EIL Board

I first became involved in EIL after a Homestay in Communist Poland in 1986. Afterwards, I was asked to represent EIL on the National Youth Council. With the creation of a new constitution, the EIL Board was established in the late 1980s and I have served on same for a number of terms, including holding the position of Chairperson on several occasions. I am regularly involved with the activities of the EIL Network. Married to Brenda, we live in Dublin and have a busy household with 3 adult children.
After spending most of my working life in the semi-state and private sector in Dublin Port I am now a civil servant. As an active volunteer in the Red Cross, I am responsible for the planning and provision of First Aid and Ambulance cover at national, regional, and local level. This involves regular coordination with other voluntary and statutory agencies to ensure preparedness for emergencies or severe weather conditions. Recent activities included supporting the Government’s response to the Covid 19 challenges and assisting displaced Ukrainians.

After returning from an AFS Exchange year in Luxembourg, Emma graduated from the University of Cape Town with a BA and Postgraduate Diploma in Organisation and Development.

Over the next 10 years she worked in the Learning & Development space, as a Learning & Development Manager at Independent Newspapers and MediKredit Integrated Healthcare solutions, and Master Trainer and Human Resource Development Consultant for Deloitte. In 2003, Emma and her family moved to Durban and started Westville B&B, which grew into a multi-award winning 5-star B&B  business across three properties, with a team of 15 employees and students. Emma was on the Board of the National Accommodation Association of South Africa, a two-term committee member of the KZN Women in Business supporting female entrepreneurs, and she chaired the Durban West B&B Association.

In 2016, Emma started oil painting and grew a small side business called Emma Jacobs Art, and she was the Founder of Durban Art Workshops, using one of their properties to host these art workshops, helping other artists grow.

In June of 2021, the family moved to Ireland, where Emma took up a position as Duty Manager to learn Irish hotel operations, and then in March of 2022, she took over the role of People & Culture Manager at The Montenotte Hotel in Cork.

Emma is a certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner with GENOS Europe, has completed an Employment Law course with CORK ETB. She is a member of the Irish Hospitality Institute, the Irish Hospitality Federation’s HR Forum, Visual Artists Ireland, and Sample Studios.

In addition to sitting on the Board of EIL AFS Ireland, Emma regularly exhibits her Emma Jacobs Art, and enjoys spending time with her son, daughter and husband, and their two Scottish Terriers.

Gary Cooke is a Safety Assurance Engineer based in Vancouver. He has been involved in EIL since 2010 when he received a Travel Award to the Vermont Governor’s Institute on Current Issues and Youth Activism in the USA. Since then he has been an active member of the EIL Network and originally joined the Board in 2014 and remained a member until 2019. He has rejoined the board as a co-opted member for 2020. Gary holds a Masters’s Degree in Engineering with Business and has worked within the Rail industry since graduating in 2015. He is currently the recruitment and volunteer coordinator for the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Hub in Vancouver. Gary has a strong belief in the value of EIL’s Mission and the change it can make in participants’ lives. In his free time, Gary is an experienced hiker and novice snowboarder taking advantage of the local mountains whenever he can.