Maria Doyle, IPPN Board Member

Maria graduated from Mary Immaculate College of Education with a B.Ed and started her teaching career in Holy Family Junior Mercy Primary School where she taught until 1995. That same year she was appointed to the senior section of the Mercy School and became the first lay principal at Our Lady of Mercy S.N.S.in Waterford City, a DEIS Band 2 Senior Girls school in a RAPID Area.

Maria is a member of the Board of Directors of IPPN, having initially served as National Council representative for Waterford for many years. She is the Course Tutor for the Ciall Ceannaithe online course for Newly Appointed Principals and facilitates ‘HeadStart’, a face to face programme for Newly Appointed Principals. Maria has provided workshops on the topic of Child Protection at several IPPN Conferences and at the Teaching Principals’ Summer School. She represented IPPN on the consultative group revising the DES Child Protection Procedures for Primary & Post Primary Schools (2010/2011) and was part of the consultative group updating the Governance Manual for Primary Schools 2015/2019 with the DES. Maria has been a member of the team representing IPPN at the working group for the Centre for School Leadership established in 2014 by the DES. She is currently a member of the DES Advisory Group for SSE representing IPPN and represents the organisation as a member of the Children’s Rights Alliance. 

Maria was elected Deputy President and President Elect of IPPN in August 2013 and took over the role of IPPN President from Brendan McCabe in August 2015 until August 2017.