Board of Directors
Crime Victims Helpline is committed to having the highest standards of good governance. Our annual financial accounts are independently audited and are available here. The Directors are independently elected and no Director receives any remuneration whatsoever for service to Crime Victims Helpline.
All Directors commit to abiding by the Code of Conduct for Directors.
The trust and support of the community are not something that we take for granted. Any queries in relation to the governance of Crime Victims Helpline can be directed to info@crimevictimshelpline.ie.
Clare Cresswell, Chairperson
Following an Hons BSc in Criminology & Psychological Studies from the Open University in 2011, Dr. Clare Cresswell completed an MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice in University College Dublin (UCD) Sutherland School of Law. While studying for her Masters, she worked for two years as a volunteer with Crime Victims Helpline. Clare was subsequently awarded a scholarship by the Irish Research Council (IRC) for her PhD research entitled: ‘Assisted Desistance: Evaluating a coordinated community based response to the reintegration of perpetrators of sexual harm’. Her doctorate, funded by the Irish Research Council and PACE (Prisoners Aid through Community Effort) was awarded by UCD in 2019. Clare has been a guest lecturer at UCD and TU Dublin and has presented papers at international criminology conferences. Her interests continue to include areas of desistance, rehabilitation, victims of crime and restorative practices.
Declan Harrington, Treasurer
Declan joined Deloitte following qualification as a chartered accountant from where he joined An Post as Internal Auditor in 1987. He became Head of Internal Audit in 1992, a position he held until 1998 when he was appointed Head of Financial Accounting. While in this role, he served as director of a number of An Post subsidiary companies. In 2011, he was appointed Head of Finance of the National Lottery, a position he held until his retirement in April 2020.
John Kelly, Secretary
John is Global Security Regional Investigations Manager with Meta. Prior to joining Meta, John spent 31 years in An Garda Siochana, retiring in 2015 at the Rank of Inspector, having worked in a number of roles and locations mainly in Dublin. During his career in An Garda Siochana John dealt extensively with victims of crime and the impact of crime on those victims, in particular when he was responsible for District Community Policing. During his time in AGS, John was a member the local District on Joint Policing Committees , Youth Diversion Projects and Local Drugs Task Forces. John holds a professional qualifications in policing and management, BA (Hons-1st) . John joined the Crime Victims Helpline Board of Directors in September 2023.
Margaret Clapham
Margaret Clapham has over 30 years’ experience in managerial and director roles in the hospitality and facilities management sectors. She returned to study at the University of Galway, completing her MSc in Business and Hospitality in 2022. Margaret worked in the hospitality sector until 2004, when she joined Sodexo, global facilities management provider as Business Development Director. Her sales achievements were recognised in Europe as Sales Director of the Year at the inaugural Women in Sales Awards (WISA) 2013. In 2018 Margaret founded Sales Growth providing consultancy, training and mentoring expertise to business in enterprise. Margaret has extensive knowledge in leading corporate social responsibility agenda and is passionate about creating an environment that encourages diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Naomi Coleman
Naomi has over 10 years’ experience in Recruitment and HR and specialises in managing large scale recruitment projects for Public Sector bodies. She holds a CIPD diploma in Human Resource Management and is currently completing her Degree in Business and Economics. Naomi is a qualified psychometric accessor and has an in-depth understanding of public sector recruitment and procurement and is actively involved in training panel members and chairs on the CSPA codes of practice and ensuring governance on these matters for various high-profile public-sector organisations. She also holds Leadership Excellence qualifications from both Notre Dame University (USA) and Trinity College Dublin.
Eoin Heffernan
Susan Leahy
Dr. Susan Leahy is a senior lecturer in law at the University of Limerick. Susan researches in the area of sexual offences, domestic abuse and the rights of victims of crime. She has published her research in both national and international journals. She has co-authored two books: Sexual Offending in Ireland: Laws, Procedures and Punishment (with Dr Margaret Fitzgerald-O’Reilly) and The Victim in the Irish Criminal Process (with Prof Shane Kilcommins, Dr Kathleen Moore-Walsh and Dr Eimear Spain). She has completed a number of funded research projects on sexual offences, gender-based violence and victims of crime. Susan is co-director of the Centre for Crime, Justice and Victim Studies at the University of Limerick, a research centre with a specific focus on the rights of victims of crime.