Board

Dean is a Professor of Psychology at the Department of Psychology, University of Zagreb, Croatia. His research interests include recovery from trauma, post-conflict community social reconstruction, development and evaluation of psychosocial interventions, prevention of violence in adolescent relationships, treatment of perpetrators of gender based violence. Over the past 18 years, he led the development of Croatia’s first perpetrator program, provided individual and group treatment to perpetrators and victims, helped design the training program for providers who work with perpetrators and delivered trainings across Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina and Macedonia. He consulted national lawmakers regarding the inclusion of work with perpetrator into Croatian laws, contributed to writing several national strategies to combat GBV with emphasis on work with perpetrators, and authored the national standards for work with perpetrators. He was a member of the interim board of the newly founded WWP EN and helped develop the organization’s statutes and other documents. Currently, he is president of the Croatian Society for Traumatic Stress (CSTS). In 2011, he received the European award Walter de Loos for Excellence in European Trauma Work.

Professor Marianne Hester OBE (MA Oxon, PhD Leeds) is the Head of the Centre for Gender and Violence Research at the School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol. She is Patron of South Tyneside Women's Aid and Patron of Devon Rape Crisis.

She is a leading researcher of gender-based violence and has directed groundbreaking research on many aspects of violence, abuse and gender relations, including comparative research on child contact and domestic violence in Denmark and the UK, and comparing domestic violence in China and the UK, progression of doemstic violence and rape cases through the criminal justice system. Her work has directly influenced health, criminal justice and family policy and practice in the UK, Europe and other countries. Much of her research is comparative, focusing on the UK, Europe, China and Scandinavia. She is currently researching: male domestic violence victims and perpetrators accessing the health service; progression of rape cases through the criminal justice system and ISVAs; and comparing domestic violence perpetrator programmes across Europe.

She has worked closely with a range of government departments and NGOs, e.g. as expert advisor to the NICE Programme Development Group (PDG) for guidance onPreventing and Reducing Domestic Violence between Intimate Partners, as Research Director to the Department of Health & National Institute for Mental Health ‘Victims of Violence and Abuse Prevention Programme’, as specialist advisor to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 'Domestic Violence, Forced Marriage and ‘Honour’-based violence', and as NSPCC Professor of Child Sexual Exploitation. She has been visiting Professor at the University of Uppsala, Sweden, the China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, and the Nordic Institute of East Asian Studies, Copenhagen.

David was directly involved in setting up the CHANGE Programme, the first court-mandated group-work programme for male domestic violence perpetrators in the UK. He developed and delivered the men’s the programme for a period of nine years and co-wrote the manual (Men Who Are Violent to Women, Russell House, 1997) which was subsequently widely adopted by many practitioners throughout the UK and Ireland.

Currently a Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Stirling in Scotland, David has published widely on aspects of practice with abusive men. His contribution to practice in this field was acknowledged in the guidelines for the ‘Building Better Relationships’ programme developed by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) in England and Wales.

He has also edited a practitioners handbook, From Fear to Freedom (BASW Venture Press 2009) written by several UK practitioners with expertise in domestic violence perpetrator work. David’s PhD thesis explored processes of desistance among formerly abusive / violent men. He is presently a co-investigator in two UK research projects examining innovative systemic responses to domestic abuse perpetrators, victim/survivors and children.

For the past 20 years, Iris has been leading the Counselling Line for Women and Girls (CLWG, national Helpline for victims of domestic violence and violence against women in Albania), as well as the first men's centre in Albania (Counselling Line for Men and Boys, CLMB).  CLMB works to rehabilitate perpetrators of domestic violence, does prevention work with young boys in the country, as wlel as fatherhood campaigns. She is a member of the GREVIO Working Group on a General Recommendation on the digital dimension of violence against women at CoE. 

Iris is a professor in the Department of Journalism and Communications at the University of Tirana, where she has taught for almost 25 years. She also trains Albanian journalists in human rights, journalism ethics, fake news, hate speech and sexism. Her research and publishing activities include leading a study on domestic violence and sex crimes, a guide for reporters on gender-based violence and sexual assault, guidelines for data collection and authoring two books on radio journalism and media in Albania. Iris has a PhD in Journalism and Communication and got her Master in European Studies.

Rory’s background is in criminal justice social work. Starting in 1991, he worked in the Domestic Violence Probation Project in Edinburgh, a court-mandated service for men convicted of domestic violence offences, where he was co-developer of the men’s programme. He has managed several different projects, both court-mandated and non-mandated, delivering behaviour change programmes to perpetrators with integrated women’s and children’s services.

Rory was one of the authors of the practice manuals for the Caledonian system, accredited in 2009 for rollout across Scotland. He was the head of the Caledonian national team for five years until he retired from the operational role in April 2022. He is currently working part-time as an adviser to the Caledonian system.

In 1998, he spent six months working in a community health project in Melbourne, Australia, in a non-court-mandated programme for abusive men as part of a multi-agency response to domestic abuse. He has trained and presented widely in the UK, Europe and Australia and has published several articles exploring different aspects of perpetrator work.

Jan is a social worker and frontline professional living and working in Munich, Germany. He is a board member of the Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Täterarbeit Häusliche Gewalt (BAG TäHG), the Federal Association for the Work with Perpetrators of Domestic Violence in Germany, which developed a standard for the work with perpetrators of domestic violence, endorsed by the German government. Jan´s professional background lies in the gender reflective work with boys. So his view on domestic violence as a gender-based phenomenon always includes the focus on gender-specific socialization in a patriarchal society. His aim is to promote gender equality and prevent violence against women and children. He appreciates the opportunity to work and support WWP EN on these issues at board level.

Michelle Walsh brings extensive experience in leadership, clinical research, psychotherapy, and training development to her role on the board. Currently serving as the CEO of MOVE Ireland, she oversees national perpetrator programs addressing domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence. Her leadership in this role is grounded in her decades-long commitment to fostering safer spaces and addressing violence at its roots.

Michelle holds a PhD in Child and Youth Studies and an MA in Supervision and Professional Practice, alongside specialized training in rape and sexual assault counseling. Her research and publications, such as *A Safer Space* and *Storm and Stress*, have significantly influenced policy and education, including the integration of consent and sexual violence into Ireland's junior and senior school curricula.

Throughout her career, Michelle has developed and delivered innovative training programs for counselors, therapists, law enforcement, and educators, emphasizing trauma-informed care. She has collaborated widely, working with governmental departments, advocacy organizations, and frontline services to secure funding and enhance the support systems for survivors of violence.

Michelle's dedication extends beyond her professional achievements; her collaborative approach and passion for effecting change make her an invaluable asset to Work with Perpetrators in its mission to reduce and prevent violence.

25 years ago, Katarína established the Alliance of Women in Slovakia and its daughter organization Alliance of Women, both dealing with women's human rights, especially violence against women, providing support, counselling and other services for survivors of gender based violence (GBV) and their children. Katarína is also a member of ASPEKT, the first feminist educational and publishing organization in Slovakia, which has over 25 years published more than 110 books and 21 huge anthologies on feminist topics.

Having studied film and TV at the Academy of Performing Arts, Human Rights, and International Gender Research and Feminist Politics, she makes use of media to change public awareness and effect equal status for women. All of Katarína's work aims to achieve the observance of women’s human rights. She is concerned about the backlash against progress made in the field of violence against women and withdrawals of states and relevant institutions from their responsibility for GBV.

Seán Cooke is the Chief Executive Officer of the Men’s Development Network and has been since October 2018. As Chief Executive Officer, Seán is responsible for the overall strategic and operational management of the organisation, including full responsibility for staff and budgetary management, implementation of strategy and supporting the board. He is also the official spokesperson for the Men’s Development Network, responsible for external relations and corporate affairs.

The Men’s Development Network is regularly asked by various government departments or agencies to represent Men on advisory or consultative fora and/or at conferences, both national and international, and in these spaces, I advance the policy positions of our organisation.

Seán’s primary degree was in Communications Studies with a Masters in Community Development. He has over 30 years’ experience working in Community and Voluntary sector both at front line and senior management level. Previous experiences included working in Community and Youth Development, Project Management of major community based capital projects and as a local development consultant.