Board of Trustees

Adele has over 20 years’ experience working in the public sector in a variety of service development roles. She started her career as an Environmental Health Officer then gained experience over many years developing services for older people in Belfast City Council, and regionally in the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. Her skills include leadership, strategy, governance and partnership working - all things she brings to Dementia NI. On joining the Board Adele said, “My work with older people initially attracted me to Dementia NI. However, I am very quickly learning about the complexities of dementia and the wide range of people living with dementia."

John founded Dementia NI in 2015 with four other people living with a dementia diagnosis. He is an active member of our Ballymoney Empowerment Group, is Chair of the Member Forum and Vice-Chair of our Board of Trustees.

Read John's story here

Denise is a chartered marketer with almost 30 years of business experience in marketing, business development and PR. Denise has successfully worked within a number of different industries and sectors including executive education, security printing/graphics and telecommunications/ICT. Denise is a postgraduate of Strathclyde University, Glasgow with an MSc in Marketing and in 2002 she also undertook an Executive Leadership programme at JFK School of Government, Harvard University. In 2010, Denise was appointed to help establish the William J Clinton Leadership Institute at Queen’s University and launch its extensive executive education portfolio for clients from all sectors over the last ten years.

Leanne is a chartered accountant with experience in the charity, banking, financial services and retail sectors. She is currently the Finance Manager for Oxfam Ireland and has been in this post for 6 years which has provided the opportunity to develop an in-depth knowledge of charity accounting. Leanne is from Fermanagh, however with a keen passion for travel she has explored much of Australia, South East Asia and Central America. At the moment her adventures are much closer to home with two small children dictating the pace. Leanne said, “I am honoured to be given the role of treasurer for Dementia NI and to have the opportunity to support this fantastic local charity. I am looking forward to giving something back to our community by raising awareness of dementia and helping improve the lives of those living with dementia. I hope I can use my skills to help Dementia NI realise its exciting new strategy over the next three years.”

Naomi cared for both of her grandparents throughout their journeys with dementia, living with her grandfather throughout his final years. She understands the importance of independent living and of retaining control and autonomy for as long as possible after a dementia diagnosis. Naomi heard about the work of Dementia NI while caring full-time for her grandfather and says she was inspired by our message of empowerment and living well with dementia. As a legacy to her grandparents she feels privileged to have been appointed to the Board and hopes that her qualifications and experience as a solicitor specialising in Wills and Enduring Powers of Attorney, as well as the skills she has developed as a Company Director, will be able to enhance the work already being done to empower the members of our charity.

Nicola is a human rights and social justice activist with 18 years of professional experience in academia, civil society and non-governmental organisations. She is Project Co-ordinator (Northern Ireland) for Act Now, an independent, people-powered campaigning community who take coordinated action for progressive change across Ireland, as well as an occasional lecturer and consultant. Previously, Nicola worked at the UN High Commission for Refugees in Dublin and as a Postgraduate Researcher at the Centre for Capital Punishment Studies at the University of Westminster, London. Nicola was a founding staff member of Participation and the Practice of Rights (PPR) in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She is a Fellow with The Social Change Initiative’s Leadership for Social Justice and Peace in Northern Ireland programme and a Senior Atlantic Fellow for Social and Economic Equity at the London School of Economics. Nicola holds both an LLB (Hons) degree from the University of Dundee and an LLM in International Human Rights Law from the University of Nottingham.

Since being diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2017, Allison has been determined to keep living life to the full and wants to share her message of hope. Allison attends one of the Belfast Empowerment groups, is Vice-Chair of the Member Forum and has been on our Board of Trustees since 2024.

Read Allison's story here