Meet the 2026 Transatlantic Fellows

Ceannas House is delighted to announce the 2026 cohort of the Transatlantic Leaders Fellowship, bringing together emerging and mid-career leaders to develop practical solutions to some of the most pressing public policy challenges facing Northern Ireland.

Over the coming months, the 2026 Fellows will take part in a programme of leadership development, policy workshops, individual mentorship and institutional engagement across Belfast, Dublin, New York and Washington, D.C.

They will engage with policymakers, political leaders, diplomats, civic leaders, practitioners and professionals from across Northern Ireland, Ireland and the United States, gaining insight into how policy is developed, influenced and implemented across different political systems.

Each Fellow will develop an original policy paper addressing a significant public policy challenge.The Fellows will be supported to develop practical and actionable policy recommendations capable of informing real-world debate and decision-making.

Their final papers will be published by Ceannas House, in partnership with Northern Ireland's The Civic Initiative, in an edited volume and presented directly to policymakers and decision-makers.

Introducing the 2026 Fellows

This year's cohort will explore issues spanning economic development, democratic institutions, public trust, health inequalities, equality and human rights, violence against women and girls, regional development and Northern Ireland's ability to retain and attract talent.

Niamh Burns

External Affairs Manager for Northern Ireland, Electoral Commission

Policy focus: Building Public Trust in Northern Ireland's Democratic Institutions Through Clear and Coherent Communication

Niamh will explore how clearer and more coherent communication can strengthen public understanding of Northern Ireland's democratic institutions and contribute to greater public trust and participation.

Katelyn Denvir

Equality Manager, Business Services Organisation | HSC EQUIP Programme

Policy focus: Reimagining Equality and Human Rights in Northern Ireland's Digital Transformation

Drawing on her experience across healthcare, government and regulatory organisations, Katelyn will examine how equality and human rights can be embedded more effectively as Northern Ireland's public services undergo significant digital transformation.

Eve McDonnell

Associate Consultant, OCO Global

Policy focus: Place-based industrial development to turn clean-technology investment into sustainable regional clusters

Eve will examine how Northern Ireland can move beyond attracting individual investments and instead use clean-technology investment to build sustainable regional clusters, stronger supply chains and long-term economic opportunity.

Ben Mallon

Director, Cavendish Consulting / Councillor, Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council

Policy focus: Reforming Northern Ireland's Institutions: A Stability and Delivery Framework

Ben will consider how Northern Ireland's political institutions could become more resilient while strengthening their ability to deliver effective government and public policy.

Lauren Shaw

Policy and Influencing Lead, Stroke Association

Policy focus: Participation, Power and Public Health: What role could greater community influence play in reducing health inequalities in Northern Ireland?

Lauren will explore the relationship between participation, power and health equity, asking whether giving communities greater influence over public policy and decision-making could contribute to reducing Northern Ireland's persistent health inequalities.

Nathan Preston

Account Executive, Connect Public Affairs

Policy focus: Leveraging Cross-Border Partnerships for Regional Growth in Ulster's Western Border Corridor

Nathan will examine how stronger cross-border cooperation and regional partnerships could unlock economic opportunity and support more balanced growth in communities along Northern Ireland's western border corridor.

Jade McCauley

Policy Officer, Westminster City Council

Policy focus: Democratizing Prosperity: A Participatory Model for Economic Transformation in Northern Ireland

Jade will explore how citizens could have a greater voice in economic decision-making and whether participatory approaches could contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable model of prosperity for Northern Ireland.

Milo Bradley

Communications and policy professional

Policy focus: Turning Northern Ireland's Brain Drain into Brain Circulation

Milo will examine one of Northern Ireland's longstanding economic challenges: how to retain, attract and encourage the return of talented graduates and young professionals, transforming the debate around "brain drain" into one focused on circulation, opportunity and connection.

Tahnee McCorry

Chief Executive Officer, White Ribbon NI

Policy focus: Making VAWG Prevention a Consistent Step in the Custody Journey

Drawing on her experience delivering programmes with men in custody, Tahnee will examine how prevention of violence against women and girls can be embedded more consistently within Northern Ireland's custodial system and the wider rehabilitation journey.

Strengthening Transatlantic Relations

The Fellowship has been deliberately designed to connect policy development in Northern Ireland with perspectives, institutions and networks on both sides of the Atlantic.

Across the programme, Fellows will have opportunities to test their ideas with experienced policymakers and practitioners, learn from different approaches to public policy and strengthen their ability to turn evidence into recommendations capable of achieving change.

The programme will culminate in the publication of the Fellows' policy papers and engagement with decision-makers, ensuring that the ideas developed through the Fellowship have a route beyond the programme itself.

For Ceannas House, this is central to our approach: investing in next generation leaders while giving them the platform, networks and support to contribute substantively to the policy challenges shaping our shared future.

Made Possible Through Partnership

The Transatlantic Leaders Fellowship would not be possible without the organisations and individuals who have invested in its ambition and in the next generation of transatlantic leadership.

Ceannas House gratefully acknowledges the support of:

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade - Reconciliation Fund

The Irish American Partnership

The Northern Ireland Bureau

AIG

Our individual donors and supporters

Their support enables Ceannas House to bring together an exceptional cohort, provide access to mentorship and senior decision-makers, facilitate engagement across Belfast, Dublin, New York and Washington, D.C., and ensure that Fellows can focus on developing ambitious, evidence-based and actionable policy proposals.

We are deeply grateful for their belief in the Fellowship and in the importance of creating new opportunities for emerging leaders to shape public policy.