UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN
HONORARY CONFERRING
Tuesday, 3 September 2013 at 5.30 p.m.
TEXT OF THE INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS DELIVERED BY DR MARIE-LUCE PARIS UCD School of Law, University College Dublin on 3 September 2013, on the occasion of the conferring of the Degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa on Katherine Elizabeth Zappone
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President, Honoured guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Born in Washington State, in the USA, Senator Katherien Zappone is a graduate from The Catholic University of America and Boston College where she obtained her PhD in Education and Religion. She also holds an MBA from the Smurfit Business School in UCD
She decided to move to Ireland in the late 80s where her partner, whom she met in Boston, is from and she took Irish citizenship in 1995. Since then, she has been tirelessly and very successfully bringing her expertise and dynamism to many aspects of Irish academic and public life.
Katherine Zappone has taught, consulted, advised government, engaged in community outreach and conducted ground-breaking research on specific themes of critical national importance such as national equality frameworks, effective children’s services, equal opportunity in education, theology and spirituality, and human rights.
An acclaimed academic, she has widely published in feminism, ethics, equality issues and education. Her links with UCD are very strong and demonstrate her deep commitment to education and interdisciplinary research. She has contributed to numerous events. These include participation as a speaker at UCD’s inter-disciplinary conference on Law, State and Religion in 2011. She also delivered the Equality Society’s annual lecture in 2008.
As a public policy and management expert, Katherine Zappone has been instrumental in advancing social changes in relation to equality issues in particular. Her extensive work began when she acted as the Chief Executive of the National Women’s Council. In this capacity, she worked at national, European and international level to advocate women’s social and economic rights and gender equality. She is also a former member of the National Economic and Social Council of Ireland and has conducted a number of national research projects in public policy, gender equality and equality in children’s education. With her partner, Dr Ann Louise Gilligan, Katherine Zappone has been at the forefront of the campaign for marriage equality in Ireland both through her own litigation and through the legislative process. In June 2012, she was appointed to the European Institute for Gender Equality aimed to raise awareness of EU citizens of gender issues.
As an educator, she has worked extensively with communities experiencing poverty and inequality. She is the co-founder and Chair of An Cosán which is a large community-based organisation committed to support individuals and communities through education. She is also Director of the Centre for Progressive Change.
Katherine Zappone’s expertise and contribution to Irish society is reflected in her appointment by government for two consecutive terms as a Commissioner with the Irish Human Rights Commission and in her nomination by the Taoiseach in 2011 as an independent legislator to the Seanad. These public appointments demonstrate the very high esteem in which Senator Zappone is held. What is valued is the rare combination of an academic career of the highest standard with a genuine commitment to the social community and the most vulnerable in particular. Katherine Zappone is one of the most prominent social change engineers of modern Ireland who has brought passion, energy and expertise to the service of the ‘common good’ during
a successful and rich career. For her multiple contributions to social and legal developments in the area of public policy and human rights, and to the wider public life of Ireland, we honour Katherine Zappone today.
Praehonorabilis Praeses, totaque Universitas,
Praesento vobis hanc meam filiam, quam scio tam moribus quam doctrina habilem et idoneam esse quae admittatur, honoris causa, ad gradum Doctoratus utroque Jure, tam Civili quam Canonico; idque tibi fide mea testor ac spondeo, totique Academiae.