Katherine Zappone
Katherine Zappone (November 25, 1953) is a public policy research consultant and member of the Human Rights Commission in Ireland.
Education
Katherine Zappone has got a PhD from Boston College, MBA (Smurfit Business, UCD) and MA from the Catholic University of America, and has completed a recent programme in research methodologies in educational technologies with the Open University in the United Kingdom.
Political career
She is currently a member of the Irish Human Rights Commission, after being appointed by the Minister of Justice in 2001 and re-appointed in 2006. She was nominated by the Prime Minister to the Irish Senate in May 2011.
Notable works
She is the first member of the Irish Senate to be openly lesbian. As a former CEO of the National Women’s Council of Ireland, Katherine Zappone contributed to public policy-making and directed its research programme. She has also taught ethics, practical theology and education in Trinity College Dublin. She led and established the Tallaght West Childhood Development Initiative, a ten year strategy and service implementation programme to improve outcomes for children and families, that was co-funded by the Irish Government and Atlantic Philanthropies.
