCC and partly at the University Pierre and Marie Curie, Paris. After completing her research Marie held several positions in the biotech/pharma industry as a technical sales specialist focusing in endotoxin texting and more recently as a validation engineer for a large multinational.

Marie is also a qualified Montessori teacher and has volunteered her time introducing the under 5's to maths and science to explore the world around them. She is a WITS Executive member and Treasurer since December 2014.

Lisa Cavern is an IT professional and Business Analyst with Version 1, where she helps clients maximise the business benefits of technology projects.

Before moving into the IT sector, Lisa worked in science and maths education, and later in the community sector. Lisa loves learning and sharing the why and how of the world around us and is passionate about promoting equality in the sciences and technology.

Dr Jennifer Keenahan is a member of the WITS Executive Committee and Chair of the Research Sub-Committee. She is an Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering at UCD. Her research is in the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics for the Built Environment. Her teaching focuses on building working relationships between engineers and architects, she completed Professional Diploma in Higher Education and is currently the Head of Teaching and Learning at the School of Civil Engineering.

Previously, she practiced as an Engineer in Arup Dublin on their Bridges team and later, on their Computational Fluid Dynamics team where she worked on many national and international projects. Jennifer is a Chartered Engineer with Engineers Ireland.

Follow Jennifer on LinkedIn @Jennifer Keenahan and on Twitter @jenkeenahan

After she graduated from two Masters in Management and International Business in France, Marine has pursued her entire career in the Technology sector so far. She recently learnt the basics of app programming and web development to strengthen the technological orientation of her already hybrid, business and technology-oriented profile.

Very early in her career, Marine has realised the consequences of the gender gap in STEM, both for women and for businesses, and decided to act for change. Before joining WITS in August 2021, she worked in Switzerland where she volunteered for an organisation aiming at supporting and fostering women embracing careers in the Digital sector.