Le Chéile Leadership Team
Tony Lee – Interim CEO
School Governance and Leadership Development Officer Tony Lee has joined the Le Chéile team as School Governance and Leadership Development Officer. Tony has been principal of St. Aloysius College, Carrigtwohill for fourteen years. Previously he was Principal in Scoil Mhuire, Kanturk and Deputy Principal in Nagle Community College, Mahon, Cork. Tony started his career as a teacher of Physics, Science and Maths in Mannix College, Charleville before moving to Nagle Community College in 1984, firstly as a teacher and then being promoted to Deputy Principal there in 1999. Tony has been a Council member of AMCSS/JMB from 2009 to 2012 and then served as Vice President from 2012 to 2015. He led the work on developing the new proposed middle management structures, which were agreed in principle by the management bodies of the ETBI and Community and Comprehensive Schools sectors as well as the JMB. Tony can be contacted: [email protected]
Dr. Olive Laffoy
joins our team as part-time School Governance and Leadership Development Officer from October 2023
Olive began her teaching career in 1986 as a science teacher at Dominican College Griffith Avenue; where she taught Science and Maths at junior level and Biology and Chemistry at senior level. Olive obtained an MSc in Chemistry in 1992 from DCU. In 2005 after completing her MEd in Leadership and Management and a Diploma in School Development Planning, Olive moved to St. Finian’s Community College in Swords to take up a new role as Deputy Principal. In 2008 Olive was appointed Principal of a new greenfield site in Donabate. In 2013 Olive returned to Dominican College Griffith Avenue as Principal of and retired in June 2023.
Olive has been active in the area of School Leadership and Management and was awarded her Doctorate in 2013. Nationally Olive has been involved with CSL (Centre for School Leadership),has mentored Newly Appointed Principals, as a Mentor with CSL, and as an Associate for PDST on the Leadership Team. Olive lectures on MEd and PGDELM courses at Maynooth University.
You can contact Olive via [email protected]
Pat Flynn
Property Advisor
is joining the Le Chéile team on a part time basis as Property Advisor from November 2021. Pat will be assisting with all matters Property and School Building related. Pat worked as a teacher of Woodwork and Construction Studies in Firhouse Community College (1986-2002), and St. Colmcille’s Community School Knocklyon (2002-2005). He was appointed Principal of Tullow Community School (2005 – 2011). In 2011 he was appointed as the first Principal of Kildare Town Community School, a new school formed through the amalgamation of the De La Salle Secondary School, the Presentation Secondary School and Kildare Vocational School. As Principal he led the development of the new school and its move to the new school building constructed under Public Private Partnership. Pat is currently Chairperson of Blakestown Community School.
Pat can be contacted: [email protected]
Claire Kilroy
Ethos Leadership Officer
graduated with a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) in Home Economics & Biology from St Angela’s College, Sligo in 2004. She started her career in Mount Sackville Secondary School Chapelizod and subsequently made the move back to Galway. Claire spent 10 years in The Mercy Secondary School, Tuam, Co. Galway, the final two years she was Acting Deputy Principal. In 2017, Claire moved to Microsoft Showcase School Coláiste Bhaile Chláir, Claregalway where she was appointed into the position of Deputy Principal and took on the role of Ethos Co-ordinator of Galway Roscommon Education & Training Board (GRETB).
In 2014 Claire completed a Post-graduate Diploma in School Leadership with Maynooth University and progressed to study a master’s in education (M.Ed.) with NUIG where she investigated through action research “How to Lead a Practice of Teacher Peer Observation”. Claire also has a diploma in Public Relations. Claire is a tutor on the University of Limerick Post-graduate Diploma in School Leadership (PDSL) and has mentored newly appointed Deputy Principals with the National Association of Principals & Deputy Principals (NAPD). All of this experience has encouraged Claire to write various articles for the NAPD Leader on issues such as “Building a collaborative school culture”, “How to successfully PR a school” and “Implementing a process of Teacher Peer Observation”. She has facilitated workshops based on these writings with various education centres over the past few years.
As part of her Deputy Principal role Claire has years of experience leading Special Educational Needs and promotes an inclusive environment, she has overseen the establishment of ASD and MOGLD classes. Claire is a Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Expert and has led various Erasmus+ projects for her school, creating links with partners in other countries through schools and universities. Claire has volunteered in the past for the charity “Global Schoolroom” and travelled to India to deliver a UCD accredited Education programme to Indian teachers.
Claire is passionate about education, ethos, values, leadership, excellence in teaching and learning, collaborative practice and student voice. Claire can be contacted at: [email protected]
