Board Profiles
Colm Cavanagh (Chairperson) Colm Cavanagh is a qualified solicitor and is currently the Managing Director of Foyle Waterfront, Derry. Colm has previously worked in the areas of Community and Economic Development, as well as voluntarily for the UN Development in Tanzania, East Africa. Colm has been a trust representative on the NICIE Board since 2004, and has been involved in the promotion of integrated education since the 1970’s. He is co-chair of the Foyle Trust for Integrated Education, which opened Oakgrove Integrated Primary School in 1991, Oakgrove Integrated College in 1992 and Oakgrove Integrated Nursery in 1993. He is currently governor of Oakgrove Integrated College, Londonderry; Governor of Roe Valley Integrated Primary School, Limavady; and Chair of London-Derry Connections. Recently, Colm has edited the first ever ‘International Directory of Joint Protestant-Roman Catholic Schools, Colleges and Universities: 2007.
Ian McMorris (Deputy Chair) has been a self-employed strategic management consultant since 2006. Prior to that he was Managing Director of Ulster Weavers, before which he was director of Strategy Services with PA Consulting Group. Ian is currently on the boards of Dale Farm and United Dairy Farmers, is a member of the Court of the University of Ulster and was previously on the boards of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment, and the Economic Research Council of Northern Ireland. He has been Chair of the CBI in Northern Ireland as well being on the boards of a range of industry sectoral bodies. He is currently Chair of the Lagan College Board. He holds a D Phil in physics and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
Martin Stroud (Secretary) is a Trust representative. He grew up & was educated in Newport Monmouthshire, went to university in Reading & also Warwick. After marriage he moved to Belfast in 1975. He has lived in north Belfast since 1978. He has been a trade union activist with ASTMS/ MSF/ Amicus/ Unite both in his workplace Queen’s University & at various levels in the union. He is an active member of the Labour party. He was a member of the BELB as an NICTU rep from 1985-9, and chaired its General Purposes Committee. He has been actively involved in the Integrated Schools movement since 1985 and was a founder parent of Hazelwood IPS. He was on the Hazelwood College Board of Governors from 1989, as secretary since 1991 until 2003. He is chair the Belfast Charitable Trust for Integrated Education. This body was instrumental in setting up the both Hazelwood schools and helped significantly in getting the Cranmore IPS in the Malone Road area and the Millennium IPS in Carryduff established. He was actively involved in establishing the NI Council for Integrated Education in 1989 serving as the Treasurer for the first two years. After a break he was asked to return in 1994 as a Director, becoming the chair in 1997 for four years. Martin returned to the Board of Directors in 2010 as a Trust representative and is Secretary to the Board.
Michael Morrow (Treasurer) is a trust representative for the South Ulster Trust for Integrated Education. He has served two terms on the Board of Directors and has chaired the Finance, General Purposes and Staffing Committee since 2010. Michael is an accountant in practice. Michael was a governor and Responsible Officer on the Board of Governors in Bridge Integrated Primary school and also sat on the Board of Governors of Armagh Integrated College.
Vincent Fullam MBE, is a Schools member. He is Chair of Board of Governors of Drumlins IPS and works ceaselessly on the behalf of the school. Vincent has had along term involvement in working to improve community relations. He sits on the Policy and Planning Committee.
Ian McKay Ian is a Queen’s graduate and worked for 25 years in the LPG industry. In 2001 he joined NICIE as an Outreach Officer and worked there for seven years. He was involved in the setting-up of five integrated primary schools and one integrated college in that time. Ian currently serves as a governor in Phoenix IPS, Cookstown, and Braidside IPS, Ballymena.
Dr Helen McLaughlin Dr Helen McLaughlin joined the NICIE Board in November 2010. She has almost twenty years of experience working in the community and voluntary sectors, both as a paid employee and as an independent practitioner. Her areas of expertise are facilitation and training in areas related to group development such as strategic planning, leadership, and negotiation. She also undertakes research including project and organisational evaluations, and reports. She is the author of the report entitled: Women and the Conflict: Talking about the ‘Troubles’ and Planning for the Future (September 2008), and the report Women in Disadvantaged Communities: Barriers to Women’s Participation (September 2009). Helen currently chairs NICIE’s Policy and Planning Committee, and is delighted to be part of NICIE at this important time for the development of the education system in Northern Ireland.
Helen Hamilton is the Early Years representative on the Board and an Associate of the Regional Training Unit. Helen is Principal of Cranmore Integrated Primary school which she has led since its inception. She has also won the prestigious Ted Wragg Teaching Award for Lifetime Achievement sponsored by the DFES Innovation Unit. Helen brings a wealth of experience in educational issues and leadership issues to the Board as well as her passionate commitment to Integrated Education.
David Clement David has spent almost his whole working life endeavouring to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public sector finances in the UK and overseas. In recent years he has concentrated on improving good governance especially in third sector organisations. He was awarded the OBE in 2006 for his voluntary work in the local community in Northern Ireland reflecting his varied interests in helping others to develop their skills and knowledge.
Claire McGlynn is a co-opted member of the Board. Dr McGlynn is a lecturer in the school of Education in QUB. Claire has a long term commitment to Integrated Education. She taught in Newbridge Integrated College. She has gained global recognition for her work into integrated education and was recently awarded the first annual CIES Jackie Kirk Outstanding Book Award for her book, Peace Education in Conflict and Post-Conflict Societies: Comparative Perspectives.
Brigid Heron is a Schools representative. She is Vice Principal of Sperrin Integrated College, where she was a founding teacher. Brigid has also been a founding teacher at Ulidia Integrated College and a founding member of the Mid Ulster Forum for Integrated Education. She sits on the Management Committee of the Sharing Classrooms: Deepening Learning Project.
Brendan O’Loan is a representative of the Teachers Committee. Brendan is Head of RE in Hazelwood Integrated College and Leader on Integration and Diversity. He has been involved in developing and sharing good practice in the promotion of integration. Brendan sits on the Policy and Planning Committee.
Andrew Sleeth became involved in Integrated Education when he joined Integrated College Dungannon (formerly known as Armagh & South Tyrone Integrated College) in 1995 as Head of Mathematics. He joined the Senior Leadership Team of the College in 1998 before being promoted to Vice Principal in 2004 and then to Principal of the College in September 2005. During his time, as Principal, the college enrolment at ICD has grown by 22%. An advocate of pastoral care, Andrew implemented restorative justice practices throughout the college and ICD became the first college in Northern Ireland to have a trained restorative justice student team. As an active educationalist, Andrew was the driving force behind the formation of the Dungannon Learning Partnership (DLP) in 2007 commencing with the involvement of three local post primary schools. The Partnership now involves seven post primary schools collaborating to offer a varied range of GCSE and A’ Levels to students in the Dungannon District. For the Academic Year 10/11 Andrew was elected Chair of the Dungannon & Cookstown Area Learning Community and has remained an active member in his current role as Bursar. He is also a member of the SELB Child Protection Committee and a Director of NICIE.
Dr John Milliken is a co-opted member of the Board. John is a former lecturer in the school of Education at QUB. He is a self-employed management consultant specialising is leadership and business development programmes, with a personal interest in schools.
Simone Bartlett is a representative of the Teachers Committee. Simone is a primary school teacher in Oakgrove Integrated Primary school in Derry.
Heather Watson is the Principal of Phoenix Integrated Primary School and a former teacher at Millstrand Integrated Primary School. Heather was an Education Field Officer at NEELB North Eastern Education and Library Board. Currently involved in developing @NIedchat as a channel to promote professional development within Northern Ireland. “For teachers, by teachers”.