Paul Hanna - President
Following completion of a MBA at University of Ulster in 1992, Paul participated in the USA Export Market Development Programme, based in Boston Massachusetts, subsequently returning to University of Ulster as a Research Assistant in the Dept. of Marketing & Business Organization. From there he joined F.G. Wilson Engineering and in October 1994 took up a Technical Sales Engineer role in their North American office in Miami, Florida. Paul then moved to Chicago, Illinois and worked for eight years with Invest NI in the Midwest US office.
In 2005, he joined Corporate Express as a Business Development Executive focused on the US Federal Government. In 2008 Corporate Express was acquired by Staples Inc, and in 2012 he was promoted to the role of Government Strategic Account Manager with national-level responsibility for Staples’ business with a group of Federal agencies.
Aidan O'Kane - Treasurer
Aidan O’Kane is Director of Advancement and Alumni Engagement at Ulster University, where he leads the University’s work across alumni engagement, philanthropy, corporate partnerships and advancement services. He is focused on building meaningful relationships with Ulster’s global community of graduates and partners to support the University’s strategic ambitions and create opportunities for its students and wider society.
Before joining Ulster University, Aidan spent more than 20 years with Allstate, where he held senior leadership roles in technology and served as local Site Leader in Northern Ireland. He is a former President of the Derry Chamber of Commerce and currently serves as Deputy Chairman of City of Derry Airport.
Aidan is a passionate advocate for the Ulster University and for the transformative role that it plays in advancing education, research, partnership and civic engagement.
Alison Snookes - Secretary
Alison has led the Development Services team within the Development & Alumni Relations Office at Ulster University since 2011 and is responsible for oversight of operational support for the Fundraising, Alumni Relations and Corporate Engagement teams.
Before joining the University, most of her career was spent in the Middle East where she was, at various times, Head (Chair) of Business Programmes, Acting Head of IT programmes, Head of Foundation Programmes and a Business teacher in one of the campuses of the Higher Colleges of Technology in the UAE.
She also worked in the early part of her career as an English teacher with the British Council in the UAE and Oman so has experience of both providing operational support and of working directly with students.
Fiona Duffy
Fiona Duffy graduated from Ulster University in 1982 with a B.Ed. in Communications Studies. She married Sean and moved permanently to the US in 1983 and taught elementary school in East Harlem for a few years before the birth of her first child.
Four children and one grandchild later, Fiona continues her work in education at Tuxedo Park School in NY, where she is in the business of fundraising. Being around elementary school children fills her with joy and fuels a motivation to continue empower people through education.
Her greatest love is her family, both in the US and in Ireland, and she is humbled to be of some service to Ulster.
Paul Jennings
Paul Jennings is Director of Foreign Exchange Sales and Environmental Products at Marex. Hailing from Warrenpoint, Co. Down, he moved to Boston in 1992. Paul has a long career in the US banking industry and was selected for the Irish America Wall Street 50 award several times. Paul is also a board member of the Boston Irish Business Association.
Mark Mathers
Mark Mathers has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, primarily in financial planning, relationship management, and business development. He most recently served as Managing Director of Boston Private Wealth, was a Senior Client Advisor with Silver Bridge and a Senior Financial Planning Consultant for the Bostonian Group.
Mark holds an honors degree in Business Studies from University of Ulster, a Certificate in Export Marketing from University of San Francisco, a Diploma in Philosophy from St. Patrick’s Seminary, and holds the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) certification. Mark values collaboration, collegiality and integrity in the process of positively impacting the lives of his clients.
He lives in Lynnfield, MA with his wife Kathleen and their three children. He enjoys soccer, Gaelic football and golf.Mathers is Managing Director at Beacon Pointe Wealth Advisors, an independent Registered Investment Advisory firm working with endowments, foundations, other institutions, and high-net-worth individuals and families.
Jessica Myers
Jessica has spent the last 18 years working in election administration, primarily at the state and federal level. Jessica began her career at PA Department of State in 2006. In 2010 she joined the US Election Assistance Commission's Testing and Certification Division. She returned to PA DOS in 2017 to join the Policy Office and was promoted to Director in 2019. Jessica currently works for VotingWorks, an election technology nonprofit that provides support and tools for conducting post-election RLAs and is working to develop an open source voting system. She serves as Head of Compliance. Jessica holds a B.A. from Gettysburg College and a Master's in Local History from Ulster University. She currently serves on the Board of the American Friends of Ulster University Inc. and the League of Women Voters (Pennsylvania).