Caitlín Higgins Ní Chinnéide is Ireland’s Consul General to the South Western United States. Immediately prior to this role, Ms. Higgins Ní Chinnéide served as Deputy Head of Mission in Ireland’s Embassy in Mexico.

Ms Higgins Ní Chinnéide joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland in 2012 as Desk Officer for Eastern Europe. Since then she has served in a number of positions including Deputy Director of the UN Policy Unit; Deputy Director of the Conflict Resolution Unit; and Consul in the Embassy of Ireland in Madrid.

Ms. Higgins Ní Chinnéide holds a BA in Modern History and Politics from the University of Oxford, and an MPhil and PhD in Modern Irish History from Trinity College Dublin; she was also called to the Irish Bar in 2014. Ms Higgins Ní Chinnéide hails from Dublin, and is a fluent Irish and Spanish speaker.

Phoenix Vice Mayor Ann O’Brien. She is an Arizona native and has made her mark in the community as an advocate for quality education–first as an active parent and volunteer in the Deer Valley Unified School District, and then as an elected Deer Valley Unified School District (DVUSD) Governing Board Member for two terms, starting in 2014 and finishing in 2020 as Governing Board President. Vice Mayor O’Brien’s extensive volunteer service to her community includes providing support to students, teachers and staff as a committee member of the of the Stetson Hills Elementary School Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) and the Sandra Day O’Connor Academy of History Booster Club.

Vice Mayor O’Brien’s focuses include preparing the community for incoming industries and developments in the area, ensuring that transportation, housing and key infrastructures are part of the overall plan. Equally important to her are the community’s concerns surrounding homelessness and public safety. Her goal is to work closely with neighborhood associations and Block Watches to understand their issues and public safety needs and determine a roadmap that provides a strategy in finding solutions.

While on Council, Vice Mayor O’Brien has served as the Chair for the Public Safety and Justice subcommittee and currently serves as the chair of the Economic Development and the Arts subcommittee. Her recent policy successes have included creating a new court system focused on providing alternatives to the traditional judicial system for individuals experiencing homelessness by offering them individualized plans to help them out of homelessness; creating a lockbox programs for seniors and disabled adults so that first responders can access homes without causing property damage; and ensuring our public safety folks have the most up-to-date technology, including drones and new 911 dispatch systems.

Family time is of great value to Vice Mayor O’Brien. When she needs a refresh, she spends time with her husband of 31 years, Terry, along with their son, Thomas; daughter, Amanda; son-in-law, Jordan; and granddaughter, Rylee.​

A transplant from north Jersey near fifty years ago, Lynn has been a member of the Irish Cultural Center in Phoenix for over twenty years, knew its founders; was in awe with all they were doing and hoped to do. She had discovered the Center upon her return from a summer of study at Queens University Belfast. A high school teacher then, she served as an ICC docent on Saturdays, was a member of Patricia Prior’s Celtic Crafters for more than 10 years and frequently, a featured ‘artist for the month’ at that time. A local artisan and author of Arizona mysteries, Lynn explores Celtic wisdom and imagery, quotes from the ancients and holy ones of old Eire, transforming all of it into art with calligraphy, paper and fabric. She includes, as well, themes that arise from the Sonoran Desert and stories her many Hispanic high school students told her in her days as a teacher of art, theology, US Govt/History in both the Phoenix Catholic Diocesan School System and Phoenix Union HS District for near forty years.

Lynn holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education and Masters in Urban Education and Policy Studies from Seton Hall University, So. Orange, New Jersey and a second Masters in Theology from the University of San Francisco Jesuit University. She is/was certificated to teach in Secondary Education Social Studies, Art, English, English as a Second Language and Religious Studies for the Catholic School System.

Retired now, Lynn has devoted herself to her art with her own Llyndragon Studio, a Celtic- Sonoran arts/writing studio which will be offering art and journaling retreats in the coming new year.
She has taught in the ICC Academy of Celtic Studies and at present moderates an ICC affiliate,
The Celt Raven Society, devotees of Celt Art History/Archaeology. Lynn’s Brit/Welsh/Irish ancestry is often reflected in her love for the versatile Saint Brigid; a maker of Brigid Art, she views the ICC as a place where so much in the arts and Celt culture can be brought to life.

Kevin has been passionately practicing yoga for over 16 years and sharing its transformative benefits as a dedicated instructor for the past four. His extensive experience includes directing, designing, and leading the comprehensive yoga program at Destiny Martial Arts Academy, where he skillfully integrated yoga with martial arts disciplines to promote holistic wellness, strength, and flexibility.

In June, Kevin will complete his Master’s degree in Maharishi Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, the esteemed sister science of yoga, further deepening his expertise and holistic understanding of mind-body balance. His teaching gracefully accommodates students of all levels—from beginners to seasoned yogis—creating an inclusive and nurturing environment.

Kevin’s classes emphasize harmony between body, mind, and spirit, grounded in authentic Ayurvedic principles to foster overall health, vitality, and inner peace.