Professor Paul Donnelly appointed Chair of Fulbright Commission in Ireland Board. Marianne Doyle appointed Deputy Chair.

 

Tuesday 12th December 2023: The Fulbright Commission in Ireland announce the appointment of Professor Paul Donnelly as Chair of the Fulbright Commission Ireland Board and Marianne Doyle as Deputy Chair. The Board has four Irish members and four members from the United States, appointed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and by the U.S. Ambassador respectively. Professor Paul Donnelly replaces Professor Diane Negra (Fulbright Board Chair Emerita) in the position of Chair.

The Fulbright Commission Ireland Board has responsibility for ensuring the proper functioning and strategic development of the Programme, approving budgets, as well as approving the number of, and the level of funding for, the annual Irish and U.S. scholarship awards. The global Fulbright Program was established in 1946 and Ireland-U.S. exchanges began in 1957. Over the subsequent 66 years, the Fulbright bilateral exchange programme has become known for selecting outstanding candidates from across Ireland to study and work with U.S. Institutions across all disciplines, ranging from health, science, technology and business to the arts and culture.

Chair of the Fulbright Commission Ireland Board, Professor Paul Donnelly, said…
“I am honoured to have been unanimously elected Chair of the Fulbright Commission by my fellow Board colleagues. I look forward to working with them and with the dedicated team of Commission staff in advancing the aims set out by Senator Fulbright for the programme bearing his name, that is, “to bring a little more knowledge, a little more reason, and a little more compassion into world affairs and thereby to increase the chance that nations will learn at last to live in peace and friendship.”

Deputy Chair of the Fulbright Commission Ireland Board, Marianne Doyle, said…
“It is an honour to be appointed as Deputy Chair of the Fulbright Commission Ireland Board and to be part of a supportive international network of excellence that contributes to mutual understanding between nations. The Fulbright Programme plays an essential role in building cross-cultural collaboration and finding solutions to important international problems. It is needed now more than ever in our fractured global geo-political landscape.”

Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission in Ireland, Dr Dara FitzGerald, said…
“I congratulate Paul Donnelly and Marianne Doyle on their appointments, and I look forward to working with them. They have been active Fulbright Board and Committee members in recent years and bring a wealth of knowledge and perspective to the roles. I also extend our gratitude to Chair Emerita Diane Negra for her time in recent years as Chair.”

 

Professor Paul Donnelly received his PhD from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and is a graduate of the Institute of Directors’ Chartered Director Programme. He is both a Fulbright Fellow and a Taiwan Fellow, and is President Emeritus of the Irish Fulbright Alumni Association. In addition to serving on the Board of the Fulbright Commission, he serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director and Vice Chair of Transparency International Ireland, as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Dóchas (the Irish network for international development and humanitarian organisations), and as a member of the Royal Irish Academy’s Social Sciences Committee. Previously, he served as an Independent Expert on the National Economic and Social Council, and as Chair of the Critical Management Studies Division and the Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the Academy of Management. Over the course of a 30+ year career spanning the public sector, academia and the not-for-profit sector, he has gained particular expertise and experience in the areas of strategy, governance, and organisation.

 

Marianne Doyle is Head of Internal Communications with An Garda Síochána, the Irish national police and security service with 18,000 personnel.

Currently, Marianne serves on the boards of the Ireland-US Fulbright Commission, National Museum of Ireland and Quality and Qualifications Ireland, the state agency responsible for promoting the quality, integrity and reputation of Ireland’s further and higher education system. Previously, Marianne worked in international marketing, predominantly in the higher education sector in North America, China, Russia, and the EU. She also worked in the US Embassy in Dublin press office, and as communications manager for the Fulbright Commission, Ireland. Marianne holds postgraduate qualifications in communications, law, corporate governance, innovation and an MBA, with a BA (Hons) in Russian (with Polish) and German. She is an alumna of the University of Oxford's Executive Leadership Programme.

ENDS

The Fulbright Commission in Ireland
The global Fulbright Program was established in 1946. Ireland-U.S. exchanges began in 1957 and the Fulbright Commission in Ireland annually awards grants for Irish and EU students, scholars and professionals with 5+ years relevant experience to study, research, or teach in the U.S. and for Americans to do the same in Ireland. Since its formation, over 2,500 postgraduate students, scholars, professionals, and teachers across all disciplines have participated in the program between the U.S. and Ireland. The Commission is supported by the U.S. Department of State and the Irish Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs. It is also a registered charity.

For further information contact:
Aoife Drinan, Fulbright Commission: aoife.drinan@fulbright.ie / 01-6607670 
Photography from Conor McCabe Photography Ltd. info@conormccabe.ie