Staff Team

	John O’Doherty: Director I am responsible for staff management, fundraising, policy development, day-to-day management and assisting the Board in strategic management. I previously worked as The Rainbow Project’s Equality Officer and I am still involved in a number of LGBT groups including the Northern Ireland Policing Board, LGBT Reference Group and Quire (Belfast LGBT Choir). In my spare time, I enjoy reading, movies, singing and dancing.
	Pat Nairn: Finance & Administration Officer I’m Pat and I’m responsible for looking after administration and finance here at Rainbow. I’ve been working here for 8 years now, having previously worked in financial services. Outside of work, I am interested in gardening, motorbikes, and I have a son who is a famous drag artiste and DJ on the gay scene in Belfast.
	Aidan Donegan: Administration Assistant Hi. I’m Aidan.  My job involves providing the day to day administrative support for The Rainbow Project. This means I have daily contact with all the staff which makes the job interesting and varied.
	David McCartney: Foyle Centre Manager I was one of the founding members of The Rainbow Project when it launched in 1994. I am the Manager for the Foyle Centre but work throughout Northern Ireland. I am one of the media spokepersons for the organisation. A large part of my work also involves working with the PSNI and other agencies to improve services for the LGBT community.
	Martin Rolston: Young Men’s Counsellor I’m a qualified counsellor accredited with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). My current work at The Rainbow Project is focused on providing counselling to young people and their families, although I have many years experience of working with a range of clients. I have previously worked as a Residential Social Worker at the Richmond Fellowship’s therapuetic communities in Coventry and Liverpool, as well as The Young People’s Centre here in Belfast. In 2007, I ran a successful Personal Development programme for gay and bisexual men in Northern Ireland, which I have continued to develop and now co-facilitate with my colleague Malachai O’Hara. I have been attending workshops in Personal Development with London-based LGBT health organisation PACE since 2004 and have been a programme facilitator in their Loving Men programmes since 2007.
	Dean Lee: Co-Cultural Counsellor I’m a qualified Counsellor and member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Along with Martin, I help to deliver co-cultural counselling services across Northern Ireland to males over the age of 14 who identify as being gay, bisexual or who are unsure of their sexual orientation. It generally reassures our clients to know that their counsellor is a sexual minority themselves and has a gay affirmative approach to therapy. Before joining Rainbow, I worked in various voluntary, education and health organisations concerned with anti-racism and anti-sectarianism and was also instrumental in the establishment of the Northern Ireland Health and Social Services Interpreting Service.
	Harry McAnulty: Physical & Sexual Health Worker I am The Rainbow Project’s Sexual Health Development Officer. My work includes; policy development, advocacy, community outreach, testing services and producing informational resources around HIV and STI’s. My role involves the management of volunteers in the organisation. Recently I have developed a rapid HIV Testing service, currently based in Belfast, for gay and bisexual men . I also have plans to expand this to a regional service. Part of my work includes liaising with statutory services and other service providers to ensure that the needs and requirements of gay and bisexual men are mainstreamed in sexual health policy and services. My previous experience before working for The Rainbow Project was working in the field of community development..
	Malachai O’Hara: Mental Health Development Officer Hi, I am an experienced groupwork facilitator and run a number of personal development groups and workshops for gay & bisexual men. I am also involved in the design, delivery and evaluation of training programmes on sexual orientation to agencies throughout Northern Ireland, and sit on several regional committees concerning mental health policy. In a previous life, I worked in sexual health.
	Matthew McDermott: Equality Officer Hi, I’m Matthew and I am the Equality Officer here at The Rainbow Project. I worked as a political advisor and researcher for three years before taking up this post. I am responsible for policy development in Equality, Human Rights and Criminal Justice, representing the project on various forums and interfacing with key stakeholders on a daily basis. I have a six year old son, also called Matthew.
	Harriet Long: LGBT Advocacy Worker I run a new advocacy service across the whole LGB sector and also for Trans individuals and groups. I offer support and information to anyone who has been a victim of, or witness to, hate crime or hate motivated incidents, to people who are having trouble accessing services such as housing or to those who feel they may be living in an abusive relationship. My desk and phone are in The Rainbow Project but I work closely with groups and individuals across the city of Belfast and represent their interests to agencies such as the PSNI, Belfast Council and the Housing Executive. I have been working in the women’s sector in the areas of domestic violence and mental health for the last four years, and before that I was a youth and community worker in my local area. I enjoy listening to the voices of invisible and marginalised groups and individuals and often find that these voices have something wonderful and inspiring to say. I believe this advocacy service draws attention to these voices, to help contribute to a society that celebrates our diversity and expression of ourselves.
	Gavin Boyd: Education Equality Officer My background is in legal and political research and I formerly provided research on policing, justice and human rights issues at the Northern Ireland Assembly. My role in The Rainbow Project is to develop policies on how schools should interact with LGBT pupils and teachers and how schools can become places where all students and staff can feel welcome and safe.
	Natalie Corbett: Youth Development Officer Hi, I’m Natalie. I am the Youth Development Officer at The Rainbow Project. My job involves working between our Belfast and Foyle offices. I currently organise the running of the Ladz group (social group for 14 – 25 year old gay and bisexual men) and id Girls (social group for 14 – 25 year old gay and bisexual women) both based in Foyle. In my spare time I enjoy going out for nice meals with my boyfriend, spending time with my friends, going to the gym and watching the soaps on TV.