THE SHIFT: STORIES OF CAREER TRANSITIONS
What prompted your career transition to founding Dorcha?
It wasn't a sharp pivot-it was a natural evolution. From teaching in the South Bronx to human rights law and now leading an Al company, the common thread has always been advocating for marginalized voices. Each step deepened my understanding of power and accountability, and becoming CEO of Dorcha is simply a new way to scale that impact through technology.
What were the conventional beliefs or fears that made the change difficult?
Entering Al as a non-engineer in a technical, male-dominated space came with imposter syndrome. But I've learned that leadership in this field isn't just about writing code-it's about shaping technology with purpose. My strength is translating complexity into human impact, and that's just as critical as the engineering itself.
“Brining my humanitarian background into the tech world feels inevitable now, as though everything I’ve done was in preparation for this moment.”
What helped you through the transition?
My husband-also my co-founder and Dorcha's lead engineer-has been my greatest source of support. I'm also grounded by a deeper sense of legacy. Much of modern technology rests on overlooked Irish innovators, and building Dorcha through the lens of Irish values-integrity, community, resilience-gives my work purpose beyond entrepreneurship.
Are you glad you made the change? Why?
Absolutely. I now see this work as the culmination of everything I've done-bringing humanitarian values into Al feels not only natural, but necessary. With Al governance becoming increasingly urgent, my background uniquely positions me to ensure this technology serves people, not power. Dorcha is a direct response to the interconnected challenges I've encountered throughout my career, and I feel a deep responsibility to lead in this moment.