Introducing AAIDN’s Newest Board Member: Fionnghuala “Fig” O’Reilly

By Mary Hendriksen

May 15, 2024

AAIDN’s newest board member is Fionnghuala “Fig” O’Reilly. An Irish and American STEM advocate, actor, host, and producer, Fig was an honoree at AAIDN’s 2022 Inaugural Diaspora Leadership Awards Gala.

Fig has an impressive array of interests and achievements.

One of her many roles is a correspondent for the award-winning television series Mission Unstoppable on CBS; another is an advocate for women and people of color in STEM fields.

After graduating from The George Washington University with a bachelor of science in systems engineering, Fig became a NASA Datanaut, working within the agency’s Open Innovation program comprised of engineers and scientists engaging with NASA’s open data. As a science communicator, she has worked with NASA and the European Space Agency to cover various space and Earth science missions, including the 2019 InSight mission to Mars, the historic all-female spacewalk, and Ireland’s first satellite launch to space. Fig is the founder of Space to Reach, an organization of over 200 women that is dedicated to closing the opportunity gap for Black and Brown women in STEM.

Fig’s story is told in the first chapter of the newly released Black and Irish: Legends, Trailblazers, and Everyday Heroes, by Leon Diop and Briana Fitzsimmons, with illustrations by Jessica Louis (Little Island Books, 2024). 

With an Irish father and African American mother, her life has always been shaped by two traditions and cultures—and by living a life of “firsts.” One such “first” occurred in 2019, when she made history as the first woman of color to win the title Miss Universe Ireland.

Fig’s interests and talents extend to acting and producing. Currently, she is a co-producer for the Broadway production of The Wiz.

Her life is filled with many interests and projects; yet, she is eager to join AAIDN’s board.

“It is important to contribute to the communities I call home,” Fig says.

While she envisions a prime interest to be AAIDN’s efforts and outreach in education, she is open to a multiple of roles—a result of her belief that there is no singular experience or expression of the Black Diaspora.

“I am honored to be a member of AAIDN’s board,” she says. “I know that by doing so, I can help realize my goal of holding the door open for others—whether that door exists in the world of STEM or the arts.

“While I’ve certainly seen the impact of my work in expanding opportunities in STEM, this is all so much bigger than myself,” Fig continues. “I want people to hear more stories and to explore the many dimensions of Blackness—both in the US and in Ireland. In both countries, we need to take an inward look and peel back some of the layers of identity.”

Mary Hendriksen