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Fulbright Commission Staff

Dr Dara FitzGerald

Executive Director
Email: info@fulbright.ie
Phone: 01.6607670

Dara is the Executive Director. He has a BSc and PhD in Biology & IT from Maynooth University and University College Cork, and has worked in IT and biomedical applications for 20 years. Dara has founded and headed up a number of companies and he acted as the US Federal Liaison for Enterprise Ireland in Washington DC and Dublin.

Ms Paula Melvin

Senior Awards Manager
Phone: 01.6607670

Paula is the Senior Awards Programme Manager. In September 2018 Paula presented the Commission’s Irish Language activities in the U.S. to a Joint Committee of Teachtaí Dála and Senators in Dáil Éireann. She is a graduate of Dublin City University and has a Masters in Journalism and Communications from University College Dublin, where she subsequently taught Irish. Paula was elected President of Conradh na Gaeilge in February 2022. She is also an alumna of the U.S. Embassy Dublin's National Youth Council. Cuireann sí fáilte roimh chomhfhreagras trí Ghaeilge i gcónaí.

Ms Sara West

Awards Program Officer
Email: sara.west@fulbright.ie
Phone: 01.6607670

Sara West is Awards Program Officer with the Fulbright Commission, and previously served as Administrative Officer during her first three years at the Commission. Her background weaves together work in programme management and administration across public, non-profit and higher education sectors, supporting individuals and families experiencing homelessness, and working with young people in educational settings. A gender studies and political science graduate of Rutgers University, in her home state of New Jersey, Sara went on to earn her MSc in Children & Youth Studies at University College Dublin, investigating the role of mindfulness-based practices in Irish primary schools and how they interact with children's rights and wellbeing. Sara is also a trained Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) facilitator with the Center for Trauma and Embodiment at the Justice Resource Institute.

Ms Aoife Drinan

Communications Officer
Email: aoife.drinan@fulbright.ie
Phone: 01.6607670

Aoife is the Communications Officer with the Fulbright Commission. She has an international BA in History & History of Art and a Masters in Cultural Policy & Arts Management from University College Dublin. Aoife worked in the arts, higher education and education inclusion sectors in Dublin, London and New York before joining the Fulbright Commission in 2022.

Ms Cecilia Rolfo

Administrative Officer
Email: cecilia.rolfo@fulbright.ie
Phone: 01.6607670

Cecilia is the Administrative Officer. She has a Bachelor in Audiovisual Communications and a Professor in Audiovisual Communications from National University of La Plata, Argentina. In 2011 Cecilia completed a postgraduate course with University Complutense in Madrid, Spain. Cecilia has worked in university administration for ten years and lived in Australia and New Zealand. She moved to Ireland in 2017 and completed a Management Diploma in IBAT College. In 2021 she completed a post-graduate course in Griffith College and a Masters in Digital Media and Marketing with ATU Ireland.

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