Who we are
Who we are
Our Staff and Associates
Liza Wilkinson - Director
Liza joined TIDES in 2004 and has over nineteen years’ experience in the field of good relations, conflict resolution and capacity building, using restorative practice with extensive meditative experience.
Liza previously worked as a Family & Community Worker for Corrymeela for 5 years and has a passion for building capacity for peaceful social change.
Liza has worked internationally with a range of agencies including Concern, UNHCR and OSCE in the Balkans, Zimbabwe, North America and across Europe. Liza holds Postgraduate Diplomas in Management and Leadership at UUJ and Learning and Development through CIPD.
Contact: lizawilkinson@tidestraining.org
John Carson - Mediation Manager
John joined TIDES as a Trainer/Mediator in 2015. Coming from a community background, he believes building strong stable communities promote the building blocks to better community relations. He has a strong interest in assisting those individuals and communities who were affected by, and were engaged in politically motivated violence to move forward.
He has recently been involved in a UNDP programme when TIDES hosted ex-combatants from the civil war in Lebanon and showed them first-hand experience of our peace building process. John works as a mediator at neighbourhood and community level and is a certified coach in the Cinergy model.
Contact: johncarson@tidestraining.org
Stephanie Hill - Good Relations Trainer/Mediator
Stephanie joined TIDES in 2018 as a Good Relations Trainer Mediator under the SEUPB Peace Bytes Programme. Steph has a BA Hons History and PGCE in Citizenship& PHSE , and has 2 ILM Level 5 Management Qualifications. (Coaching and Mentoring and Leadership and Management ). She has a passion for educational self improvement, supporting capacity building and grass roots change. Previously employed by First Housing Aid and Support services (FHASS) under Impact of Alcohol Lottery Fund, working in Specialized Outreach and Night support Services; additional work experience in Employment Programme supports and Youth Work. She feels that empathy, compassion and meaning engagements are key to understanding underlying peace and conflict related issues.
She is also a musician/music teacher and a competing power lifter with NIPF.
Contact: stephaniehill@tidestraining.org
Bernie Magill Project Administrator
Bernie Magill has worked in the charity sector for close to 20 years in an administrative role promoting peace building. Prior to this she worked in the sales and hospitality industries. Bernie is passionate about people and has many years of experience talking to them on the phone and face to face. She continues to help as many possible through the ethos & work of TIDES.
Contact: berniemagill@tidestraining.org
Caroline Shiels - Finance Manager
Caroline joined TIDES in 2019 taking responsibility for finance and administration as an integral part of business functions of the organisation.
She has over 20 years’ experience working in the voluntary sector and was previously CEO of the former ADAPT NI. She brings a wealth of experience to the Finance role at TIDES, having worked at a senior level within several organisations. In addition to her expertise in finance, she is an accomplished Project Manager with experience in developing and executing programme plans which exceeded stakeholder expectations in cultural, community and education themed projects.
She is also actively involved in the Sectoral Partnerships including the former Arts Equality Charter and has been supporting the ongoing development of an Equality Standards Initiative.
Contact: finance@tidestraining.org
Sean OBaoill - TIDES Associate
Sean has worked as a Mediator, Peacebuilder and Trainer since 1993. This has included mediating everything from noisy neighbours and barking dogs to parades, bonfires and ceasefire maintenance. His training focuses on mediation, negotiation and nondirective facilitation for groups and individuals in the public, private and community sectors across Northern Ireland and internationally. Sean has been involved in Community Relations, Peace and Conflict Resolution for 30 years including work with Corrymeela, the Peace People, Youth for Peace, Kilcranny House, the Parades Commission, Mediation Northern Ireland and Tides Training. His personal interests include rock climbing, canoeing, beekeeping and storytelling and he has attained qualifications in all of these.
Yvonne Mallon - TIDES Associate
Building on a career in HR of over 30 years, Yvonne is an accredited Mediator having gained an OCN Level 3 qualification in Mediation Theory and Practice.
Yvonne has had experience of neighbour to neighbour, community and workplace disputes-with a particular interest in the latter.
She works to provide a calm, safe and confidential space where parties can have difficult conversations in a constructive and productive way.
Paul Hutchinson - TIDES Associate
Paul Hutchinson is a mediator, therapist, film-maker, writer, community artist and educator.
He is the former Director of Corrymeela Peace and Reconciliation Centre (2009-2014) and the founder/Director of Imagined Spaces, a company exploring creative community relations. He has a special interest in how the arts/creativity can be used in conflict transformation. Paul is a Visiting Professor at Dalhousie University & the Atlantic School of Theology (Nova Scotia).
His latest book, Between the Bells (2019), is a storied exploration of reconciliation.
His films include: Vacancies (2021), a poetic exploration of the lives lost from the Northern Ireland conflict.
Laughter in the Darkness (2017) (Writer/Director/Producer). Documentary film commissioned by NI Human Rights Commission, about young people and mental health issues.
The Choices We Made (2017 (Writer/Producer/Director). Documentary film about six people who witnessed sectarianism and did/could not do anything.
His film, Waiting and Silence (2015), explores the role of silence in society, as experienced by a Quaker Worship meeting.
Upstanding: (2013) (Writer/Producer/Director). A documentary film with a focus on the courageous efforts and actions of ten everyday people who tackled prejudice, discrimination and violence.
Paul was a short-listed finalist in the 2012 Olympic Artist Competition for his piece Big Deep Breath (2009)
Paul lives with his family by the sea on the North Coast of Ireland.
Gordon McDade - TIDES Associate
Gordon has been working as a mediator for eleven years with broad experience in a wide variety of contexts. He works both as a practitioner and a trainer, with experience in community, workplace, faith based and family conflicts. He is also an experienced executive coach, mentor and supervisor, working across the sectors in Ireland and beyond.
Lorraine Thompson - TIDES Associate
Lorraine is a qualified youth worker with over 20 years’ experience of youth work practice and over 17 years’ experience of project management. She is a qualified mediator and holds a level 3 qualification in Mediation Theory and Practice and a level 4 qualification in Group and Systemic Mediation. From 2000 – 2004 she co-ordinated Include Youth’s peer mediation project where she supported schools to implement a conflict transformation approach by introducing peer mediation services in schools. She has extensive experience in workplace, neighbour/neighbour, landlord/tenant and personal/family mediations. Lorraine’s other freelance work includes facilitation, strategic planning, coaching and mentoring and evaluation and research.
Mál Farrell - TIDES Associate
Mál Farrell is a PhD researcher at Queens University in Gender and Politics. Outside of academia, they are a performer and grassroots activist, advocating for LGBTQIA+ Rights within Northern Ireland as apart of Mid Ulster Pride since 2019 and helps with planning for Trans Pride Belfast.