Who we are
The Register of Irish Sign Language interpreters was established to maintain the register of Irish Sign Language Interpreters. The registration system is referenced in the 2017 Irish Sign Language Act (referred to as an ‘accreditation scheme’).
Board of Directors
RISLI is governed by an independent board of directors. The Board is responsible for the oversight and management of RISLI.
Amy Earley
Amy Earley was appointed to the RISLI Board of Directors in June 2025. Amy is a secondary school teacher and has a particular interest in access to education. She is hard of hearing and has always had an interest in Deaf culture and learning Irish Sign Language (ISL). She is passionate about promoting inclusion and advocating for services to support people’s lives. She established an Everyday Sign Club at her school, and promotes the teaching of ISL to students and raises awareness amongst students of Deaf culture and ISL. As a director of RISLI, she welcomes the opportunity to work with the Board to ensure high standards for the provision of Irish Sign Language interpreting to service providers and the Deaf community.
Anne Coogan
Anne Coogan holds a M.Phil. in Women’s Studies (2013) from Trinity College Dublin and a Diploma in Adult Learning (1998) from NUI Maynooth. Throughout Anne’s career, her aim has always been to push and to implement quality Interpreting services for the Deaf Community.
Anne was one of the first of the news readers to present in Irish Sign Language on National Television.
In 2013/2014, she undertook research on Irish Deaf Women and co-authored ‘Deaf Women of Ireland (1922-1994) with Josephine O’Leary. In 2018, the research was published by the Centre of Deaf Studies. Until 2019, she sat as Chairperson of SLIS and oversaw many changes in Sign Language Interpreting in Ireland. With the support of the SLIS board members, Anne instigated the process of setting up a National register of Sign Language Interpreters.
Currently, Anne is also Chairperson of Deaf Village Ireland, working towards making the centre more accessible to the Deaf Community.
Brendan O’Dea
Brendan served in the Defence Forces for 23 years. He then and went on to take the role of Head of Administration and HR at Comhairle (now the Citizens Information Board), stepping down in 2005. Subsequently, Brendan moved to the Teaching Council (the professional body for registration of teachers in Ireland), where he was Deputy CEO for 12 years. As such, he oversaw the registration of over 100,000 teachers and the fitness-to-practise/complaints process.
In May 2021, Brendan was appointed to the RISLI Panel as a member with expertise in professional registration. In April 2022, he was appointed Chairperson of the RISLI panel.
Email: panelchairperson@risli.ie
Brendan Guckin
Brendan is an actuary with over 16 years experience in the insurance industry. He holds a BSc in Financial Maths and Economics from NUI Galway and qualified as an actuary in 2013.
He has actively engaged with the Society of Actuaries in Ireland, having served on various committees and working groups over many years. In addition to his professional contributions, Brendan is also serving as the Parents Representative on his local National School’s Board.
Currently, through his work, Brendan specialises in large-scale finance transformation projects and also engages in audit work.
Brendan is a father of three children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and through this experience, has gained a deep understanding of the critical role communication plays in daily life
Carla Dunne
Carla was appointed to the RISLI Board of Directors in June 2025 as member with expertise in audit and assurance services. Carla is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and holds a degree in Commerce and French from University College Dublin. Carla has more than 15 years’ experience operating in a professional services firm, with a particular focus on providing external audit and advisory services to financial services clients and on providing internal support on risk, regulatory and technical matters across the firm.
Frankie Berry
Loretta Ristic-Keogh (Vice Chairperson)
Loretta was appointed to the RISLI Board of Directors in May 2025 as member with expertise in marketing, IT, strategy development and with inherent knowledge of the Deaf Community in Sweden. In January 2026, Loretta stepped into the role of Vice Chairperson of the Board. Loretta has over 14 years of Tech and Leadership experience, which includes talent management, talent acquisition and development.
Loretta holds an M.Sc. in Public Policy & Management from Stockholm University, Sweden, and is natively fluent in Swedish and English. Loretta completed a Diploma and Certification in Board Directorship with the Irish Institute of Directors, with fresh qualifications in Governance, Strategy and Finance for Board Directors.
Loretta is an accomplished Senior Leader and Certified Mentor and Coach, specialising in the EMEA market. Recognised for her ability to accelerate growth and transform underperforming regions into top-tier sales organisations. At Google, Loretta served as the EMEA Performance Management Lead, defining vision and strategy for performance management across Northern European. Up until 2025, Loretta served as an internal Board Member for EMEA Mid-Market Sales at Google, driving metric alignment, growth and results through coordinating cross-functional strategies.
Mary Duggan
Peter Rooney
David Somers
Loretta Grogan
Loretta Grogan brings a diverse professional background spanning the medical and business sectors. She holds an MBA along with qualifications in project management, nursing, garden design, and hospitality, reflecting a multidisciplinary approach to leadership and problem-solving.
Loretta currently serves as a Director with RISLI, the Historic Houses of Ireland, and the County Longford Tourism Board, where she contributes her expertise in governance, strategic development, and community engagement.
She previously held the role of Executive Manager with the Citizen Information Board, working with the National Association of Citizens Information Services, where she supported the delivery of vital public information and advocacy services nationwide.
Having travelled extensively, Loretta brings a valuable global perspective to her work, alongside a strong commitment to inclusion, accessibility, and effective governance.
Registration Panel
The Registration Panel (Panel) deal with matters in relation to the maintenance of the register and developing policies that guide the operation of the register.
Anna-Lena Nielson
Dr. Anna-Lena Nilsson is Guest Professor of Sign Language Interpreting at the Institute for Interpreting and Translation Studies (TÖI) at Stockholm University a member of the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters expert group providing input to the International Standards Organisation (ISO).
More information available here: https://www.su.se/institute-for-interpreting-and-translation-studies/
Anne Coogan
Anne Coogan holds a M.Phil. in Women’s Studies (2013) from Trinity College Dublin and a Diploma in Adult Learning (1998) from NUI Maynooth. Throughout Anne’s career, her aim has always been to push and to implement quality Interpreting services for the Deaf Community.
Anne was one of the first of the news readers to present in Irish Sign Language on National Television.
In 2013/2014, she undertook research on Irish Deaf Women and co-authored ‘Deaf Women of Ireland (1922-1994) with Josephine O’Leary. In 2018, the research was published by the Centre of Deaf Studies. Until 2019, she sat as Chairperson of SLIS and oversaw many changes in Sign Language Interpreting in Ireland. With the support of the SLIS board members, Anne instigated the process of setting up a National register of Sign Language Interpreters.
Currently, Anne is also Chairperson of Deaf Village Ireland, working towards making the centre more accessible to the Deaf Community.
Bernadette Ferguson
Cathal Duffy
Kevin Stanley
Tori Raw
Tori is a highly experienced business and registration manager working with the NRCPD (The National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind People), a voluntary regulator responsible for maintaining a register of over 1700 Language Service Professionals.
Brendan O’Dea (Chairperson)
Brendan served in the Defence Forces for 23 years. He then and went on to take the role of Head of Administration and HR at Comhairle (now the Citizens Information Board), stepping down in 2005. Subsequently, Brendan moved to the Teaching Council (the professional body for registration of teachers in Ireland), where he was Deputy CEO for 12 years. As such, he oversaw the registration of over 100,000 teachers and the fitness-to-practise/complaints process.
In May 2021, Brendan was appointed to the RISLI Panel as a member with expertise in professional registration. In April 2022, he was appointed Chairperson of the RISLI panel.
Email: panelchairperson@risli.ie
Lorraine Leeson
Staff Members
RISLI is supported by three staff members; a Manger, Service Administrator and an Education and Accreditation Officer.
Manager
Margaret O’Connor
Email: manager@risli.ie
Mobile: +353 861380180
Education and Accreditation Officer
Kate Privett-Collins
Email: register@risli.ie
Mobile: +353 86 101 9980
