Liam Herrick, the former executive director of the Irish Penal Reform Trust, and an adviser to President Michael D Higgins, is to take on the role of head of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.
He will replace the outgoing executive director of the council, Mark Kelly, in November.
The council's co-chairman Niall Mulligan said the board was very pleased to have Mr Herrick join the team and that it had no doubt that the organisation would continue to flourish under his leadership.
Mr Herrick, who has previously worked with the council, is a former head of legislation and policy at the Irish Human Rights Commission and has formerly worked with the Law Reform Commission and the Department of Foreign Affairs.
He is a member of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, a former board member of the Children’s Rights Alliance, and a former member of the Minister for Justice and Equality’s Strategic Review Group on Penal Policy.
He is a graduate of University College Cork with a BCL and LLM, and of University College Dublin with a Diploma in Human Rights Law.
