Board Members

• Mr  Paul Donaghy

  | Chairperson

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  Paul Donaghy is currently the Chairperson of the OCNNI Board of Trustees. He has been a lifelong campaigner for Equality and Human Rights and a better life for all in Northern Ireland. He remains a champion of workplace and community learning, having been the former manager of NHS University and HSC Widening Participation Unit. He is a strong advocate for a more joined-up and collegiate approach to civil and public service leadership, where learning becomes the golden thread running through all our actions and plans. Unleashing the talent of all our people through learning remains his mission.

• Mrs Anne-Marie McClure MBE

  | Vice-Chair

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  Anne-Marie McClure MBE (Vice-Chair) Anne-Marie retired in November 2022, having held the position of Chief Executive at Start360, a cutting-edge provider of support services to young people and adult offenders including their families across Northern Ireland. Anne-Marie is a Health Visitor by profession, the recipient of the Northern Ireland Adult Nurse of the Year Award in 2000, awarded an MBE in 2009 for services to young people, and CO3’s Inspiring Leader of the Year in 2016. Anne-Marie has worked in the public sector as well as the voluntary sector for over 40 years. She has many years of volunteer experience, including chairing the boards of CO3, NIADA, and the Drug-Related Deaths Taskforce. She holds two public appointments, one as Co-Chair of NSETS, the All-Ireland Education and Training Standards Committee for Youth Work, and more recently as a Northern Ireland Committee member for the National Community Lottery Fund. 

  • Chair of CO3 (retired 24.10.23)
  • Director of Anam Cara
  • Trustee of Energy for Children
  • Member of Royal College of Nursing (RCN)
  • Member of Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) 

• Mr Anthony McAteer BEM

  | Chair of Compliance & Audit Committee

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  Tony McAteer is the Facilities Health Manager at Clanrye Group. Based in Newry, Clanrye Group provides structured and supervised training alongside employability support to help prepare young people for the world of work. Tony is experienced in delivering qualifications and working with a range of awarding bodies. He also has experience in preparing for ETI inspections and ensuring quality standards are maintained within his organisation.

• Mrs Kate Fleck

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  Kate Fleck has made a valuable contribution to the NI health and social care sector throughout her career. She is the former National Director of Arthritis Care in NI, having led the organisation from November 2006 to June 2018. Before that, she was NI Director of Diabetes UK and Assistant Director for PHAB NI. Since her retirement, Kate has served on numerous Boards including, the Family Fund, CO3, and its CO3 Health and Social Care Special Interest Group. Kate continues to play an active role in NI by currently serving on the South Eastern Local Commissioning Group, which is responsible for the commissioning of health and social care by addressing the care needs of its local population. She has recently been appointed as NI Trustee for Contact and as a Member of the BMA PLG (Patient Liaison Group). 

  • Trustee of Contact UK
  • Member of BMA Patient Liaison Group (PLG)
  • Member of South Eastern Local Commissioning Group
  • Member of CO3 

• Mrs Ann McGuinness

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  Ann has worked in the community and voluntary sector for over 35 years. She has valuable experience in project management and training, which includes 13 years of delivering training to adults with learning difficulties and has a good understanding of some of the barriers to learning. Ann is a counsellor, and with her degree from Queens University in Psychological Trauma, she manages her own counselling business, which she has done successfully for the past 11 years. Member of National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society 

• Mrs Edith Shaw

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  Edith has been involved in education and training as a student, teacher, trainer, parent, school governor, NVQ assessor, and internal auditor. She has 37 years’ experience serving on various governing bodies, including Carolan Grammar School; Wellington College Belfast; Oakwood School and Assessment Centre; and currently Methodist College Belfast, where she is Honorary Secretary to the Board. Through the membership scheme of the Patient Client Council, Edith has been involved in several Department of Health Reviews - Elective Orthopaedics; Advanced Care Planning; the Integrated Care System; General Surgery and Elective Care; No more Silos – improvements to Urgent and Emergency Care; and the Hyponatremia Implementation Programme – Duty of Candour Working Group. 

  • Member of Governors Methodist College
  • Board Member of Education Authority Board 

• Dr Ian Walters

  | Chair of Finance & General Purposes Committee

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  Ian Walters (Chair of Finance & General Purposes Committee) Dr Ian Walters worked in the Northern Ireland Civil Service for more than 30 years, then spent 9 years as Chief Executive of the Action Mental Health charity. He was educated at Manchester University, graduating in Electrical Engineering, and later gaining a post-graduate Diploma in Management Science. Ian has many years of voluntary experience, including chairing the boards of governors at two primary schools over a 30-year period. He was a director of UK Skills for 15 years, chairing its audit and risk committee. He also spent 13 years at Belfast Metropolitan College, as vice chair then chair of its Governing Body. 

  • Fellow, Royal Society of Arts & Manufactures
  • Fellow, Institute of Mechanical Engineers
  • Fellow, Chartered Management Institute
  • Member of the Institute of Gas Engineers and Managers
  • Member of the Institute of Engineering Technology
  • Member of RSPB
  • Member of WWT
  • Member of National Trust
  • Member of IAM Roadsmart 

• Ken Webb MBE

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  Ken is the Principal and Chief Executive of SERC and Chair of the NI Further Education Colleges Principals’ Group. Ken has worked at a senior level in the UK Central Government, Local Government, and the Private Sector. His roles have covered diverse areas from large infrastructure projects, through national advertising campaigns to product research and international sales in the Agri-food industry and IT consultancy. 

  Ken is a qualified teacher and Chartered Accountant and holds a number of qualifications from four Universities. In 2008 he was appointed as Principal & Chief Executive of SERC. 

  • Fellow, CPFA
  • Fellow, FCMI
  • Fellow, MAPM 

• Prof. Jonathan Heggarty MBE

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  Jonathan Heggarty MBE Prof. Jonathan Heggarty is the Principal of Stranmillis College and former Director of Curriculum and Learner Success at Belfast Metropolitan College. In 2018 he was awarded an MBE for services to Further Education. Jonathan brings a wealth of experience from the Further, Higher Education, and private industry sectors.

• Mr John D’Arcy OBE

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  John D’Arcy is Director at the Open University in Ireland. John is the former CEO of the Association of Northern Ireland Colleges, a post he held since 2003, in which he led the organisation and the sector through a period of unprecedented change. John led the central change project to merge 16 colleges into the present 6 larger regional colleges. John graduated with a degree in psychology from Queen’s University Belfast in 1982. The first fifteen years of his career were devoted to research, as a Research Fellow at the Northern Ireland Council for Educational Research and later as Principal Officer at the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment. 

  • Chair at AONTAS
  • Chair at Lightbody Foundation
  • Member of IoD Member of FRSA.  

• Mrs Michele Marken OBE

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  Michele is a very well-known figure in the world of education. She began her teaching career in September 1970. From 1970-1992 she was Head of English and Drama at St Nicholas’ High School, Carrickfergus, school counsellor, director of school shows, and Vice Principal of St Colm’s High School, Twinbrook. In January 1993 she was appointed Principal of St Joseph’s College, Belfast. During her time as Principal she was responsible for leading the school during the amalgamation of two single-sex schools and developing a strong Post 16 curriculum of traditional A Levels and vocational subjects. She retired in 2008 after more than 15 years as Principal. She is Chair of the Belfast Festival of Learning working group of the Lifelong Learning. In addition, she was Vice-chair and member of the Board of Public Achievement which worked with young people helping to build democratic communities, particularly in challenging areas.

• Mr Barry Neilson OBE

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  Barry has a Civil Engineering background, starting work as an apprentice draughtsman and progressing to complete a BSc in Civil Engineering. He is a Chartered Civil Engineer and a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Much of Barry’s early career was with Civil Engineering consultancies. He has a strong background in the Housing Sector having worked with both the Scottish Special Housing Association and NHBC. With strong views on the value and importance of training and developing people, he joined the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) as Director for Scotland and worked closely with the construction sector to develop its expertise in construction management. He was seconded from CIOB to work with the Department of Business Industry & Skills and was instrumental in developing the TrustMark initiative. In May 2010, Barry Joined CITB-Construction Skills NI as Chief Executive. 

  • Trustee of the Forum for Adult Learning NI