Our team
Janie Lazar, Chair
Janie Lazar is someone who knows first hand what it is to lose and regain confidence, face mortality and as moved through almost apologetically. Now, somewhat belatedly, having fully recognised the inner need not only in herself, but in most of us to be remembered well. Rare is the individual she says ‘who really doesn’t care!
She moved to Dublin from London in 1993, initially trained as a French teacher, fell into advertising before moving to Dublin and since 1994 has been self employed. Janie regards Ireland as home and uses her accumulated skills as a strategist, celebrant and specialist speaker coach to do purposeful work, as well as founding voluntary/advocacy endeavours like TEDx Dun Laoghaire and End of Life Ireland.
Inclusion matters to Janie and this guiding principle determines the work she takes on, to make sure she can make time to take the time for what matters most.
Justin McKenna
Justin has over 40 years continuous experience as a solicitor practising in the area of end of life. He is a former chairperson of the Law Society Committee on Probate Administration and Trusts and a former President of the Dublin Solicitors Bar Association.
He is one of the founding partners of Partners at Law Solicitors, a law firm based in Dun Laoghaire.
Alan Tuffery, PhD
Dr Alan Tuffery is a former university lecturer in physiology and was involved in student services in various roles: personal tutor, developing disability services and managing the College’s tutorial service.
After ‘retirement’ Alan taught on the Trinity Access Programmes.in a volunteer capacity, helping to provide academic advice to students. Among his current interests are the individual in society and improving the quality of life for all. He is committed to end of life choice and supporting the campaign for Voluntary Assisted Dying.
Niamh Phelan, MSc.
Niamh is a technologist specialising in analytics and digital transformation in large multinationals. As a Volunteer Technologist she has lent her expertise to charities working with migrants, older people, people experiencing homelessness, people with addiction issues and people working in the sex industry. Niamh was a Volunteer Solution Architect with the Irish Red Cross for 7 years, managing volunteers that created the Irish Red Cross pledging platform. Niamh is a founding member of Dublin 8 Refugee Community Sponsorship Group and Dublin City of Sanctuary Business & Enterprise Program.
Linked In: Niamh Phelan Twitter: @niamhmphelan TedX Talk 2018
Judith Ashton
Judith has been a body orientated psychotherapist and massage therapist for 35+ years and she has supported many terminally ill clients and their families,. She is also a fully qualified funeral celebrant and a recent Tedx speaker. During the recent pandemic, Judith put her energy into producing an end of life planning guide www.beprepared.ie which draws on her extensive experience in helping families through emotional times.
Noel Byrne
Noel is a retired Civil Servant. His principal interest is in Philosophy with particular interests in Ethics and Morality. Working closely with Alan Tuffery our research lead and Justin McKenna our legal eagle, Noel is an invaluable member of our team.
May Sivertsen
May is a brand identity designer. Originally from Norway she has lived in Ireland for more than twenty years. When Janie asked May for help with the visual communication for End of Life Ireland, well of course she answered that call. May outlined, “I remember the Marie Fleming case very well and what she, her husband and her family had to go through seemed beyond awful. That her husband could risk being accused of murdering his wife if he stopped her horrid suffering… well it seemed inhuman…. I want to see legislation for Assisted Dying.”
Jude Wainwright
The experience of watching her father die from Motor Neurone Disease (MND) left a lasting impression on Judith Wainwright who is now an advocate for voluntary assisted dying. Judith has been an active volunteer with End of Life Ireland since 2020 and advocates for End of Life Choice in memory of her father.
Dara Hogan
Dara Hogan is a retired Chartered Management Accountant with extensive, board-level experience in the logistics, food and retail sectors. The last 7 years of his career were in social enterprise at An Cosán in Tallaght West where he devised the award-winning Fledglings Early Years group of 8 crèches / pre-schools for families in areas of deprivation.
Dara has had a life-long commitment to the sport and not-for-profit sectors. In the 1970s he was a volunteer soup-runner for the Simon Community and Treasurer of the Irish Underwater Council (CFT). More recently he chaired the Irish Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association (IHPA) for more than a decade and he has been Director / Treasurer of the National Aero Club of Ireland (NACI) since 2006.
Aveen Avers
Aveen became a member of End of Life Ireland in 2024 following the death of a close family member from Motor Neurone Disease. The experience of witnessing the impact of this terrible illness on both the patient and the close family members, has convinced her of the need to introduce legislation in Ireland, for patient choice in voluntary assisted dying.
Charisse Brown
Charisse Brown has a diverse background in project management, event coordination, teaching, celebrancy, and grief counseling. With a strong foundation in education, she transitioned from teaching to grief counseling, where she provided vital emotional support to those dealing with loss. Her skills in managing complex projects naturally led her to a successful career in event management, where she has consistently delivered well-organized, meaningful projects.
LinkedIn: bfonline/
Mary Fitzgerald
Mary lived in Belgium for some years and admired how Liberal legislation for voluntary assisted dying did not result in rampant, unthoughtful deaths.
It provided a security blanket, a choice. A human right for a democratic country. “Let Ireland have the same. “
Dr Ken Olinger
Ken , graduated from Cornell University and qualified in Medicine at the RoyalCollege of Surgeonsin Ireland. He was principal in a busy general practice in Dublin for nearly forty years. He looked after , in some cases, four generations. This is where he gained insight into and compassion for the lives of his patients.