The Washington Ireland Program is fortunate to have a talented and experienced group of dedicated individuals who work tirelessly to pursue the mission of the Program.
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Kevin Sullivan is the current chairman of the Washington Ireland Program. A member of the Board since 2002, Kevin was elected Chairman in 2006. Currently, Kevin is an independent consultant with a practice focusing on education reform. His clients include the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, The No Child Left Inside Coalition, the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities, AARP, the American Architectural Foundation, and Co-operation Ireland. Previous clients have included the KnowledgeWorks Foundation and The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. From 1993 to 2001, he served as senior advisor and speechwriter to U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley. Kevin continues to support former Secretary Riley in his role as a national education leader.
Prior to joining Secretary’s Riley staff, Sullivan worked for fourteen years for members of Congress including Rep. Barbara Jordan, Rep. Les Aspin, Rep. Edward Feighan, Sen. Gary Hart and the Senate Democratic Policy Committee. Kevin also participated in three national presidential campaigns and helped to elect Brendan Byrne, the Governor of New Jersey. He is probably best known for drafting Cong. Barbara Jordan’s historic Keynote Address to the 1976 Democratic National Convention.
As an advisor to Secretary Riley, Sullivan played a major role in launching a series of new initiatives including the Secretary’s annual “State of American Education Address.” In 1995, Sullivan was the chief strategist for the release by President Clinton of new religious guidelines for public schools and remained Secretary Riley’s principal advisor on religious issues.
During his eight years at the Dept of Education Kevin worked on a wide range of issues including teacher quality, reading, school construction, school violence and character education. In 1998 Sullivan organized the “National Symposium on School Design” and in 2000 he conceptualized and helped to launch the first International Education Week, an annual event which continues to be sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education.
Kevin is currently the Chairman of the Board of the Washington-Ireland Program for Service and Leadership (WIP) and Chairman of the South Africa Washington Intern Program (SAWIP). He is also a member of the Board of MCIP, a non-profit 501c(3) which supports the Bell Multicultural High School in Washington, D.C. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland with his wife and three children. His Irish family hails from Passage West in County Cork and Six Mile Cross, in County Tyrone.
Frank Cantrel, Jr. is vice president of federal government relations for Verizon, a $100 billion broadband company. Beginning in 1988, Cantrel joined MCI, which Verizon acquired in 2006. Prior to that, he spent nearly a decade on Capitol Hill working first as a legislative assistant to a House member and later serving as a professional staff member of the Commerce Committee for four years and as a tax counsel to the Finance Committee for three. He is a graduate of Fairfield University and George Mason University Law School. He and his wife Anne live in Chevy Chase, Maryland and have three children: Katherine (21), Madeleine (18) and Joe (15). Cantrel also serves on the boards of two other nonprofit organizations: the Congressional Institute and the South Africa Washington Internship Program.
In addition to serving on the WIP board of directors, Jim Boland serves as the Secretary-Treasurer on the executive board the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC). In his current position, he has oversight responsibilities for many of the International Union's financial and administrative programs. He is also actively involved in shaping the IU's communication, publication, education, and government relations initiatives.
Boland became a member of BAC in1977. He spent the next decade working on commercial projects in the San Francisco Bay area in brick, block, stone, and marble. He became Business Agent in 1988 and then President in 1992 of BAC Local 3 California. One year later he was appointed to serve as a member of the International Union's highest advisory body, the BAC Executive Council. In 1994 Boland was named to the International Union's headquarters staff as Assistant to the Vice President for Operations overseeing trade jurisdiction matters. Later that same year Boland was asked to take on the added field responsibilities of BAC Regional Director for California and Nevada, a position he maintained until his election to the Executive Board in 1995.
In addition to his Executive Board responsibilities, Boland serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the International Masonry Institute (IMI), the training and industry development arm of the organized masonry industry, the International Trowel Trades Pension Fund (IPF) and the International Health Fund. He graduated from the Harvard Trade Union Program in 1996.
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Mr. Brooks began his career with Executive Airlines in Boston, Massachusetts in 1968. This regional airline and its successor (Air New England) and served fourteen points in New England and New York. It became a certificated carrier in 1974 and was the third largest regional carrier in the U.S. Mr. Brooks started as staff assistant, and his final position was executive vice president.
Mr. Brooks opened and managed the North America sales and support office for Short Brothers of Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1981. He was responsible for the sale of 30- and 36-passenger aircraft to regional airlines, and military variants of the aircraft and air defense missiles to branches of the U.S. military. His position was president of Shorts USA.
Bombardier of Montreal purchased Short Brothers in 1989, and the Washington office assumed a larger portfolio of aircraft to sell to the U.S. military and other agencies from 1996 on. The Washington operation became a Bombardier corporate office in 2003, and Mr. Brooks was appointed vice president for government affairs. He became responsible for all Bombardier Transportation’s and Bombardier Aerospace’s relations with Congress and federal agencies.
Mr. Brooks retired from Bombardier in 2009 and lives with his wife in Washington, DC.
Timothy Brian Curry is a Senior Policy Analyst in the Counter Terrorism Policy Division in the Policy Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security. In this capacity he works on policy topics that include terrorist travel, countering violent extremism, human smuggling and trafficking, and other threats as they arise. Prior to his work at DHS Timothy worked as a Program Coordinator for the Technology and Public Policy Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Timothy’s work focused on areas such as critical infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, emerging technologies, space as well as homeland and national security. Before working at CSIS, Timothy lived in Belfast, Northern Ireland where he worked for Weber Shandwick Worldwide and taught American Politics at Queen’s University Belfast. In addition, during his career he served as a personal assistant to Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Timothy received a Masters with merit in Comparative Ethnic Conflict from Queen’s University in Belfast and a B.A. cum laude in theology with a minor in Art History from Boston College. He is a member of the Board of Admissions at the University Club of Washington DC and serves on the Board of Directors for the Tewaaraton Award Foundation and the Belfast Beltway Boxing Project.
Holly Hassett brings a long career in lobbying and public affairs to her role on the WIP board. She headed up the government affairs operations, both in Washington, DC and Hershey, PA, for The Hershey Company, a large, publicly traded Fortune 500 food and confectionery manufacturing company. Since her retirement from The Hershey Company, Holly has worked as a political consultant, board member and advisor to many organizations. Most recently, Holly was actively involved in the Obama campaign and, after the election, she volunteered on the Presidential Transition Team. Holly now concentrates on philanthropic work that includes serving on several non-profit boards dedicated to international youth leadership and community service, including WIP, SAWIP and Harmony Through Education. She is also on the Council of National Advisors of Springboard Enterprises, which educates, showcases and supports women entrepreneurs as they seek capital and build their businesses.
Washington Ireland Program board member, Kristin Leary is Principal of Leary Ventures, a government relations consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. She is also the Director of Programs at the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), a nonprofit organization that combines the academic research functions of a traditional think tank with advocacy work for consensus policy positions. At BPC, Ms. Leary works on projects dealing with health care reform, energy policy, and cultural issues. Prior to BPC, Ms. Leary served as director of state affairs for the Chlorine Chemistry Council. She began her career on the Boston staff of the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and served as legislative director for the United Mine Workers of America, an international union representing coal miners. She also worked as an associate at PodestaMattoon, a bipartisan federal government relations firm. Leary has considerable national political campaign experience, including as a volunteer for the Obama/Biden campaign in 2008, and as a staff member responsible for surrogate outreach and coordination of national women’s tours for the Democratic National Committee in the fall of 2004. She is a graduate of Boston College and the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law, and is a member of the bars of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition to her work with WIP, Ms. Leary is active with the American Ireland Fund Young Leaders program.
Patrick McDermott was named Chief Executive Officer of the Dublin City University Educational Trust by the Board of Trustees and the President in October 2002. In this role, Patrick has overhauled and re-developed the Trust, DCU 's philanthropic foundation and alumni office. During his tenure, the DCU Educational Trust has grown and strengthened its Board of Trustees while establishing strategic priorities and evaluating the role of the foundation on campus. In conjunction with the Trust team, Patrick has led the implementation of an alumni giving programme, a major gift structure, a donor recognition society, a legacy initiative, and a comprehensive endowment strategy. Patrick joined the Trust in September 2001 as Special Adviser to the President. In this capacity, his primary responsibilities were in building international partnerships and strategic alliances with other institutions of higher education, multinational corporations, philanthropic organisations, and institutions interested in innovative practices in higher education.
Prior to joining DCU , Patrick served as White House Liaison and Trip Director for United States Secretary of Education, Mr. Richard W. Riley. As a member of the Secretary's Senior Staff, Patrick worked on a variety of educational issues and policies. He helped recruit and manage hundreds of Clinton Administration appointees at the US Department of Education and oversaw appointments to over thirty federal Boards and Commissions. In addition, Patrick was responsible for Secretary Riley's visits to schools and campuses across America and around the world, promoting excellence in education and building community partnerships for the betterment of public education. Patrick earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Washington and Lee University.
Hugh O’Hara has been involved with WIP for the last 11 years and has served on the board of directors since 2002. He currently works for Management Concepts, an organization that delivers the Enhanced Defense Financial Management Training Course to individuals on an open enrollment basis. Hugh has been on the WIP Board of Directors for since 2002 and is founding SAWIP board member.
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Paul Quinn brings more than 45 years of legal and political experience in public policy advocacy to WIP. Having a considerable interest in international affairs, Paul has been at the forefront of efforts to seek a peaceful resolution to the political, economic, and social strife that has confronted Northern Ireland. He has served on the board of directors of the North American Advisory Board of the Smurfit Graduate School of Business at the University College Dublin since 1998 and currently serves as its Chair. He was the 2005 recipient of the Irish Peace and Culture Award from The American Ireland Fund and has served on the Fund's Board since 1986.
As special counsel to legal firm Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney, PC, Paul provides strategic government and business counseling including the design and implementation of political and legislative strategies and the monitoring of federal and state administrative, legislative, regulatory, and political developments. He has represented large and small companies, individuals, foreign governments, trade associations and universities on a range of political, legislative and regulatory issues. In addition, he has organized and coordinated coalition efforts to deal with the legislative and executive branch initiatives, which have included generating grass roots support. Before joining Buchanan, Paul was a shareholder in a Washington, D.C.-based firm and founding partner of Wilkinson Barker Knauner and Quinn from 1983 to 2001. He served as Rhode Island Senator Claiborne Pell's first legislative director in Washington from 1961 to 1963, and has provided, and continues to provide policy and strategic advice for many U.S. senators and representatives.
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A member of the Washington Ireland Program board since 2005, Anne is a graduate of the University of Colorado and the Catholic University Law School. During her career, she has worked for the National Security Agency, served as a staff assistant to Senator Robert F. Kennedy, worked for the Departments of Justice and the Interior, and between 1995 and 2001, served as chief of staff to Department of the Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. She is the recipient of several major honors, including the Beatrice Rosenberg Award from the District of Columbia Bar Association, given to one government attorney each year; and the Distinguished Executive Presidential Rank Award, given by the President of the United States each year to a small group of career senior federal government executives and senior career employees. Recipients of this prestigious award are recognized as strong leaders, professionals, and scientists who achieve results and consistently demonstrate strength, integrity, industry and a relentless commitment to excellence in public service. In addition to serving on the board of the Washington Ireland Program, Ms. Shields also currently serves on the board of directors for the American Rivers organization, a group dedicated to the protection and restoration of America’s rivers, and as a member of the board for the National Conservation System Foundation an organization with a mission to protect, restore and expand the U.S. conservation system through education, advocacy, and partnerships.
Bob Van Heuvelen has spent his distinguished career working as chief of staff to Senator Kent Conrad, as the Director of Civil Enforcement at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as a career prosecutor for the Department of Justice (DOJ), and as a legislative assistant to Senator Quentin Burdick (D-ND). He has also served as assistant counsel to the Senate Environment Committee, where he helped to craft amendments to the major federal environmental laws.
During his years with Senator Conrad, Mr. Van Heuvelen managed the Senator’s policy and political offices, working daily with members of Congress and congressional staff on both sides of the aisle. He helped form the Bi-partisan U.S. Senate Chiefs of Staff organization. He also advised Senator Conrad in his capacity as Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, counseled a ranking member of the powerful Finance Committee, and advised the senior members of the Senate Agriculture and Indian Affairs Committee. While at EPA, Van Heuvelen was given the “EPA Gold Medal” for his work in restructuring and streamlining the EPA Enforcement Program. During his time at DOJ he received “the John Marshall Award,” the highest award given to career prosecutors.
In 2007, Robert Van Heuvelen launched Van Heuvelen Strategies, LLC. He currently advises clients on a wide variety of legislative and political issues. With a focus on energy and environment, taxation and finance, and health care issues, he has been intimately involved in significant legislative initiatives in these areas. He graduated with honors from Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota; obtained a Masters Degree in Public Policy from the Humphrey School at the University of Minnesota; and was awarded his law degree from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association.
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Jim Walsh retired from the United States Congress last year after 20 years of service representing Syracuse and Central New York. A long-time supporter of the WIP program, the Congressman co-chaired the House Ad-Hoc Committee on Ireland for over ten years and was deeply involved in the Irish peace process. A former Peace Corps volunteer (Nepal 1970-72), Walsh followed his father who represented Syracuse in Congress from 1973-79. The Congressman was a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. In June 2003, Congressman Walsh received the Syracuse University Willis H. Carrier Award, to honor his years of service and commitment to protecting the environment and for helping to foster an economic hub for environmental technology. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University, St. Bonaventure, New York.
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