Board of Governors

The College benefits enormously from the commitment and support of the Board of Governors. 

Wendy Blundell OBE

Engineering and business: Chartered Civil and Structural Engineer. Worked in design consultancy and now Director at Institution of Civil Engineers, a professional membership body which supports a worldwide membership and liaises with governments and industry on infrastructure matters and the built environment.

Dr Barbara E Callender

Medical Background: Retired General Practitioner with specialist interest in young people’s medical issues. Past President of the NI Branch of the Medical Women’s Federation and Past President of the Ulster Society of Organists & Choirmasters. Former pupil and Deputy Chairman of the Old Girls' Association. Parent Governor 1997 – 2001. Subsequently Department of Education Governor and Foundation Governor.

Principal of Victoria College.

Joanne Brown

Teacher governor. Teacher since 1995 and from 2002 member of teaching staff at the College. Academic specialism in Classical literature (PhD part-published by Oxford University Press), teacher in charge of Classical subjects. Experience as Lady Warden of Drumglass House (or Head of Boarding if preferred), editor of The Victorian magazine and Head of Year; currently teacher in charge of Learning for Life and Work and teaching at all levels including A-level Sociology.

Jacqui Durkin

Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice in NI, public appointee, since 2019. Formerly Senior Civil Servant and Director in the Department of Education and Chief Executive of the NI Courts and Tribunals Service, an agency for the Department of Justice. Qualified as a Member of the Institute of Internal Auditors in 1994.

John FitzGerald

Architecture and design. Chartered Architect with over 30 years’ experience. Director and founder of Dickson FitzGerald Architects. Sits on the Royal Society of Ulster Architects’ design review panel and is a specialist architectural advisor to the Ministerial advisory group for Architecture and the built environment. Treasurer and Board Member of the Golden Thread Gallery.

Gregor Hamilton

Legal Director at Strategic Investment Board and parent of a Victoria pupil.

Aiobheann Harrison

Teacher governor. Currently Head of Music at Victoria College. Teaches music at all levels and leads the College extra-curricular music programme. Also teaches Learning for Life and Work at KS4. Joint leadership of Student Council. Senior Teacher at previous school.

Sharon Hetherington

Accountancy background: Chartered Public Finance Accountant from 1997. Director of Finance for the Department for Economy. Previously Director of Finance and Head of Corporate Services for the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service. Serves as independent member on the Northern Ireland Housing Executive audit and risk committee.

Antonia Hoskins

Background in Science, having attained a BA (MOD) TCD in Natural Science, followed by a H. Dip. Ed. Last teaching post was at Wesley College Dublin, where she was also Head of Junior Boarding. Joined NI Civil Service, working for a variety of Departments, but most notably for the Department of Education (Open Enrolment Transfer) where she undertook a study of Enrolment Criteria. Also worked in N.I. Assembly as Assistant Clerk to the TEO Committee. Currently involved in Pension Policy and the introduction of a new Career Average Scheme and more recently the age discrimination case relating to the McCloud Judgment. Married with 3 sons, all of whom are Choristers at St Anne’s Cathedral. Long-standing Cub Scout leader and has enjoyed the challenge of Scouting through COVID lockdowns. Licensed National Swim Ireland Referee and, having been a competitive swimmer, enjoys officiating at the highest levels.

David Jobling

Technology Architecture and IT System Delivery:  25 year career in the IT industry designing and delivering large scale technology systems for global organisations. Currently with Avanade (Accenture) with a focus on professional training and education in systems design and cybersecurity.  Registered STEM Ambassador, active with Women in Technology International (WITI) championing careers in IT for women.

Mary Johnston

Retired doctor. Former pupil of Richmond Lodge School and parent of former pupil of Victoria College. Member of Human Resources and Education Committees. Designated Governor for Safeguarding.

Trevor Johnston

Head of Careers, Employability and Skills at Queen’s University with responsibility for strategic planning and leadership of the Service in accordance with the University’s Strategy 2030 ambition with particular focus on enhancing the employability of Queen’s students. He leads the Service which supports students to develop their skills to prepare them for the world of work, enabling employers to come onto campus and meet and recruit Queen’s students as well as the international mobility team which supports some 300 students per year to undertake study and work opportunities in some 30 countries around the world.

Previously held a range of private sector roles as UK Business Development Manager for National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies and Regional Manager for Northern Ireland with SummitSkills, a Sector Skills Council with responsibility for representing employers. He had previously led the development of an All-Ireland Interreg Funded Renewable Energy Installer Academy establishing regional training provision for a range of renewable energy technologies and an Ireland wide training, certification and quality inspection scheme for renewable energy installers.

Director of AHECS, the Association of Higher Education Careers Services in Ireland. Currently Co-Chair of the Executive Board of the AHECS Association and is the Ireland representative on the Global Careers Summit Programme Board, which delivers the annual Global Careers Summit to facilitate learning, sharing of best practice and dialogue amongst higher education careers services across the world. Chair of Walking Free, a UK registered charity which seeks to support people with addictions and life controlling issues.

Katharine Martin 

Engineering and Project Management: Chartered Mechanical Engineer. Marine Surveyor with Maritime Coastguard Agency. Previously contracts manager with MJM Marine and mechanical engineer with Harland and Wolff. A former pupil of Victoria College, currently has two daughters at the College.

Conor McCrory

Construction Sector and Procurement: Construction professional with 20 years’ experience in the construction industry at a senior level. Currently with Strategic Investment Board (SIB) with responsibility for the management of strategic capital works projects. Has directed and led the procurement of some of the largest public infrastructure projects in Northern Ireland and elsewhere in recent years, including Enniskillen Hospital, NIFRS Training Centre and Belfast Metropolitan College at Titanic Quarter. Convenor of the Estates Committee.

Brian McDonald

Accountancy: Head of Finance and IT for a Non-Departmental Public Body of the Department of Justice. Member of the Audit and Risk and Human Resources Committees.

Paul Murray 

Commercial Leadership, Business Development and Innovation: Currently, Director of Venture Co. launching new business such as BooksPaperScissors Belfast, coaching and enabling fledgling business within Catalyst Inc. Previously, CEO of New Energy Co. converting plastics into reuseable products. Vice President of Shell European Natural Gas, General Manager of Shell Lubricants USA, Head of Global Fuels Innovation (Shell V-Power) Several leadership/commercial roles with Kellogg Co. based in UK, Middle East and USA. Member of VCB Board since 2018.

Christopher Parker

Consultant legislative draftsman; barrister (currently non-practising). Worked in private practice as a barrister (at the Bar of Ireland and the Bar of Northern Ireland), as a government legal advisor (for the Departmental Solicitor's Office) and as a legislative draftsman for the Office of the Legislative Counsel at Stormont and for the Attorney General's Chambers, Isle of Man.

Maria Pearson

Education Sector: Current P7 Teacher and Key Stage 2 Leader in Victoria College Preparatory School with a responsibility for coordinating Numeracy. Maria has been a member of the Prep Staff and Senior Leadership Teams since 2016 with much experience of the AQE and GL Transfer Test Procedures. Prior to this, she taught in various maintained, controlled, and integrated schools throughout Northern Ireland as well as completing volunteer teaching placements in Tanzania, Africa. Maria also has a Catholic Teaching Certificate and PE specialism from St Mary's University College, QUB. This is her first year as a Victoria College Prep Teacher Governor and her fourth year serving as a governor on the Board of Sullivan Upper Voluntary Grammar School, Holywood. 

Claire Staple

Legal, governance, compliance: Commercial lawyer with experience in private and public sectors. Currently practising as a procurement and contracts adviser on healthcare technology within HSCNI. Legal Panel Member of the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal of NI since 2015. Member of the Audit and Risk Committee of Choice Housing since May 2020. Parent of one Senior School pupil and one Preparatory two pupil.

Margaret Stirrup

Broad experience of leading and managing student support provision across both Higher and Further Education sectors. Former Head of Careers Employability and Skills at Queen’s University and more recently at Belfast Metropolitan College. Strong interest in career development at both individual and institutional level. Former Co-Chair and currently Executive Committee member of NISCA (Northern Ireland Schools Careers Association).

Damien Toner

Damien joined Queen’s as Director of Estates in March 2015. Prior to joining Queen’s Damien was a senior Director for one of the UK’s largest infrastructure and support service companies and has worked in both the public and private sectors. Damien is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and a graduate of the University of Ulster with over twenty-five years’ experience in the construction, estates and facilities management sectors. Damien is also a Non-Executive Group Board Member of Choice Housing Ireland Limited.

Caroline Young

Higher Education, Housing, Hospitality and Tourism: Director of Student Plus at Queen’s University Belfast with responsibility for Campus Life and the Student Experience. Previously worked in the Hotel and Tourism Industry throughout the UK, Ireland and in Europe. An old girl of Victoria College (1982-1989), Caroline has two daughters at the College and served as Parent Governor for the period 2017-2021 and was elected a Foundation Governor in November 2021. Caroline also sits on the Boards of Visit Belfast and Choice Housing.