Working at the intersection of media development, democratic governance and human rights, Mary O’Shea is the Senior Technical Advisor for Information & Media at IREX. In this role, Mary is responsible for strategy, partnerships, conceptualization, design and development of initiatives in support of independent journalism, information integrity and media freedom.  

From 2016-2019, Mary was Head of Programs at the Rory Peck Trust, an organization dedicated to supporting freelance journalists in recognition of the importance of independent journalism in protecting the integrity of a democracy. She also served on the board of the ACOS Alliance, a coalition of major news organizations, freelance journalist associations and press freedom NGOs to advance cross-industry dialogue, collaboration, knowledge-sharing and best practice around journalist safety.

Prior to that, Mary worked for over a decade within the UN System and EU institutions, providing policy advice and programmatic support. Additionally, she has supported electoral processes and institutions in Afghanistan, Jordan, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Lebanon, Kazakhstan, Togo, Thailand, Moldova, Sudan, Timor-Leste, Uganda, Maldives and Ethiopia. She is co-author of the UN report on Integrated Electoral Assistance in Post-Conflict Settings, and worked as an Advisor to the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan during the audit of the disputed Presidential Election of 2014. 

Mary is a graduate of the European Master’s Program in Human Rights & Democratization, EIUC, Venice, and received her BA from Trinity College, Dublin/Sorbonne, Paris III