Dr Anna M Kelly, Appointed to the Fáilte Ireland Authority

We warmly welcome the appointment of Dr Anna M Kelly to the Failte Ireland Authority. Dr Kelly is Adjunct Associate Professor & Co-Director of the Inclusive Design Research Centre of Ireland at UCD, and coordinates research themes and leaders across disciplines, sectors and universities in that regard, as well as co-supervising PhDs in the areas of Inclusive Learning, Inclusion and Diversity Policy, and Access.

Anna served as Director, Access & Lifelong Learning in University College Dublin for more than a decade, where she designed the University for All model, Ireland’s first programme of institutional transformation and culture change, to develop an inclusive and diverse educational experience for all students, regardless of background or circumstances.

A highly regarded inclusion and accessibility expert, her career began as a Home Economics teacher, and spans more than four decades, primarily in Further and Higher Education. She is an experienced teacher, principal, senior education leader, a published author, and an independent non-executive director, with extensive expertise in diversity, accessibility, and inclusive design.

Currently, Dr Kelly undertakes independent evaluations of further and higher education, on behalf of Quality & Qualifications Ireland. She is an Independent Non-Executive Director of the Muiríosa Foundation, chairs the Irish Universities Association 1916 Bursary Independent Appeals Panel, and is a member of the Editorial Board and Innovative Practice Editor, Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning Journal, at The Open University, UK.