Our Senior Management Team

Stephen Mathews, Chief Executive

Stephen Mathews Stephen is the Chief Executive of The Cedar Foundation, a position he has held since 1991. He was educated at the Universities of Ulster and Birmingham and is a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute. He currently holds NVQ Level V in Strategic Management, he is board member of ACET (Agencies in Consortium for Education and Training). Mr Mathews is also a Board Member and Vice Chairman of Habinteg Housing Association, a specialist Housing Association that provides housing support for people with disabilities in integrated settings, Stephen is a member of the Development & Audit Committees of the Association. Other interests include board membership of and Vice Chairman of CO3 (Chief Officers, 3rd Sector) and Northern Ireland visitor for Smiths Charity, a UK grant giving charitable foundation.

Eileen Thomson, Deputy Chief Executive

Eileen Thomson, Deputy Chief Executive of Cedar Foundation, is a Queens University graduate with Masters in Social Work (1978), Masters in Organisational & Management (2003) and NVQ Level V in Strategic Management.
Her background is in social work in the statutory sector in both practitioner and management posts before joining Cedar Foundation initially as Senior Social Worker in 1984. She is a Lay Member of the Care Tribunal; member of the Ethics Committee for Psychology Research and Development at Queen's University and a member of the Board of Governors of Mitchell House School.

Linda Keers, Financial Controller and Head of Administration

Linda Keers Linda joined the Cedar Foundation in February 2005 as Financial Controller and Head of Administration. Linda has 15 years experience in the financial and operational management of independent sector nursing home groups both in Northern Ireland and the UK mainland. She has also experience of European funding following a 2 year period of secondment to the Special EU Programmes Body as an N+2 Officer for both the Peace II and Interreg European programmes in Northern and Southern Ireland.

Linda is responsible for managing the overall financial operation of The Cedar Foundation and for the management of the administration function within Corporate Services.

Leo Swift, Appeals & Marketing Manager

Leo Swift Leo has been with The Cedar Foundation since 1997 and has a long background in charity work. Previous jobs have included 5 ½ years with Age Concern as Appeals Officer responsible for fundraising, 4 years as appeals co-ordinator for the Multiple Sclerosis Society and 1 year with the Simon Community. Recent projects have included raising £160,000 to set up two CTEC computer centres and fundraising for the new state of the art independent living facility at Hillmount Close.

Leo is Manager of the Marketing and Appeals team, which is responsible for raising awareness of The Cedar Foundation throughout Northern Ireland via Public Relations and Marketing; and for the important task of raising funds for The Foundation. Leo has also completed NVQ Level 5 in Operational Management.

Stella Maguire, Head of Organisation and Service Development

Stella Maguire Following her graduation in Home Economics and qualification as a Teacher, Stella joined The Cedar Foundation in 1989 as a Social and Life Skills Tutor, based within the Belfast Training
Service. She remained in this post for approximately 3 years before leaving to work for a local e nterprise organisation where she set up and managed a Recognised Training Organisation.
Stella returned to the voluntary sector, briefly managing a learning disability organisation, before rejoining The Cedar Foundation in 1995. Stella has also completed NVQ Level 5 in Operational Management and is a member of the Board of Governors of Fleming Fulton School.

Kieran Molloy, Head of Training Services

Kieran Molloy has been in this post since April 1998 having joined the Cedar Foundation as Employment Development Officer in 1996. Kieran is a mathematics graduate who has worked in the training and development field since 1990. He has also completed NVQ Level 5 in Operational Management and holds the Diploma in Supported Employment. Kieran is also The Cedar Foundation's Representative on the committee of The Northern Ireland Union of Supported Employment.

Elaine Armstrong, Head of Brain Injury Services

Elaine Armstrong Elaine graduated from the University of Ulster in 1993 with a BSc Honours degree in Applied Psychology and began working with The Cedar Foundation in June 1994. In 2002 she completed an MSc in Applied Psychology, which involved carrying out research evaluating the impact of our Vocational Rehabilitation Programme, a key part of The Cedar Foundation's Brain Injury Service.

Since 1994 Elaine has been involved in establishing the current Brain Injury Vocational Rehabilitation & Case Management services, launched in 1995. Elaine's experience involves having an active role in designing and delivering socio-vocational rehabilitation programmes aimed at promoting community integration after brain injury.

Elaine currently has Operational Management responsibility for The Cedar Foundation's Regional Brain Injury Services for Vocational Rehabilitation that exist in Southern, Northern, Belfast, South Eastern and Western Health Trust areas. She has also responsibility for the Floating Support services for adults with Brain Injury that are operational in Southern and Belfast areas. Since her management role has developed she has completed the NVQ IV in Operational Management. Elaine is a committee member for the Northern Ireland Traumatic Brain Injury Forum.

Rosie McNaughton, Head of Children & Young People's Services

Rosie McNaughton was appointed to Head of Children and Young Peoples Services in January 2007. A former Community Children’s Nurse, she joined the Children and Young People Service in 1999 as Area Fieldworker and was promoted to Deputy Manager in Jan 03 and Deputy Head of Service in May 04.

Over the last 8 years Rosie has been involved in the design and development of services for children and young people with disabilities within The Cedar Foundation, she participates in a number of regional committees including the Joint Strategic Planning Group EHSSB, Children with Disability Sub Group WHSSB and Promoting Social Inclusion Group, OFMDFM

During her time with the Foundation Rosie has completed her NVQ IV in Management.

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