Our Board of Directors

PJ Drudy (Chair)

Appointed to the Board in May 2016.

Former Lecturer in Economics at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of St Edmund’s College. Emeritus Professor of Economics and Fellow of Trinity College. Formerly Senior Dean and Bursar. He has published extensively on the problems of housing and the need to focus much more on the non-profit sector. He is Vice Chairperson of the Housing Association and chairs the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee. He has acted as a Consultant to many bodies including the European Commission and he has been a member of various Boards including Social Justice Ireland, Threshold, Dublin Docklands Development Authority and CIE. He is a strong advocate for people with intellectual disabilities and mental illness. P.J. and his wife, Sheelagh, have four grown-up children, including their youngest son with Down Syndrome and autism.

John Lennon (Brother Ronan, O.H.)

Appointed Director July 2020

Ronan Lennon, is a Brother of the Saint John of God, who has a background and training in Psychiatric Nursing, Hospital Administration, Governance, Spirituality and the History and Tradition of the Hospitaller Order.
He has worked directly in a variety of roles with persons with mental health challenges, supporting individuals with special needs, and has experience in the development and leadership of a range of health and social care programmes internationally.

Ronan serves on a number of Health, Nursing Home, and Special Schools, as a Board Member.

Brother Michael Francis, O.H.

Appointed Director July 2014

Bro. Michael Francis entered the St John of God Order in 1967. Qualified as a General Nurse (SRN) and also a registered Learning Disability Nurse (R.M.N.S.) Ordained a priest in 1990.

He has also worked in England, Scotland, Zambia and Philippines. Presently Chaplin in St. Joseph’s Shankill, Dublin.

Margaret Burns

Social Science (Social Policy) Appointed Director October 2020

Currently chairperson of Children in Hospital Ireland and was a board member of the Childrens’s Rights Alliance from 1995 to 2013.

From 1973 to retirement in 2017, worked as a social policy analyst covering a wide range of social issues. Published critiques and articles on housing policy, Irish Prison System, Health and Rights of the Child under UN Conventions.

Joyce Loughnan

Appointed Director November 2020

Joyce Loughnan joined the St John of God’s Housing Association Board in late 2020.  Joyce brings a wealth of senior management experience and knowledge of the Charity and Voluntary Housing sectors having previously served as Managing Director of The Sanctuary, CEO of Focus Ireland and Programme Director for Fujitsu Ireland.

Joyce currently serves on the St Joseph’s Intellectual Disability Services, Portrane, Family and Friends Committee and has previously served on the Boards of the Dublin Business Chamber, The Wheel, BoardMatch Ireland and the International Women’s Forum Ireland.  Joyce has also served on The Strategic Advisory Committee for Dublin City University, The Dept. of Environment Steering Committee on Housing & Homelessness, the Homeless Agency Value for Money Homeless Services Steering Committee, Regional Homeless Services forums round the country, Irish Council for Social Housing forum for large Housing Associations and IBEC’s Regional Committee for the Eastern Region.

Joyce completed her Masters in Business Administration in 2002 and her Project Management Professional qualification in 2006.  She was presented with DCU’s Alumni’s inaugural Award for Social Impact in 2011.  Joyce is currently a member of the Institute of Directors Ireland.

Aidan Burke (Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee)

Appointed Director November 2020

Aidan has worked in construction related roles throughout his career both in Ireland and abroad. This has included a range of positions in private industry and the public service in sectors such as hospitality, education and the oil industry. He worked also for a construction employer representative body at a time when construction was the country’s largest employer; a time of great change in the industry and when a lot of new initiatives were introduced.

Aidan holds a dual Masters in Engineering and Business administration from the NUI and recently completed the Diploma in Corporate Governance at UCD’s Michael Smurfit Business School, He is also a  Fellow of Engineers Ireland, is married, has two children and lives in Kildare.

Marianne McMahon

Appointed Director October 2020

Marianne Garvey-McMahon was appointed to the Board of the St John of God Housing Association as Board Director in October 2020.  Marianne brings a wealth of personal and professional knowledge of Intellectual disability, Regulation, Law and policy. Marianne is graduate of the National University of Ireland, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Leeds University, and Sir Patrick Dun’s Hospital.

Professional Qualifications: MSc. Law, MSc. Ethics, Fellow FFNMRCSI, BSc. (Healthcare Mgt.), HDip. Nursing, RGN, Hdip. (Psychology), HDip, (Counselling), Dip (ICC), Clinical Associate (Hon) FNMRCSI.

Marianne is Currently a Disability Advocate, Board Director, Assoc. Med-Legal Society. Independent Consultant, and has twenty years ‘experience advocating for Autism and severe Intellectual disability with experience in compliance in relation to safe delivery to our most vulnerable cohort of people with Intellectual disability.

Dr. Liz Murphy, RSM (Chair of the Governance Improvement Committee)

Appointed Director November 2020

Liz Murphy, RSM is an educator, a Jungian psychotherapist, and holds a doctorate in Depth Psychology. For over 20 years she guided and supported NGOs and leaders of religious congregations on every continent, facilitating and addressing Assemblies, Chapters and other gatherings. Prior to this she served as a staff member at the Centre for Adult & Community Education at NUI Maynooth, and also at Mount Oliver Institute. As Provincial Leader of the Sisters of Mercy Southern Province Liz served from 2007-2013.

In her 3 year term as Secretary General of AMRI – Association of Leaders of Missionaries & Religious of Ireland – she directed the integration of CORI (Conference of Religious of Ireland) and the IMU (Irish Missionary Union) 2017-2020. Currently she sits on a number of Boards and trains Board members on all aspects of governance and charity regulations. She has recently joined the St John of God Housing Association and is familiarising herself with the Company.