Prof. Anne Looney

Professor Anne Looney was Executive Dean at Dublin City University’s Institute of Education from 2016 until last September. 

From Dublin, she worked as post-primary teacher for fourteen years before joining the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment  in 1997 where she became the CEO in 2001, a post she held until 2016.  She held the position of Interim CEO at the Higher Education Authority before joining DCU in 2017. 

She completed her doctoral studies in education at the Institute of Education in London. Her research interests include assessment policy and practice, curriculum, teacher identity and professional standards for teachers and teaching. She has also published on religious, moral and civic education, and education policy. She has been a team member for reviews for the OECD on school quality, curriculum, and assessment systems, and acts as a technical expert for the European Commission on projects in initial teacher education. She is the current president of the International Professional Development Association.  

In 2001 she was the first woman to be nominated to the management committee of the GAA, and served until 2024. In 2025 she was appointed Chairperson of Ireland’s National Convention on Education.