Appointments to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland:

The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD has appointed/reappointed the following members to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland.

Ms Ann Marie Duffy

Anne Marie sits as Non-Executive Director on the regulatory body ‘Qualifications Wales’.

She is an independent expert on curriculum and assessment participating in a range of curriculum projects both local and within European states.

Anne Marie held the role of Director of Qualifications and Responsible Officer within CCEA (Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment) directing the design, operation and grading of public examinations. She directed and led CCEA’s digital transformation programme and investigations into malpractice.

She represented CCEA on the Chief Executives Forum of the Joint Council for Qualifications (UK) and held the role of non- Executive Chair of the Qualifications Governance Council of NEBOSH (National Examinations Body for Occupational Safety and Health).

She continues to serve as Chair of Curriculum Committee on the Board of Governors of a large inner city school in Belfast and serves on the governing bodies of a number of charities. Anne Marie holds a Master’s degree in Curriculum Design and Development, is alumnus of Common Purpose and the Chief Executive Forum Women’s Leadership. She was appointed OBE in 2017 for Services to Education. Following a Public Appointment Service (PAS) campaign, Anne Marie Duffy was nominated and appointed by the Minister for Health to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland. The appointment is from 21 January 2021 to 14 January 2026.

Ms Duffy is reappointed by Minister for Health with effect from 15 January 2026 until 14 January 2030.

Mr Terence McGonigal

Terry McGonigal is a qualified Accountant (FCCA) and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personal and Development (FCIPD). He has over 30 years’ post qualification experience in public sector financial management and corporate services, including 15 years as an Executive Director, dealing with a wide range of strategic and operational issues at Board Level.

He has a strong focus on good governance and organisational performance and has successfully applied his leadership, communication and professional skills, to influence the strategic direction of a number of public bodies, and build sustainable policies, strategies and Services. In addition, he has a strong track record of providing leadership and effective governance to deliver complex digital-led Transformation initiatives to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of corporate systems, improve organisational performance, and enhance Customer Services.

Terry also has significant experience in supporting the work of public sector Boards and Audit Committees, both in an executive and non-executive capacity, and has worked collaboratively with Boards and Audit Committees to ensure that best practice financial management and corporate governance arrangements were in compliance with Codes of Conduct in the public sector.

Terry was educated at University of Ulster and Queens University and holds a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) and an MSc in Public Sector Innovation Management. He also has recently completed a post-graduate qualification in Corporate Governance, with the Institute of Public Administration.

Mr McGonigal is reappointed by Minister for Health with effect from 15 January 2026 until 14 January 2030.

Dr Conan McKenna

Dr Conan McKenna is currently a part-time management and public policy consultant and an associate-lecturer on Human Resources, Organisation Behaviour and related topics at the Institute of Public Administration.

As a former assistant secretary general in both Department of Justice and Equality and in the Houses of the Oireachtas, Dr McKenna has extensive experience across multiple public sector organisations, over four decades, in the areas of governance and change management, public policy and legislation (in regulation, non-criminal law reform and social reforms) and in senior HR, Finance and ICT leadership. Among his academic/professional achievements he has a Doctorate in Governance, a master’s in management (Organisation Behaviour/HR) and is a qualified Barrister. He has been a member of the Board of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland since 2021, has served during that period as chairperson of the NMBI’s Business Strategy and Finance Committee and has also gained extensive experience in conducting fitness to practise inquiries as a member of NMBI’s Fitness to Practise Committee.

Mr McKenna is reappointed by Minister for Health with effect from 15 January 2026 until 14 January 2030.

Dr Des Cawley

Dr. Cawley completed his doctorate exploring the health of migrant men in the Republic of Ireland and has supervised several postgraduate students as well as disseminating his work with colleagues through peer reviewed publications and conferences. In addition, he has also been part of inter-institutional research group, focusing on the care of children with complex care needs and their families, publishing a number of reports and papers in this area. In addition, he is also developing interdisciplinary research within TUS in the area of Digital Health and is supervising a number of funded post-doc researchers in this area. He and the team have also been shortlisted for an Irish Education Awards in 2018 and 2025 for work completed with Nurture Africa.

As an experienced academic, he possesses in-depth knowledge of the organisational and governance structures of TUS through his work at Department, Faculty and University level. He has and continues to work closely with the International Office and Graduate School in promoting TUS internationally. Since 2018, he has been Independent External Expert to the European COST evaluation group and has contributed to several COST Actions.

In addition, he was the THEA (now TUA) representative on a number of Implementation Action Groups (IAG) for the Report of the Expert Review Body on Nursing and Midwifery, these included IAG 1 Education & Professional Development Undergraduate Review and IAG 3 Digital Health. In 2025 he was appointed to the National Nursing and Midwifery Pre-Registration Education Oversight Group representing Heads of Nursing from TUA.

Dr. Cawley leads the team at the Department of Nursing and Healthcare at TUS, and in partnership with Associated Healthcare Providers (AHCPs), the Department continues to meet the regional demands of clinical partners and stakeholders, to ensure high calibre graduates from its undergraduate and postgraduate nursing and healthcare programmes

Dr Cawley is nominated by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science, and appointed by Minister for Health with effect from 15 January 2026 until 14 January 2030.