Board of Directors

Michael T. Clune is Chairman of The Irish American Partnership’s Board of Directors. Retired from day-to-day operations, Mr. Clune still serves as the Chairman of Clune Construction and sits on the company’s Board of Directors. Born in Dublin, Ireland, Mr. Clune began his construction career at an early age in Europe and the Middle East. In 1978, after immigrating to the United States, Mr. Clune secured an entry-level position with a Chicago construction company that would ultimately be the foundation for the establishment of his own firm. Mr. Clune’s work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit earned himself a place in the Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame. Sponsored by the University of Chicago, the Hall of Fame includes innovative business leaders in the Chicago-area who have spearheaded private companies, overcome challenges, and exhibited high levels of excellence, all while demonstrating consistent growth, employment generation, and profitability. In addition to his unwavering work ethic, Mr. Clune is a steadfast philanthropist, dedicated to giving back to the community as much as possible. Mr. Clune has been an active member of the Partnership for over twenty years.

Dessie Farrell is the former Chief Executive of the Gaelic Players’ Association, a position from which he officially stepped down in December 2016. A founding member of the GPA in 1995, he was elected chairman in 2000, and later appointed Chief Executive in 2003. He had a career in Dublin football spanning three decades, and has also been involved in coaching. During his time at the GPA, Farrell was part of successful lobbying effort to introduce government grants for inter-county players. He was also a supporter of the Show Racism the Red Card initiative, which aims to eliminate racism in sports. He was an All-Ireland winner with the Dublin footballers in 1995. In 2005, his book Dessie: Tangled up in Blue was published, which chronicles his football career and his personal struggles as an ambitious elite athlete. Farrell is the current manager of the Dublin under-21 footballers and the Northern American representative for the GPA.

David Greaney is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Synergy, a Boston-based real estate investment and services company. Synergy operates 40 commercial assets in the greater Boston area totaling in excess of  5,000,000 square feet.  Over 500 companies, retailers and organizations occupy space in the Synergy managed portfolio.  Synergy is recognized as one of the most active and successful building owners and managers in the region and is a past recipient of the Landlord of the Year award from the Commercial Brokers Association.

David relocated from Ireland to the United States in 1995. He is a graduate of University College Dublin and a Certified Public Accountant in Massachusetts.  Prior to founding Synergy, David held positions in the investment management groups of Harvard University and PriceWaterhouseCoopers. He has received numerous awards from various organizations and publications including the Boston Business Journal, the Irish Chamber of Commerce and Business & Finance magazine. David is a board member of the Massachusetts chapter of  NAIOP and the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District.  He actively supports a number of charities in Boston and in Ireland which are focused on children, family, education and housing.

Michael K. Kilbane joined the Partnership Board of Directors in February 2019. Currently serving as Co-Chief Executive Officer of Captive Resources LLC, Mr. Kilbane has been in the insurance consultancy industry for over 25 years. He previously held several other roles at Captive Resources, as well as co-founded Kensington Management Group and served as CFO at Martingale National Insurance Company. He is a graduate of Bradley University. He is a Lifetime Sustaining Board Member of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation after serving two six year terms on the Board of the Illinois chapter, and previously served on the JDRF International Finance Committee. He is the Corporate Chairman for the Ron Santo Walk to Cure Diabetes, and a member of the Board of Directors and Finance Committee at Marist High School. Mr. Kilbane is based in Chicago, IL.

Thomas A. Leonard, III, Esquire, is a Partner and Chairman of Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel, LLP. He serves as Chairman of the board of Directors of Crowley Chemical, Permalith Plastics, Delaware Valley Real Estate Investment Fund, Inc., Regional Real Estate Investment Co., Hahnemann University Hospital, Roman Catholic High School, and is the past Chairman of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Independence Blue Cross, PRWT and Ultimark Products. He is a past Board member of numerous companies, including the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae). He is the recipient of the Greater Philadelphia Area Leadership Award, the Judge Learned Hand Leadership Award from the American Jewish Committee and has been inducted into the “Drexel 100” – Honored as one of the Most Distinguished Graduates of Drexel University. Mr. Leonard has served as the Controller of the City of Philadelphia, Chairman of President Clinton’s Pennsylvania Finance Committee, Vice-Chairman of Finance for the Democratic National Committee, and as Managing Trustee of the Democratic National Committee. He has chaired numerous campaigns for public office, including the Casey for Senate Committee in 2006 and 2012. Mr. Leonard served his country as a Captain in the United States Army. He has served on the Partnership Board since 1990. He resides in Philadelphia, PA. 

Lorna Martyn is Senior Vice President, Head of Technology at Fidelity Investments Ireland.

Throughout her fifteen-year tenure at Fidelity, Ms. Martyn has held a variety of leadership roles both in Ireland and the United States. She is a member of Fidelity’s global technology leadership team driving technology strategy, leading 700+ technology professionals to develop superior innovative technology solutions for Fidelity. She is a visible and vocal advocate for D&I and most particularly greater female representation in technology.

Ms. Martyn sits on the board of Technology Ireland and is actively involved in developing the technology ecosystem in Ireland. In 2019, she was honored with the WMB Woman in Technology Award and in 2016, she won ITAG Women in Technology recognition. Ms. Martyn holds Financial Information Associate (FISD) and Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications. She received her BSc in Computer Systems from University of Limerick and her MBS in Management Information Systems from University College Dublin.

Donal O’Brien is a Partner at Bryan Cave LLP specializing in mergers and acquisitions, commercial finance and general securities. He is a Founding Member of Ireland Network Chicago and a Director of the Illinois Chapter of the American Liver Foundation. A Dublin native, Mr. O’Brien graduated from University College Dublin before moving to Chicago to attend law school at Loyola University. Mr. O’Brien joined the Board in 2016 after serving as the Chairman of the Partnership’s Chicago Golf Tournament for two years and greatly contributing to its success. He resides in Chicago, Illinois. 

Kathleen M. O’Toole currently serves as the Chief of Police for the Seattle Police Department. She is the President and Founder of O’Toole Associates, an international consulting firm with offices in Boston and Dublin. She is the Former Chief Inspector of Garda Síochána Inspectorate, the oversight body responsible for bringing reform, best practice, and accountability to Irish national police service. She was the first woman to hold the position of Police Commissioner in Boston from 2004-2006. Mrs. O’Toole is a former member of the Patten Commission, which developed a new framework for policing and security in Northern Ireland. She has been on the Partnership’s Board since 2014.

Maureen Pace is the President, World Trade Centre Dublin, President, WebPort Global and Vice President of the Drew Company.

Ms. Pace oversees strategic business development for the Drew Company in conjunction with the chairman and the president. As a member of the executive management team, Ms. Pace has more than 20 years of experience managing corporate strategy and new business development. She has been responsible for a number of consulting projects with government agencies and businesses of all sizes on the development and management of business operation functions and programs. In addition, Ms. Pace has had extensive experience helping small businesses who are challenged by the complexity of expanding into new markets, providing valuable international trade education and services globally.

She also serves as the president of the World Trade Centre Dublin and WebPort Global, the international business arm of the Boston-based Drew Company that provide business and trade organizations with a gateway to new international trade opportunities, collaboration, and education. She earned an MA from Boston University.

Sir Bruce Robinson is the former Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service. He has been at the forefront of reform in the Northern Ireland Civil Service and better financial management. Mr. Robinson had previously served as Permanent Secretary at the Department of Finance and Personnel and at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment. He is currently Deputy Chair of the Board of Allied Irish Bank(UK)PLC, is an adviser to the Irish Government on Public Service Reform, and is Chair of the Lyric Theatre in Belfast. A graduate of Queen’s University Belfast he is a strong advocate of the importance of cross community working. Mr. Robinson has been on the Partnership’s Board since 2014. 

Brian Ruane is the Chief Executive Officer of BNY Mellon Government Securities Services Corp., Clearance & Collateral Management & Credit Services. He is also a member of BNY Mellon’s Executive Committee. Brian is the executive sponsor for the GENEDGE Network, a BNY Mellon Business Resource group focused on diversity. Prior to his current role, Brian led Global Client Management, Alternative Investment Services and Prime Brokerage Services. Brian was a key voice on the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Triparty Repo Infrastructure Reform Task Force, which drove systemic changes to ensure that the triparty repo market functions effectively and efficiently. He also served on the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Working Committee on The Future of the US Government Securities Markets. Brian was born in the U.S. and grew up in Ireland where he attended Colaiste Eanna in Rathfarnham, Dublin. Brian is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board of Frank G. Zarb School of Business and a member of the North American Emeritus Board UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business. Brian is a member of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants and received his Masters of Business Administration from Hofstra University, Zarb School of Business.

Niall Power Smith is a businessman and entrepreneur with interests in exploration, real estate, and investment. He is a Director of the Irish Landmark Trust. Mr. Power Smith is a Business graduate of Trinity College. He has been on the Partnership’s Board since 1992. Mr. Power Smith resides in Dublin with his wife, Barbara, and their two sons.

Mary Sugrue is the Chief Executive Officer of the Partnership. Ms. Sugrue has been with the Partnership for 33 years, serving in many capacities before assuming the role of CEO in 2016. In her tenure, the Partnership has raised over $56 million, benefiting more than 640 schools, universities, and community development initiatives. Originally from Cahersiveen, Co. Kerry, she graduated from National University of Ireland Carysfort College Dublin with a degree in education and spent three years teaching primary school in Ireland. As an Irish teacher by training, she possesses a valued perspective for furthering the Partnership’s mission through impactful grants to schools, educational programs, and community development initiatives. Active in Irish America across the US, she has been honored by the Boston Irish Reporter, the Belfast Ambassador, and Irish Echo. Mary also engages with community initiatives in her adopted hometown of Boston. She supports Rian, the Irish Cultural Centre, the Boston College Global Leadership Institute, the Irish Pastoral Center, Irish Network Boston, and Boston Irish for Pride. She is an active member of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and the New England Council, a founding member of the Boston Friends of the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) and provides direction and support to the Durant Fellowship for Refugee Medicine at MGH Global Health as well as several local schools.

Regina Sullivan joined Fidelity Investments in 1994 through 2005 and then returned in 2010. She spent close to two decades honing her business and risk skills with both the domestic and international Fidelity entities. Some of Regina’s recent roles were EVP, Head of Shared Services and International Operations based in Ireland, EVP and Head of Global Business Services based in Boston and EVP, Head of Asset Management Services and Board Administration. During her tenure with Fidelity, Regina lived and worked in London, Dublin, and the US with team members in India, China and across Europe. During her tenure at Fidelity Investments, Regina oversaw and managed the administration of the Fidelity Mutual Fund Boards (2010-2013).

Regina now serves as a Trustee and Chair of the Finance Committee at Ursuline Academy in Dedham, Massachusetts, in addition to running GAMAN Real Estate Group. Regina currently resides in the Greater Boston area, after living abroad for a number of years.