Sam Blanckensee
Chair
Sam Blanckensee is the Equality Officer at Maynooth University and has served two terms on the TENI board. Sam previously served as TENI’s National Development Officer and then Policy and Research Officer.
Sam has completed a Master’s degree in Management for the Non-Profit Sector and an Advanced Certificate in Youth Health Promotion. Sam was on the Forbes 30 under 30 list for Law & Policy in 2017 for their work on the Gender Recognition Act 2015. Sam has experience in developing organisational policy and governance.
Sam is a non-binary trans masculine person. Alongside trans rights, Sam is passionate about reproductive justice, racial justice, and intersectionality.
Denise Breen
Denise Breen is married with two adult children. Originally a Dub, she married a Lilywhite and now lives in Newbridge, Co. Kildare. Professionally, Denise has been working as a Project Manager in the engineering and construction sector for over thirty years. She has worked for the ESB, Arup, Jacobs, PM Group, Google and currently works with Iron Mountain, headquartered in Boston. With Iron Mountain she is responsible for delivery of Data Centres in EMEA and APAC – so she travels a lot! Denise has lived and worked in Ireland, the UK, the US and Asia and has experienced transgender issues across these countries and regions. In her spare time, Denise works with KFM radio, the commercial station for Kildare and is passionate about broadcasting. She loves cinema and writes a blog on www.thefourthwall.xyz Denise transitioned some years ago while living in the US and since returning has experienced first hand the challenges that trans and non-binary people face in Ireland. It is because of this, together with a desire to give hope to others who may be questioning their identity that Denise continues to enjoy serving on the Board of TENI.
Aoife Martin
